Morgan Hill Mayor Rich Constantine has joined the contest for Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman’s seat. Constantine joins former councilmember Johnny Khamis, County Board of Education President Claudia Rossi and Los Gatos Vice Mayor Rob Rennie in vying for the District 1 seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Wasserman’s term will...
Mansion proposal obstructs Santa Clara Valley ridgeline
A proposed Morgan Hill mansion is the target of a complaint claiming its construction will obstruct ridgeline views—something the county’s decades-old General Plan says should be avoided. “The whole idea is that ridgelines are the most aesthetically sensitive parts of the county, because everyone can see it,” said Brian Schmidt, advocacy director for environmental organization Green...
San Jose code enforcement struggles with backlog of complaints
Steve Brashear’s frustration exploded when he called San Jose’s Code Enforcement division last year to report unpermitted construction. “There just seems to be a lack of responsiveness from the city on all services due to COVID,” Brashear said. While he understands spotty service in the first few months of the pandemic, he isn’t sure why...
More wage theft claims emerge at San Jose housing site
San Jose’s labor compliance department launched an investigation of an emergency housing project after San José Spotlight exposed wage theft allegations in March. Public Works Director Matt Cano confirmed that the city’s Office of Equality Assurance is conducting a “full review” of contractors that did work at the Monterey Bernal emergency housing site, built with several...
San Jose residents propose ideas for community-owned housing
When imagining community-owned housing in San Jose, the first thing that comes to mind for some residents is inclusion. “We want to ensure we include very low-income, extremely low-income and those who have no income,” said Delma Hernandez, an organizer with South Bay Community Land Trust, Latinos United for a New America and Next Door Solutions....
Silicon Valley not immune to anti-LGBTQ violence
Three years ago, San Jose lawmakers voted to fly a rainbow flag over Chick-Fil-A—an effort to proclaim LGBTQ residents were welcome in one of the world’s most progressive cities. But not everyone shares that sentiment. “I was walking my dog, had my hair down but was wearing my normal boy clothes and someone drove up...
The Podlight: San Jose school closures, airport struggles and Thomas Fallon statue
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...
Can San Jose have publicly-financed elections?
The promise to get money out of politics has propelled several San Jose politicos to office. Actually implementing corporate-free elections is tougher. Councilmembers and local activists are pushing for a way to level the playing field for contributions through publicly-financed elections. In that system, the local government provides each registered voter with a voucher to spend...
Santa Clara County seeks redistricting advisory commission members
Fifteen county residents will soon help reshape Santa Clara County government’s political power. Santa Clara County supervisors are creating a new advisory commission to complete redistricting obligations by the end of the year, in light of census data delays. Every county is required to redraw its supervisorial boundaries in 2021 according to federal, state and...
Garbage rates to increase in East Santa Clara County
Residents and businesses in East Santa Clara County will see their garbage rates go up this summer. Officials say that’s largely due to the rapidly changing international recyclables market. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved the 5.5% increase, effective July 1. The increase will affect about 5,000 customers in eastern unincorporated Santa Clara County,...