East San Jose parents on Tuesday heard from three candidates vying for two seats on the Alum Rock Union School District. The half-hour long virtual forum, hosted by neighborhood group District 5 United, came three days after another Alum Rock candidate forum hosted by SOMOS Mayfair was canceled because only one candidate — Corina Herrera-Loera...
Santa Clara County scraps new jail plans for mental health facility
After pushing for construction of a new county jail in downtown San Jose for years, Santa Clara County supervisors are now putting the project on hold and proposing a mental health facility instead. When 2020 began, the tumultuous year became an unintended pilot program in reduced incarceration in the county. With a third of the...
Balance of power on San Jose council hangs on November election
San Jose voters face a critical decision this election: vote in the new progressive candidates promising to shake the status quo on the City Council, or maintain the current leadership which has faced a number of split votes between business versus labor interests. Over the past four years, the council has voted 6-5 on many...
UPDATE: San Jose approves plan to keep homeless sheltered through winter and beyond
More than 200 San Jose residents seeking shelter this winter will be guaranteed meals and a place to rest following a decision by city leaders to keep emergency shelters up and running. The San Jose City Council is also looking beyond temporary solutions and unanimously voted Oct. 20 to purchase a 72-unit hotel to use...
UPDATE: Supervisors approve $1 million to review sex discrimination policies at county schools
After emotional and contentious debate about federal changes to campus sex discrimination laws, supervisors agreed to spend up to $1 million to study the issue in Santa Clara County schools. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Oct. 20 to begin the process of reviewing county compliance with Title IX and other laws regarding sexual harassment...
Exclusive Q&A: U.S. House District 18 candidate Rishi Kumar
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democrat Rishi Kumar is attempting to replace Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, in November. Kumar is serving his second term on the Saratoga City Council and serves as an executive board member for the California Democratic Party. Kumar and Eshoo recently were given the opportunity to answer the same 10 questions from...
What early end to census could mean for Santa Clara County
With the Trump Administration prevailing in ending the census count early, Santa Clara County officials say they’re not sure if everyone who needed to be counted actually was. And that could have serious and far-reaching impacts for years to come, they say. “Because the census has been cut short, we believe we’re not going to...
Harbir Bhatia aims to expand diversity on Santa Clara council
When Harbir Bhatia first came to the United States, she never envisioned drafting policy and working in government as part of the American dream. But now, Bhatia is vying for the District 1 Santa Clara City Council seat against incumbent Councilmember Kathy Watanabe as the city is embroiled in a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit, tensions with...
San Jose mayor wants to know what to do about controversial Fallon statue
The flames set to the statue of Capt. Thomas Fallon during a downtown San Jose protest last month have sparked a debate about whether to remove the sculpture. Mayor Sam Liccardo posted on his government Facebook page Oct. 12 he wants to start a conversation about the statue and have residents come up with a...
Kathy Watanabe fights for four more years in Santa Clara
Kathy Watanabe has spent much of her first four years on the Santa Clara City Council battling the 49ers, and she does not plan to stop if voters return her to the council for another four-year term representing District 1. The 49ers and the city have clashed over a variety of issues since 2010, including...