The Bay Area is a paradox – both the birthplace of mountain biking and a well of local opposition. Now Santa Clara County is poised to embrace the sport in a major way. County leaders are exploring the creation of bike-only trails in county parks to avoid illegal tracks in sensitive areas and conflicts between...
Santa Clara County budget makes steep cuts to safety net programs
Santa Clara County leaders are recommending a net reduction of 464 jobs across the region’s social safety net programs to shoulder a $787 million deficit in their nearly $15 billion budget. County Executive James Williams’ Friday recommendations mark a 7.5% spending increase to the county budget compared to last year, as expenses continue to outpace...
Embarcadero road improvements in Palo Alto scheduled for summer
Amid concerns about traffic congestion and emergency response times, one glaring issue that could arise if Palo Alto leaders decide to close the Churchill Avenue train crossing is the lack of an adequate detour for cyclists and pedestrians. For Palo Alto High School students trying to get to class, their most likely route would follow...
San Jose resident sues city over 7-story apartment project
Neighborhood opposition against a proposed seven-story apartment complex in Willow Glen has entered a new phase, after one resident launched a lawsuit intended to force the city into conducting a more thorough review of the development’s potential impact on the area’s sewer system. Jeffrey Yuille, who lives directly adjacent to the proposed development site at...
Mountain View new transportation team to lead project backlog
In the wake of multiple staff vacancies, Mountain View is setting up a new division within its public works department to address a backlog of transportation and street improvement projects. Public Works Director Jennifer Ng presented the plan for the new transportation division to the City Council earlier this month, as part of an update...
Cupertino applies plastic bag ban to more than grocery stores
Cupertino businesses and shoppers are adjusting to a future without plastic checkout bags but many said the alternatives don’t always work as well. Samiullah Memon, owner of Oakmont Sandwiches and Coffee, said adapting to Cupertino’s evolving rules has been both costly and confusing, particularly as guidance around acceptable materials has changed over time. “At first...
Santa Clara County public defenders crushed by caseloads
Santa Clara County public defenders have become a model for getting poor people out of jail before their trials. But their caseloads have exceeded national standards by staggering percentages and upcoming budget talks have the ability to plug an ongoing drain of attorneys. The county has lost 33 public defenders – who are constitutionally mandated...
San Jose to name new park in honor of Chinese American pioneer
San Jose’s newest park will bear the name of a pioneering Chinese American business leader. Councilmembers unanimously approved a plan Tuesday to transform an undeveloped 1.2-acre parcel of land in southwest San Jose into a new park, named in honor of the late Bill Kee, who led a fight in the 1940s to preserve San Jose’s...
Palo Alto looks to rezoning to limit impacts of state bill
Concerned about a new housing law that encourages development near transit areas, Palo Alto is considering numerous zoning changes that would blunt the impacts of the new legislation in neighborhoods like Old Palo Alto and Greenmeadow, which are dominated by single-family homes. Palo Alto officials are looking to minimize the impacts of Senate Bill 79, a...
Cupertino college considers swapping its synthetic turf fields
Plans to upgrade the athletic fields at De Anza College in Cupertino are raising concerns from students and residents about what material should be used. The school’s aging artificial turf fields must be replaced because they’re nearing the end of their lifespan — and college officials need to chose between synthetic turf or natural grass....