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On Friday, San Jose and Santa Clara County opened cooling centers as a major heat wave hit the region. With temperatures reaching highs of 95 degrees, San Jose made three air-conditioned spaces available in its Roosevelt, Mayfair and Camden Community centers. Santa Clara County also opened five cooling centers. In addition to air conditioning, these...
San Jose’s decades-long pension problems level out
For the first time in years, San Jose’s mayor is working with a balanced budget, which means more funding for city services. The city’s pension and retirement costs are declining for the first time in two decades due to double-digit investment returns. The rate of return reached a record high in 2021. “This is pretty historic,” Jim Shannon,...
San Jose residents see water rate hikes once again
Water rates are increasing in July for San Jose residents in several neighborhoods. This week, the City Council unanimously approved increasing drinking and recycled water rates for the next fiscal year. The increase impacts customers of San Jose Municipal Water System, which serves about 136,000 residents in the North San Jose, Alviso, Evergreen, Edenvale and Coyote...
Silicon Valley residents share why they didn’t vote
Most Santa Clara County residents who registered to vote chose not to participate this election cycle—with some saying they’ve either lost faith in the system or don’t feel informed enough to make a decision. As of Friday, only about 24.21% of registered voters in the county cast their ballots on June 7, drastically lower than the...
San Jose transit workers raise alarm over spitting and assaults
If you drive a VTA bus, sooner or later someone is going to spit on you. “It happens to everybody,” a VTA operator told San José Spotlight. The worker requested anonymity to avoid retaliation. “If you’re there long enough, you’re guaranteed it’s going to happen to you—it’s absolutely horrible.” Spit, threats, punches and sexual harassment...
San Jose AAPI community thrilled with apparent winner in District 1
Santa Clara County Board of Education trustee Rosemary Kamei’s resounding lead in the San Jose City Council District 1 race is also a win for the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, AAPI leaders said. As of 5 p.m. Friday, Kamei has more than 60% of the vote, and assuming nothing changes, that nixes the...
San Jose ends food program supporting homeless people
San Jose is winding down a hot meals program that started during the COVID-19 pandemic, and homeless advocates worry people will go hungry. The hot meals program, funded by the federal CARES Act, has helped feed homeless residents at encampments and motels throughout the pandemic that upended the lives of many in Silicon Valley. Nonprofits, food banks and...
San Jose voters approve longer term limits for water district officials
Last updated 5 p.m. on Monday. The next update will be 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Valley Water board members will likely enjoy longer term limits, thanks to a measure Santa Clara County voters approved on Tuesday. With 94% of the vote counted, Valley Water’s Measure A has received 50.73% approval from voters, or 156,526 votes....
Santa Clara County sees abysmal voter turnout
Last updated 5 p.m. on Monday. The next update will be 5 p.m. Tuesday. Santa Clara County residents had a bevy of important, hotly contested elections to vote on, but few bothered to show up to the polls. Only 33.34% of registered voters cast a ballot on election day, according to data from the Registrar...
Longtime Santa Clara County assessor looks to be the winner again
Last updated 5 p.m. on Monday. The next update will be 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Incumbent Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone is resoundingly ahead and looks set to serve his seventh term. Stone has 67.53% of the vote with 190,867 votes, while opponent Andrew Crockett is trailing with 32.47% of the vote with 91,787...