Local

Local

How San Jose could save $23 million

The city could save millions of dollars if a decade-long backlog of auditor recommendations is implemented, a recent analysis shows. The city auditor’s biannual report released this month found more than 180 recommendations have not been fully implemented over the past 10 years, which could save the city an estimated $23 million. Some of those...

Santa Clara County doctors celebrate new management

Santa Clara County will not renew a contract with an Ohio-based medical group overseeing emergency department doctors at Valley Medical Center in San Jose, one year after workers protested against the company. The county Board of Supervisors voted earlier this month to let the contract with US Acute Care Solutions (USACS) expire at the end of June....

Milpitas city attorney under fire for offensive tweets

A Milpitas official is raising concerns about a series of offensive tweets from the city attorney, who claims his account was hacked. Councilmember Anthony Phan said Twitter posts from City Attorney Michael Mutalipassi that were made 13 years ago are misogynistic. The tweets from 2009 and 2010 include misogynist comments on rape and female body...

15 women who broke barriers in Silicon Valley

San Jose was once known as the “feminist capital of the world”—paving the way for women to enter politics and hold other positions of power usually reserved for men. And while the region still struggles to ensure equity for women, especially in tech, women have shaped San Jose’s rich history and continue to do so...

Santa Clara County looks to expand low-cost drug program

Santa Clara County residents can check insulin, asthma inhalers and EPI pen costs off their worry list, as a new county program looks to expand. The county’s $1 million MedAssist initiative, which launched last March, offers monthly grants to pay for asthma inhalers, epinephrine auto-injectors (EPI pens), insulin and other diabetes medications. The program serves county...

Will San Jose greenlight new affordable housing policy?

An affordable housing proposal that would enable community groups to buy multi-family homes could finally make it back to the San Jose City Council next month. The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, or COPA, would give qualified nonprofits the ability to make the first offer on multi-family residential properties in San Jose. These nonprofits would then...

East San Jose lake restoration loses funding

Things got heated at Tuesday’s San Jose City Council meeting when councilmembers reversed a prior decision to use more than $3 million of Measure T funds for the restoration of Lake Cunningham in East San Jose. This week, councilmembers voted 8-3 to divert the remaining $3.2 million in funds from the environmental protection budget into...

Petition demands San Jose school district support LGBTQ students

A community petition calling on Santa Clara County’s largest school district to support LGBTQ students has garnered hundreds of signatures. Eli Dinh, a part-time art teacher and parent at the district who is transgender, started the petition to protect LGBTQ students at San Jose Unifed School District. More than 250 signatures have been collected demanding...

Panel: How does Santa Clara County balance public safety?

Big questions remain over policing and accountability, as Santa Clara County law enforcement agencies try to de-escalate their response levels and work toward outcomes that don’t end in tragedy. Community and police leaders came together to discuss public safety at a Wednesday panel hosted by San José Spotlight. Participants agreed work needs to be done to...

San Jose wants to revive neighborhoods commission

A San Jose citizen commission, which represents a critical voice for neighborhoods, hasn’t convened for more than six months due to a lack of members. One city councilmember has an idea how to revive it. The San Jose Neighborhoods Commission has been in limbo because the 20-member body has only four sitting members. It lacks...