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Amid increasing concerns over the transmissibility of the omicron variant, many Santa Clara County residents in the South Bay are scrambling to find free COVID-19 testing during the holidays. “We were told that there would be a surge during the holidays, and we’re definitely seeing that surge now since at least (last) Thursday,” Sherie Call,...
Santa Clara County property value grows despite COVID pandemic
When COVID-19 first emerged in early 2020, the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office braced for a repeat of the Great Recession, when property value plummeted. Instead, 2021 boomed in residential and commercial property sales, even with a pandemic hanging over the South Bay. The Santa Clara County assessment roll—which includes the value of all real estate...
The COVID pandemic still ranks as the No. 1 issue for Silicon Valley
As 2021 draws to a close, San Jose residents share their hopes for the coming year. Many want to see an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has negatively affected their health, work and travel. They also would like to see people treat each other with more kindness. Retiree Felice Lopiccolo said although vaccination levels...
Labor group demands more records in lawsuit against San Jose
A labor organization suing San Jose for public records has expanded its suit. It wants to determine if the city singled out a compliance director for trying to get information about a public works project. The South Bay Piping Industry Labor Management Trust filed an amended lawsuit last week in Santa Clara County Superior Court. The original suit...
San Jose’s VTA light rail trains are increasingly empty and slow
The VTA light rail system is much like the famed song “Rock Island Line”: if you want to ride it, you gotta ride it like you find it. Light rail riders find the commute to be clean, comfortable, easy to use, handicap accessible and on schedule. It can also be time-consumingly slow, with a cross-town...
Top ten Santa Clara County political stories of 2021
This year was a tumultuous one for Santa Clara County politics. Records revealed San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo hiding emails, Sheriff Laurie Smith is battling multiple political scandals and a prosecutor is simultaneously suing District Attorney Jeff Rosen and gunning for his job. Here’s a look at some major political developments that happened in Santa Clara...
Final congressional map splits San Jose into four districts
In a surprising upset, the state commission charged with redrawing California’s political boundaries drew San Jose into four districts after briefly considering an option that would have limited it to three. The California Citizens Redistricting Commission voted Monday night to approve a map that places San Jose in four congressional districts: 16, 17, 18 and...
Full transcript: San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo’s 2021 State of the City
Editor’s Note: This is a transcript of Mayor Sam Liccardo’s full 2021 State of the City address. Good evening. As I fulfill the mandate of our city charter to articulate an annual state of the city address, I reflect on the pain that so many in our city have experienced over the last year. The...
In annual speech, San Jose mayor says homelessness is city’s ‘biggest failure’
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo painted a realistic picture of the city’s failures while highlighting a hopeful future at his State of the City address on Thursday. In his seventh annual address, and second virtual speech, Liccardo discussed the city’s biggest issues. He focused on homelessness, public safety, community resiliency and environmental improvements. The city’s biggest failure...
‘Miserable’: San Jose homeless brace for cold, wet winter ahead of Christmas
Standing near her tent in San Jose’s Columbus Park with two dogs in her arms, Carole Roberts said the holiday season is not a joyful time of year. “It’s the worst time of the year, with the cold and the wind,” Roberts, who has been homeless for 13 years, told San José Spotlight. “Christmas is...