People of color are overrepresented in Santa Clara County deaths from the novel coronavirus, according to new health figures released Thursday. Of the 47 COVID-19 deaths in the county, 36% are Latino while 4% are African Americans, though each group makes up about 25% and 2.8% of the county’s population, respectively, census data shows. Meanwhile,...
Bracing for COVID-19 surge, Santa Clara County mandates medical supply reporting
Anyone who has a large cache of medical protective equipment, like gloves, goggles and masks, should make an inventory list now because Santa Clara County officials are taking a tally. Businesses and people are required to report by April 15 to the county if they have a ventilator in any condition or more than 5,000...
San Jose fire academy trains recruits to respond to COVID-19 outbreak
Despite the deadly coronavirus infecting more than a dozen fire officials, the San Jose Fire Department has filled its latest training academy with nearly twice as many firefighter recruits to help the COVID-19 response — albeit with face masks and physical distancing. The fire training academy, which began in late March, has 24 fire recruits...
San Jose strikes down proposal to suspend rent, citing constitutional concerns
A contentious proposal to suspend rent for three months for families who are struggling to make rent due to coronavirus was struck down by San Jose’s attorney at a virtual City Council meeting Tuesday, concerned the policy violated the Constitution. City Attorney Rick Doyle said the city would be on the hook for the forgiven rent...
Staying at home has ‘bent the curve’ on COVID-19, but residents deal with ripple effects
Health officials say the shelter in place order effective the past three weeks is working, but none can predict when life might return to normal as the economic and health effects of the restrictions ripple through the region. Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County’s top health official, on Tuesday told county leaders that the health...
Nurses in Santa Clara County feel betrayed as they work the frontlines of the pandemic
Nurses in Santa Clara County aren’t being adequately protected as they put themselves in harm’s way to treat the public during the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to 11 medical professionals working at local hospitals interviewed by San José Spotlight. There isn’t enough protective equipment or, in many hospitals, adequate training on how to safely reuse...
Santa Clara City Council extends renter protections, delays Pruneridge traffic plan
Santa Clara renters are now protected from evictions through May 28 if they’re unable to pay rent due to financial strain caused by COVID-19. After the City Council adopted an urgency ordinance two weeks ago, state and countywide eviction moratoriums were also approved, leading Santa Clara leaders to approve an adjusted timeline to avoid confusion...
San Jose struggles to clean up illegal dumpsites in wake of coronavirus
Despite a years-long effort to reduce blight, graffiti and trash, San Jose has been forced to scale back on its resources to clean the city’s streets, spurred by the COVID-19 quarantine. The city in recent years has beefed up its efforts to reduce blight, aided by a new app that allows residents to report where trash...
Santa Clara County could move to all-mail election due to coronavirus
As the coronavirus crisis has upended the lives of people across the nation, Santa Clara County seeks to protect the most sacred right of every American: Voting. That means the county could move to voting entirely by mail in the November election. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday adopted a plan authored by Supervisor Cindy...
California lends out 500 ventilators as Santa Clara County seeks more
South Bay residents got seemingly contradicting accounts Monday from local and state officials about how stocked California’s ventilator cache is in the face of COVID-19, a potentially deadly respiratory illness that is spreading across the state. Santa Clara County officials stood outside Valley Medical Center in San Jose on Monday afternoon to plead for ventilator donations that...