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Is Cindy Chavez shifting to the right in San Jose mayor’s race?

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....

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...

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,...