Federal agents are anticipated to be in the South Bay ahead of the Super Bowl, as the nation grapples with increased violence related to immigration enforcement. There’s been local concern U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be out in force during the national sports event taking place Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa...
Santa Clara County residents consider leaving the area
A significant number of Santa Clara County residents say they’re considering leaving the Bay Area, a reflection of the persistent frustration over housing costs and affordability even as population data suggests the region is not experiencing a mass exodus. Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s annual survey found 40% of respondents in Santa Clara County said they...
Palo Alto council vows to prioritize ‘efficiency’ in 2026
After floundering for hours in their own stratified vocabulary, Palo Alto officials coalesced on Saturday around a new list of goals for 2026: government efficiency, housing production, economic development and the renovation of Cubberley Community Center. The City Council direction, now led by Mayor Vicki Veenker and Vice Mayor Greer Stone, marks a departure from...
Congressman secures millions of dollars for Silicon Valley projects
Dysfunction and federal funding cuts in Washington, D.C. aren’t stopping one Silicon Valley lawmaker from getting money into his district. Congressional District 16 Rep. Sam Liccardo — San Jose’s former mayor — announced a nearly $14 million infusion of federal cash into San Mateo and Santa Clara counties on Thursday. In Santa Clara County, that means...
Proposed state budget shortchanges Santa Clara County
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants Americans to see him as the antithesis to President Donald Trump. So Santa Clara County officials could be forgiven for thinking he’d shield them from federal cuts to public health care. Instead, they question whether he’s effectively enabling the president’s agenda. Newsom’s January budget message tosses aside new spending proposals —...
Mountain View Planning Commission backs 8-story apartment
Plans for an eight-story apartment building are taking shape in the East Whisman area of Mountain View, a part of the city that is better known for office buildings and surface parking lots than high-density housing. The applicant, Jeffrey Stone of WTA Middlefield, is proposing to build a 460-unit apartment complex with nearly 9,400 square feet of...
San Jose traffic deaths dropped in 2025
San Jose’s traffic fatalities declined once again in 2025, helping the city move closer toward its goal of eliminating all road deaths over the next 15 years. Last year, 41 people died in traffic accidents on the city’s roadways, a 16% drop from 2024, when 49 people died, and the lowest figure the city has seen...
West San Jose neighborhood fed up with power outages
A string of blackouts has hit the Bay Area in recent months, but residents of one West San Jose community suspect they’ve had it worse than most. Now they’re calling for Pacific Gas and Electric to address what they said are longstanding grid reliability issues in their neighborhood. Residents of Mossbrook Circle — a U-shaped...
Santa Clara County could charge for property value appeals
Santa Clara County homeowners have the power to challenge how much they pay in property taxes every year. But it could start costing hundreds of dollars to appeal. County leaders are considering charging single-family home and condo owners $290 to appeal the county assessor’s determination of their property’s value, which in turn determines the taxes homeowners pay...
New brewery coming to The Pruneyard in Campbell
A new watering hole is moving into The Pruneyard six months after Rock Bottom Brewery closed. Laughing Monk Brewing will open its fifth location in Campbell, where Rock Bottom Brewery was housed for 30 years. Unlike its national chain predecessor, Laughing Monk is a local brewery with four locations in the Bay Area — Sunnyvale,...