New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fully vaccinated people can ditch their masks when indoors and outdoors. But local guidelines aren’t as open yet. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday he will end the state’s mask mandate on June 15, nearly a year after he first required masks in all public...
The Podlight: Berryessa Flea Market plan moves forward
The Podlight is a podcast collaboration by San José Spotlight and Silicon Valley Synergy. The Podlight features a weekly look at the top headlines and in-depth conversations with San José Spotlight reporters about South Bay policy, politics and government, delving into critical issues such as housing, technology, business, homelessness, land use and development. On this...
Indoor dining brings normalcy back to San Jose restaurants
Restaurants returning to indoor dining can breathe easier as customers come back inside and some normalcy takes shape. Before the pandemic, Anabel Nguyen and Alex Huynh’s family restaurant hadn’t taken a break in 25 years. But in March 2020, they closed for one month. “It was really stressful for all of us,” Nguyen said. Since...
South Bay parents hesitant about COVID-19 vaccine for kids
Most parents in a new survey said no to immediately getting their kids vaccinated against COVID-19. The survey by Invisibly found 74% of parents will either wait or not vaccinate their kids against the coronavirus. Only 26% of parents said they will have their children inoculated right away, 41% will wait a few months and 33%...
Do grand jury reports influence change in Silicon Valley?
Santa Clara County’s Civil Grand Jury for decades has attempted to improve government and investigate corruption, but whether it’s meeting those goals isn’t so clear. And most of the people lining up to serve on it are older white people. The Civil Grand Jury investigates complaints made by county residents, but not all complaints are...
San Jose Planning Commission OKs Berryessa public market plan
Vendors worried about the future of the San Jose Flea Market were dealt a blow Wednesday night. The San Jose Planning Commission voted 5-1 to recommend a revised development plan for the Berryessa BART Urban Village Plan, a 61.5-acre portion of the flea market site located on Berryessa Road near Highway 101. The site is...
San Jose’s Happy Hollow hangs on during the pandemic
The theater and rides at San Jose’s Happy Hollow Park & Zoo might be closed, but that didn’t dampen 4-year-old Zayden’s enthusiasm for his first time at the zoo. “I’m so excited!” said Zayden as he made his way from the ticket booth to the exhibits. Happy Hollow is owned and operated by San Jose’s Parks,...
San Jose police officers are getting a raise
Despite a year of tireless demands to defund the police, San Jose lawmakers voted unanimously to approve salary raises for officers in an updated labor agreement. The new agreement between San Jose and its police department takes effect July 1. The updated contract gives full-time officers a 3.85% raise – starting May 16. They’ll receive...
San Jose mayor, housing advocates talk post-pandemic housing
The region’s housing crisis isn’t going away even after the pandemic does, but advocates are searching for solutions. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and affordable housing executives joined together Friday for a roundtable discussion. The five-person panel talked about topics such as the state of the housing market, how employees can contribute to affordable housing, how to...
UPDATE: Valley Water OKs 9% rate hikes; faces opposition from San Jose mayor
The Santa Clara Valley Water District, the wholesale water provider for the county, approved water rate hikes in a unanimous vote by its directors Tuesday. Valley Water provides water to the San Jose Water Company, the San Jose Municipal Water System and the Great Oaks Water Company, who then sell the water to residents. It...