One South County city and a family-owned skate rink are at odds over the business’ attempts to expand its operation. Mikey Gaeta and Yanessa Cruz, husband-and-wife owners of Skater Things Clubhouse in Gilroy, said their efforts to move into a larger facility a block south of their current location at 7050 Monterey Road are fading...
San Jose approves new union contract, but holdout remains
While the San Jose City Council has approved new contract agreements with several public sector unions, a protracted labor dispute that has brought the city government dangerously close to a major worker strike will continue, after one bargaining group’s members rejected the deal. Councilmembers on Tuesday unanimously approved updated three-year contracts that will cover roughly...
Mountain View prepares for El Niño-powered winter storms
As the first winter rain fell across the Bay Area last week, Mountain View prepared by publishing advice and resources for navigating storm risks in a year when meteorologists are projecting strong El Niño conditions. El Niño conditions are marked by unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean, which then affects winter weather patterns along the...
Speed camera pilot program revs up in San Jose
After delays due to a lost federal grant, San Jose is rolling out a long-anticipated speed safety camera pilot program intended to save lives by convincing drivers to slow down. Testing and installation of a new network of 33 cameras is already underway, as the city prepares for a Dec. 14 launch. For the first...
Santa Clara County opens long overdue youth psychiatric hospital
For years, children in need of acute psychiatric care in Santa Clara County were being shipped hours away to get treatment. That is about to change as the county opens a new inpatient behavioral health facility for youth. The Behavioral Health Pavilion, located on the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Campus (VMC), will give 35...
LinkedIn pays Mountain View $1.6M to extend development timeline
The Mountain View City Council unanimously signed off on an agreement last week to give LinkedIn an extra five years to redevelop its office headquarters on the eastern edge of the city. LinkedIn now has until February 2034 to begin constructing a pair of six-story office buildings and a parking structure at its Mountain View campus. As...
Morgan Hill council approves 105-home builder’s remedy project
A plan to bring more than 100 homes to Morgan Hill just east of the U.S. Highway 101 Cochrane Road exit is moving forward after receiving approval from city officials. The City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved the housing project, ensuring 105 single-family homes will be built on a 15.8-acre lot in the South County...
Santa Clara County report shows increased property values
Santa Clara County property values have increased faster than last year, although overall growth has remained below 5% as economic uncertainty and changes in the real estate market continue to shape the region. The total net assessed value of all real estate and personal property — known as the assessment roll — reached a record...
Will new state laws reduce dangerous e-bike riding in Silicon Valley?
Los Gatos community leaders are optimistic that new state laws will help control unsafe behavior by riders of electric bicycles and get illegal e-bikes off the streets. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed four recent bills that crack down on selling so-called “e-motos” that can exceed the speed limit for legal e-bikes; require more safety gear on...
Caltrain projects grim future without regional sales tax measure
Although Caltrain is looking down the barrel of fiscal disaster, agency representatives who spoke to the Palo Alto City Council on Monday highlighted their recent efforts to raise revenues and lauded the city as a regional model for public transit partnerships in the run-up to a critical vote. Palo Alto leaders have already endorsed the...