A recent San Jose mayoral candidate forum left many politicos scratching their heads. Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez—a household name for her work in local labor movements and roots in Working Partnerships USA and the South Bay Labor Council—took two positions that sounded inconsistent to fellow labor-leaning leaders and based on her past policies....
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The Biz Beat: Kyoto Palace in Campbell still reigns after more than 40 years
The clang of the chef’s utensils delight as he twirls and flips them in the air, sending bits of egg for his customers to catch in their mouths. On the steaming griddle, he draws a rooster out of egg yolk to children’s squeals. This is part of Kyoto Palace’s renowned dinner and a show, but...
Santa Clara quietly settles lawsuit with chamber of commerce
This time last year, Santa Clara publicly threatened to sue its chamber of commerce for nearly $600,000 it claimed the city was overcharged—but the two sides quietly settled the dispute for about half that amount last fall. The city and the Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce reached a settlement that requires the business group to pay the...
Resource fair brings warm clothes, services to San Jose homeless
Worrying about the living conditions at one of the largest homeless encampments in the Bay Area, a local nonprofit hosted a resource fair this week to bring jackets, snacks and housing and health services to the neediest near San Jose’s Columbus Park. More than 120 people came strolling down Spring Street Wednesday morning for clothes and services. With...
Little known about new COVID variant detected in Santa Clara County
A new strain of the omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Santa Clara County, but details about its transmissibility are scarce. Santa Clara County officials confirmed a strain known as BA.2 has been found in two people in the county. In a video shared with San José Spotlight, Deputy Public Health Officer Dr. George...
Parking fees at Santa Clara County mall upset shop owners, employees
Retailers and restaurant owners at Westfield Valley Fair shopping mall are circulating a petition against a new paid parking policy. The shopping center’s parking program, scheduled to start Feb. 8, would charge people working at Valley Fair $40 per month or $3 per day, which adds up for those earning a minimum wage. A petition...
Own a gun in San Jose? Get ready to pay for it
San Jose is now the first city in the nation to mandate gun owners to have liability insurance and pay an annual fee in an effort to curb gun violence. On Tuesday, councilmembers voted to approve the gun control rules requiring San Jose residents who own guns to pay an annual $25 fee per household...
Poll shows Santa Clara County district attorney, opponent in close race
An early election poll shows Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen and public defender Sajid Khan in a close race for the top county prosecutor seat. The poll, conducted by Florida-based SEA Polling & Strategic Design, surveyed 350 likely voters in the county district attorney race between Dec. 14-16. The poll, paid for by Khan’s campaign,...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County lawmakers approve new jail
Santa Clara County lawmakers are moving forward with the creation of a new jail, despite hours of testimony from residents and advocates fiercely opposed to the project. The Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to construct a 500-inmate maximum security jail and develop a plan for demolishing components of the existing Elmwood Correctional Facility and all...
Santa Clara says goodbye to Columbus Day
Santa Clara leaders Tuesday night praised the City Council for voting to ditch Columbus Day and instead celebrate a day that highlights indigenous people and cultures. “We’re particularly happy and proud that our task force was able to make this recommendation while also acknowledging another thing that we saw in our surveys,” said Neil Datar,...