School districts in California don’t require homeowners who are eligible for a parcel tax exemption to renew it every year, which means seniors over the age of 65 and low-income or disabled homeowners don’t have to reapply to continue getting a tax break. But California law only allows school districts to grant exemptions — not...
San Jose: Trump supporters celebrate re-election announcement
Despite living in a liberal bastion, a small but mighty group of Silicon Valley residents are fighting to put President Donald Trump back in office in 2020. One of them on Tuesday flaunted her support for the 45th president in an unusual spot — her feet. Wearing shoes emblazoned with an American flag and “TRUMP”...
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San Jose OKs three new fire stations, relocating two existing stations
San Jose is now in the market to build three new fire stations and relocate two existing ones after the City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to move forward with the search for five new sites. Emergency responses have spiked 83 percent in the last decade, according to a memo from San Jose Fire Chief...
San Jose political advisor Alex Lee jumps into Assembly race
Another candidate on Monday entered the race to replace Silicon Valley Assemblyman Kansen Chu, setting the stage for one of the region’s most closely-watched races next year. Alex Lee, 23, a policy advisor and former field representative for Assemblyman Evan Low, announced he’s jumping into the fray. He joins a slew of other candidates, including...
Top takeaways from Santa Clara County’s new $8.1B budget
After a week of budget hearings, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve the hefty $8.1 billion budget, funding projects that prioritize strengthening existing programs and services as the county prepares for an economic downturn. The budget from County Executive Jeff Smith, approved by the Board of Supervisors Friday, focused on...
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Silicon Valley has no women in state Capitol. This group is changing that.
While the Bay Area is known for its diversity in language and ethnicity, the state legislators representing districts from San Francisco to San Jose have at least one thing in common. They’re all men. As elections for the California State Legislature approach next year, Close The Gap, a group that scouts and grooms women to run...
Bob Wieckowski jumps from Congress to supervisorial race
Three weeks after declaring his candidacy for Congress to succeed presidential hopeful Rep. Eric Swalwell, Fremont state Sen. Bob Wieckowski is shifting gears. Now he wants to run for Alameda County Supervisor to replace Supervisor Scott Haggerty, a position that would afford him no term limits. Wieckowski, a bankruptcy attorney who sat on the Senate...
Uber set to make South Bay debut with big Sunnyvale lease
Barely a month after its ballyhooed IPO, Uber Technologies Inc. is set to make its big entrance into the South Bay via a major lease in a growing part of downtown Sunnyvale. The San Francisco-based rideshare company is slated to take two five-story buildings, at 190 and 200 Mathilda Place, totaling about 290,000 square feet...
Hundreds of Santa Clara County workers rally for health care, wages
Hundreds of union members poured out in front of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors’ chambers Wednesday in the blistering heat, rallying for an increase in wages and services for county workers as the supervisors inside deliberated on next year’s funding priorities during a budget hearing. Union leaders from SEIU Local 521 advocated for...
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San Jose lawmakers narrowly approve budget amid inequity concerns
San Jose City Councilmembers on Tuesday narrowly voted to approve Mayor Sam Liccardo’s June budget message, despite criticism that it didn’t go far enough to address racial and economic inequities in the city. The split vote marked the first time in recent history that nearly half the City Council voted against a mayor’s fiscal budget, which is historically...