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Researchers turn to human waste to sniff out clues about COVID-19 in Santa Clara County

Seeking to better understand the spread of COVID-19, researchers from San Jose, Santa Clara County and Stanford University are looking at an unusual source for answers: Human waste. It turns out excrement can carry the coronavirus, which is why researchers and health officials are examining it to compile more accurate data on the virus in...

San Jose Legends: Rod Diridon launched the city’s light rail but got into transit by accident

Editor’s Note: San Jose Legends is a new monthly series that tells the remarkable stories of the historic and legendary people who have helped shape and transform our city. Rod Diridon has a train station named after him and is widely renowned as the “father” of Silicon Valley’s modern transit system. But to hear him tell...

South Bay Latinos cheer Padilla appointment to U.S. Senate

Gov. Gavin Newsom made history appointing California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ Senate seat — and South Bay Latinos acknowleged it was not by chance. Latinos throughout the state lobbied hard for the governor to appoint someone from their community, saying their time for representation was long overdue. They...

Stanford drops lawsuit against Santa Clara County over affordable housing

Stanford University dropped a lawsuit against Santa Clara County, two years after arguing the county targeted the university too narrowly in requiring affordable housing. Stanford filed the suit in December 2018 after the county began a multi-year planning process to increase development of affordable housing. The first phase of the county’s affordable housing plan identified...

San Jose Assemblyman Ash Kalra wants to be the next Attorney General

San Jose Assemblyman Ash Kalra is jockeying to replace Attorney General Xavier Becerra as the state’s top law enforcement official. Becerra was tapped by President-elect Joe Biden to be the next U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, leaving California’s attorney general position vacant. If Becerra is confirmed, Gov. Gavin Newsom will appoint the state’s next attorney general— and Kalra thinks...

COVID-19 has led to widespread food insecurity in Silicon Valley. Thousands of volunteers are helping fight it.

The South Bay’s staggering increase in demand for food assistance during the coronavirus pandemic is being met with help from a newly raised army of volunteers. Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, which has been coordinating much of the local effort to distribute food to needy residents, has faced the dual challenge of feeding more people than ever...

State watchdog fines San Jose Water executive, Cupertino political committee for campaign violations

The state’s political watchdog has fined a Silicon Valley political action committee and San Jose Water Chief Administrative Officer Andrew Walters $5,000 for failing to file campaign finance reports on time. The Cupertino Chamber PAC and Walters, who was the committee’s treasurer at the time, failed to timely file two expenditure reports disclosing a total...