Santa Clara County published inaccurate demographic data on its COVID-19 vaccination dashboard and only updated the errors after San José Spotlight brought it to officials’ attention. “There’s a discrepancy in the data,” Santa Clara County spokesperson Roger Ross confirmed Thursday. “We have been looking into it.” The majority of the data on the county’s vaccination...
A ‘history of complicity’: Business group explores how to help the housing crisis
A powerful business organization known to push back against low-income housing policies could change its stance to help solve San Jose’s housing crisis. That was the sentiment this week at the Silicon Valley Organization’s first housing committee meeting of the year. The meeting Wednesday brought developers and housing advocates — two often clashing groups —...
Will cannabis come to retail centers in San Jose after another delay?
If you’re looking for a cannabis dispensary in San Jose, you have 16 to choose from. But you won’t be able to find one next to a CVS or your favorite restaurant: By city ordinance, all dispensaries are located in industrial zones instead of with other retail in places like strip malls. The San Jose City...
San Jose makes it easier to open COVID-19 vaccine clinics
In its quest to help Santa Clara County quickly distribute COVID-19 vaccines, San Jose will relax land-use rules to get vaccination stations up and running. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to bypass the usual permitting process required for hosting outdoor events so more vaccination clinics can open in vulnerable neighborhoods. “I appreciate...
Santa Clara County vaccine sites popping up: Find the closest to you
There are now 20 vaccination clinics across Santa Clara County, with several new sites opening within just the past week. San José Spotlight has created an interactive map to show where eligible residents can get their vaccines. Santa Clara County is continuing to open new sites in communities hardest hit by COVID-19, including Gilroy and East San Jose. Each...
Santa Clara County has an optimistic outlook post-COVID-19, board leader says
Despite the past year’s 1,700-plus COVID-19 deaths, gaping budget shortfalls and widespread job loss, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Mike Wasserman sees light at the end of the tunnel. In his first State of the County address earlier this month, Wasserman called for unity and preparedness for a post-pandemic world and made an...
Good Samaritan Hospital CEO resigns following COVID-19 vaccine scandal
Weeks after a scandal involving inappropriate COVID-19 vaccine distribution, Good Samaritan Hospital’s top administrator is stepping down and leaving the hospital’s parent company, San José Spotlight has learned. The hospital’s CEO, Joe DeSchryver, submitted his resignation Tuesday morning, telling staff in an email that he would no longer be with the hospital’s parent company, HCA...
San Jose leaders to give housing developers a break on park fees
Desperate to see more housing built in San Jose, lawmakers voted unanimously Tuesday to give developers a break on fees at the expense of local parks. Housing developers are required to either add parks and community centers into their project plans or pay a fee to the city that will go toward supporting parks in...
San Francisco 49ers consult medical experts to bring fans back to Levi’s Stadium
The San Francisco 49ers launched a medical advisory team aimed at reopening Levi’s Stadium to fans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team says the committee, made up of several prominent Bay Area health officials, will make safety recommendations that will allow for the return of fans to Levi’s Stadium. While the committee’s findings are right...