Casinos can now join the ranks of local businesses allowed to operate outdoors and have the potential to restore sorely-needed tax revenue to a struggling San Jose budget. San Jose’s two card rooms, Bay 101 and Casino M8trix, will now follow suit of other open California casinos by entertaining guests outside. The setup would give...
UPDATE: Santa Clara City Council caps food delivery fees at 15%
The city of Santa Clara now joins San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Berkeley in capping how much companies like DoorDash and Uber Eats can charge to drop off take out. Take out has been a saving grace for restaurants across Santa Clara County, which have been shuttered for indoor dining since March 17. But when...
UPDATE: Santa Clara City Council allocates $5.59 million windfall
The Santa Clara City Council breezily approved allocating $5.59 million Sept. 1 on transportation upgrades, small business assistance, affordable housing and general fund reimbursements. The funds include $1.59 million from the CARES Act, as well as $5 million from a development settlement from 2018 with neighboring San Jose, which come at a time when the...
Santa Clara County supervisors to discuss jail updates
The state of Santa Clara County jails — both inside and out — will come before the Board of Supervisors Sept. 1, with topics ranging from suicide prevention to hiring practices that take officers’ past conduct into account. Up for review are suicide prevention measures at Main Jail North in North San Jose and the...
Watch: Silicon Valley leaders say struggle for racial equity is long but next steps are clear
Achieving racial equity in Silicon Valley and the nation will take more than protests and some changes in legislative bodies. It’s going to take deep, systemic and hard-fought change. That’s according to a diverse panel of five experts who discussed race and equity in a virtual forum hosted by San José Spotlight and moderated by...
Protesters vandalize San Jose mayor’s house
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo’s home was vandalized Friday night by protesters who marched to the mayor’s house after spending the afternoon protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Liccardo, along with a handful of his neighbors, scrubbed off the graffiti late Friday after protesters ran off. Earlier Friday, about 150 protesters marched near San...
Probation union rallies in San Jose to end systematic racism
Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez walked on stage but before she could speak, a group of young children shouted from a distance, “Black Lives Matter!” While cheers erupted from the crowd, she smiled from ear to ear and responded, “That is the future that is here right now. That is awesome.” About 80 people...
Santa Clara County fire district mergers recommended after audits suggest mismanagement
Citing alleged mismanagement that potentially put thousands of residents at risk, auditors are recommending the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors consider merging the Los Altos Hills and South Santa Clara County fire districts, along with the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District. A May 22 audit found the Los Altos Hills district spent funds...
San Jose Google development faces another delay
Google’s sprawling proposed campus that will change the face of downtown San Jose hit a snag and is further delayed. The draft environmental impact report (EIR) for the Downtown West Project was not submitted to the San Jose City Council by the Aug. 25 deadline, according to Mayor Sam Liccardo and Director of Planning, Building...
East San Jose is safe from fire evacuations, fire chief says
Ten days into fighting the SCU Lightning Complex fires east of San Jose, the “arrows are going in the right direction,” but there’s still months left to go before the fires are fully quelled. The most recent public safety Q&A with San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Fire Department Chief Robert Sapien and Deputy City Manager...