New rules and work requirements for Medi-Cal and food stamps imposed by the federal government could strip benefits from thousands of people in Santa Clara County. As of Monday, work requirements for people receiving food stamps, known as CalFresh in California, have expanded to include adults ages 18 to 64, raising it from the prior...
Mountain View grapples with carbon neutrality goal as support wanes
For years, Mountain View has been making progress in combating greenhouse gas emissions with a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2045. But that target is shaping up to be more challenging than anticipated, as shifting political winds have altered federal and state policies that the city once counted on to help reach its decarbonization goals. “The last time the...
San Jose poised to restore virtual public comment
San Jose is poised to bring back virtual public comments during its meetings, two years after the city cut the option due to hate speech concerns. The reintroduction of remote participation, which could come as soon as the June 8 budget hearing, is a response to a new state law mandating digital access for a...
San Jose activist wants to demystify local government
San José Spotlight is highlighting community members who make a difference for AAPI Heritage Month. Ellina Yin compares citizen participation in local government to putting together a piece of IKEA furniture using one of those frustrating assembly manuals that have no words. A self-trained community educator and activist, Yin wants to be the Allen wrench,...
San Jose may rethink voting method for special elections
San Jose is taking another look at ranked choice voting after the City Council rejected a proposal to adopt the idea in city elections four years ago. Amid concerns over the spiraling costs from special elections, councilmembers are considering a charter amendment that would give the city the option to use ranked choice voting in...
Palo Alto seeks ‘pro-housing’ designation after resisting growth
Palo Alto is seeking to earn a pro-housing designation from the state of California this year, a label that would mark a major shift in the way the city has responded to growing regional housing needs amid significant resident pushback to new development. If the city’s application succeeds, Palo Alto would join 74 other cities — including...
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds shifts leadership structure
After two years of uncertainty, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds leaders are gearing up to change their own governing structure, ceding more control to the county over the 165-acre public property’s future. The Fairgrounds Management Corporation board of directors on Wednesday voted unanimously to move forward with the county’s recommendations to go from five volunteer board...
Silicon Valley lawmaker favors AI tech partnerships over regulations
With artificial intelligence threatening to upend workplaces throughout Silicon Valley, the area’s representative in Congress has an idea he hopes will reduce anxieties about the revolutionary technology: nudge tech companies to take a central role in educating the workforce of the future. The tense relationship between recent college graduates and AI has been on display...
San Jose Taiko expresses Japanese American pride
San José Spotlight is highlighting community members who make a difference for AAPI Heritage Month. In a warehouse on The Alameda, San Jose Taiko members beat drums, play a bamboo flute, shake a beaded gourd, ring bells, switch positions and instruments and dance in practiced choreographed movements for hours. The group was practicing for performances...
Santa Clara County church commits funds to immigration defense
Faith leaders across Santa Clara County are committing money to immigration legal defense services as advocates warn families continue to face fear and uncertainty around detention and deportation. More than 120 donors across the Presbytery of San Jose are giving $15,000 to local immigration advocacy groups to support legal aid services for people facing deportation....