Los Gatos wants clarity over a housing dispute with the state, and land use experts say the results of the legal spat could slow needed housing. Los Gatos requested legal clarification from the Santa Clara County Superior Court March 28 about a land use disagreement between the town and California Department of Housing and Community Development....
Silicon Valley firefighters clash over territory
Silicon Valley officials want to extinguish their feud with state firefighters over regional territory. But their vote to expand Santa Clara County Fire Department coverage threatens to fan the flames. The Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), a land use board comprised of elected officials from across the county, voted 6-1 Wednesday to remove Cal Fire...
San Jose to further study feasibility of airport connector
San Jose is trying to protect public dollars while still moving forward on a next generation transportation project connecting the city’s airport and downtown train station. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved plans March 25 to move forward with a more detailed ridership study, financial forecasting and initial construction plans for the airport connector,...
San Jose transit agency employees working without new deal
VTA and its unionized frontline workers have made little progress toward a new deal since a Santa Clara County judge stopped a historic strike one week ago. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 received three offers from the public transit agency’s negotiators over the weekend — all based on previous offers that union membership soundly rejected....
First-term San Jose Congressman Liccardo raises eye-popping $1.5M
San Jose Rep. Sam Liccardo raised nearly $1.5 million in his first quarter as a member of Congress, according to a source familiar with the Liccardo camp — a hefty sum for a freshman lawmaker. Additionally, Liccardo, the former mayor of San Jose, transferred $110,000 to Democratic frontline members, the source told NOTUS. The transfers...
Nonprofit gets nod to manage Los Gatos stables — for now
Ashley Byington brushes her horse Pete in his stall at Bear Creek Stables in Los Gatos, smiling at his little huffs of air. Pete is the third horse she’s boarded there, and while she said it was “a great place to grow up,” the dilapidated stables have seen better days. With a push from the...
Ex-Silicon Valley lawmaker fined for hiding payments to Alec Baldwin
Former California Assemblymember Evan Low tried to conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to celebrity Alec Baldwin for campaign appearances using a big tech advocacy group he founded, according to a recent state report. Low — who represented Assembly District 26 and lost a bid for Congressional District 16 to former San Jose...
East San Jose apartments planned for 8-story complex
A neglected East San Jose medical building will be torn down to make way for multifamily housing. City officials approved a mixed-use development at 2470 Alvin Ave. to replace an existing medical office building during a March 26 San Jose Planning Director’s Hearing. The nearly one-acre parcel will be redeveloped into an 8-story, 138-apartment and...
Cupertino prioritizes growing its business community
Cupertino’s decision to draw in new businesses and support longtime merchants has the commerce community cheering. The Cupertino City Council voted 3-2 earlier this month to prioritize economic development and small business support for the next two fiscal years as part of a citywide work program. Councilmembers J.R. Fruen and Sheila Mohan supported the effort,...
UPDATE: Santa Clara VTA light rail starts to come back on line
The VTA light rail Orange Line has returned to full service and partial service has been restored to the Blue Line Monday, after the historic union worker strike paused the agency’s bus and light rail services for almost three weeks. The fully restored Orange Line runs from Mountain View to Alum Rock, and the partially...