Ten Santa Clara County employees are on leave and state officials are tightening their grip as another death in the county’s child welfare system has prompted calls for criminal accountability. The alleged sexual assault and killing of 2-year-old Jaxon Juarez — who the Department of Family and Children’s Services placed in the home of a...
Sunnyvale officials say license plate cameras prevent crime
A heated debate over surveillance and public safety is unfolding in Sunnyvale, as residents fear license plate reader cameras could enable mass tracking — while city officials said the technology is critical to stopping crime. The Sunnyvale City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to continue using Flock Safety automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, after...
Residents push back against San Jose’s data center plans
San Jose’s plan to support the rapid development of new data centers in coming years is running into increasingly vocal pushback. What might have been a routine policy review session during Tuesday’s City Council meeting instead became a venue for a procession of angry residents to vent their concerns about the city’s efforts to attract...
Palo Alto orders demolition of former Stanford Terrace Inn
The Palo Alto City Council on Monday approved a demolition order for the dilapidated building in College Terrace that used to house the Stanford Terrace Inn, rejecting an appeal from the property owner. Between insufficient fire sprinklers, hazardous materials stored in the garage, broken doors and other issues, the conditions on the premises were among the...
Fed grant to cut San Jose’s homeless housing costs
San Jose is looking to offset a sizable portion of its homeless shelter expenses through Medi-Cal reimbursements, but homeless service providers aren’t making full use of the opportunity. That’s about to change with help from a federal grant. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to accept and match $1.3 million from the federal Providing...
Silicon Valley cities among top 10 best places to live in California
Several cities in Santa Clara County rank among the top 10 best places to live in California, highlighting the region’s strong job market and quality of life despite persistent affordability challenges. U.S. News & World Report has ranked 161 best cities to live in California, with Cupertino coming in third and Sunnyvale eighth. The rankings,...
Mountain View council approves public drinking zone downtown
With the FIFA World Cup coming to the area this summer, Mountain View is looking to boost the liveliness of its downtown area. One of the ways it plans to do this is by letting people drink alcohol outdoors in certain areas during city-sponsored events. In a unanimous April 14 vote, with Councilmember Alison Hicks recused,...
San Jose homeless residents fall through the housing cracks
As San Jose sweeps its last large homeless encampment known as “the Jungle,” some residents say the city has reneged on its promises of housing. City officials claimed they had shelter beds for all 109 residents who originally lived at the East San Jose homeless camp across from Happy Hollow Park and Zoo. Camp residents...
Mountain View approves plan for $189M police, fire headquarters
A plan to pay for a new police and fire headquarters has sailed through the Mountain View City Council, with assurances from city staff that the $189 million project won’t have substantial cost overruns. In a unanimous April 14 vote, the City Council approved a plan to fund a new 75,000-square-foot public safety building at 1000...
Lawsuit challenges San Jose’s public records practices
San Jose’s handling of public records requests has landed the city in legal hot water numerous times over the past two decades. Now a local law firm is waging yet another court fight in an attempt to settle the matter once and for all. The firm, McManis Faulkner, filed a lawsuit April 13 in Santa...