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...
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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...
Coronavirus LIVE BLOG: SJSU student fights for on-campus COVID-19 testing
As of Dec. 23, Santa Clara County reported 59,923 confirmed coronavirus cases and 632 deaths. The county saw another massive spike — 1,311 new cases recorded in one day. California had 1,964,076 positive cases and 23,284 deaths as of Dec. 22. However, health officials have warned recent figures have been underreported due to issues with...
Plenty of trash but little cash in San Jose program to pay homeless to pick up garbage
Weeks after San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo announced a program to pay homeless people cash to pick up garbage around the city, people in the program say trash was left piling up and they weren’t paid for weeks — until San José Spotlight asked about it. On Dec. 19, a day after an inquiry from...
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...
San Jose transit chief was touted for Biden’s top transportation post
Before President-elect Joe Biden nominated former South Bend Mayor and presidential rival Pete Buttigieg to be his Secretary of Transportation, there was buzz that a notable local official might be in the running for the role. Nuria Fernandez, the CEO and general manager of the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority, made the short list...