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San Jose’s largest recycling hauler is suing the city, claiming the city profits from contract violations and discriminates against the company because of its owners’ ethnicity. California Waste Solutions (CWS), which provides recycling services to more than 175,000 single-family homes in San Jose, filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County Superior Court this month. The...
San Jose experiences a ‘Black exodus’
Signs of segregation may not be as brazen as the days of Martin Luther King Jr., but Black leaders in San Jose say racism still rears its head and is why the Black community keeps shrinking. It’s something Silicon Valley Minority Business Consortium CEO Walter Wilson calls the “Black exodus.” Thousands of Black residents have left over time...
Silicon Valley mother-daughter duo committed to public service
It started with stuffing campaign envelopes together as a family. Decades later, mother Rosemary Kamei and daughter Ellen Kamei are both serving in local government. Rosemary, a likely pick for San Jose vice mayor, won the District 1 seat for City Council last June. District 1 is based in West San Jose and includes the Winchester...
Ex-San Jose mayor’s public records reforms spark alarm
In one of his last actions in office, former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo wants to reform how the city complies with transparency laws—a move experts say could limit the public’s access to the inner workings of City Hall. Liccardo, who termed out in December after 16 years in office, is calling for revising the city’s process for responding to...
Santa Clara County shutters hybrid meetings—for now
Santa Clara County is eliminating hybrid committee meetings in favor of an in-person only format, which residents said could reduce community engagement. County CEO Jeff Smith told the Board of Supervisors during the Jan. 10 meeting that a lack of resources makes it infeasible to continue providing hybrid services for every committee meeting. The general board...
Here are the 11 finalists for two San Jose council seats
A list of nearly 40 people competing to fill two San Jose City Council seats is down to just 11. The top contenders were named late Friday after current councilmembers voted for their top choices. The two seats are open in Districts 8 and 10 after two former councilmembers won their bids for higher office...
Mixed progress for Silicon Valley’s English learner students
Santa Clara County’s English learner students, part of the largest group in the nation, saw mixed progress during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Santa Clara County school districts with the largest populations of English learners, data reviewed by San José Spotlight showed three districts had a drop in test scores while the others saw an increase. The...
San Jose mayor promised change but hired Liccardo insiders
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan ran a campaign promising a “revolution” at City Hall. But with nearly half his office filled with senior officials from his predecessor, some are questioning whether he can keep that promise. Mahan, who said his staffing and policy priorities would differ from his predecessor, has hired 11 workers from former Mayor Sam...
Santa Clara County preps for more rain
Santa Clara County is getting a brief break from the rain before storms return over the weekend, prompting officials to urge residents to prepare for emergencies. In a news conference today, county officials asked residents to sign up for the AlertSCC app, an alert and warning system for flooding, power outages, road closures and mudslides....
Santa Clara County graduation rates are up
More Santa Clara County students are crossing the stage to get their diplomas than years past, and education leaders hope to keep the momentum going. High school graduation rates for the 2021-22 school year increased across Santa Clara County’s largest school districts, data from the California State Dashboard reveals. Rates also went up for vulnerable...