Homes for people struggling with mental illness or recovering from substance use have long flown under Santa Clara County’s radar with substandard conditions and little to no accountability. The county is attempting to right some of those wrongs, starting with a grant to help landlords make much needed repairs to improve residents’ living conditions. Last...
Santa Clara County puts ranked choice voting on back burner
Santa Clara County officials aren’t killing the idea of ranked choice voting — they just need to sort out an “existential crisis” before seismically shifting Silicon Valley elections. Ranked choice voting proponents wanted the idea to gain momentum at a Tuesday meeting of the county Finance and Government Operations Committee meeting. But Supervisors Betty Duong...
License to Kill
The California DMV routinely allows dangerous drivers with horrifying histories to continue to operate on our roadways. Too often they go on to kill. Many keep driving even after they kill. Some go on to kill again. By Robert Lewis, CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Court research...
Ruling to end VTA strike upheld by appeals court
An appellate court judge has denied an appeal from a union representing bus drivers and light rail operators with VTA — doubling down on the decision to end a historic worker strike. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 filed the appeal after Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Daniel Nishigaya ruled March 26 the union had...
Santa Clara County libraries brace for loss of federal funds
Libraries across Santa Clara County are bracing for a multimillion-dollar federal funding cut that could affect vital community programs — all during National Library Week. The California State Library learned last week President Donald Trump’s administration terminated a $15.7 million federal grant. The state library, which allocates these funds to libraries statewide, anticipated more than...
Santa Clara County weighs ranked choice voting for some elections
The pieces are in place to seismically shift Silicon Valley elections — and Santa Clara County supervisors are holding all the cards. For the first time in almost a year, the Board of Supervisors is expected to discuss a potential switch to ranked choice voting at its April 15 finance and government committee meeting. There,...
Silicon Valley fast-food owners could pay for workers’ rights training
It’s been a good week for fast-food workers in Silicon Valley. Employees at local McDonald’s, Taco Bell and other fast-food franchises roared with applause Tuesday when the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved creating a training program for fast-food workers on their state-mandated labor rights. While workers support the move, store owners say it’s unnecessary...
YWCA Silicon Valley loses federal funding for rent subsidies
YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley will no longer be able to provide as much rental assistance, leaving domestic violence survivors at greater risk. Domestic violence survivors enrolled in YWCA’s rapid rehousing program received a letter March 26 informing them their rental assistance won’t be renewed after June 30. The program received money through the federal...
Federal cuts jeopardize Silicon Valley community funders
Community financial institutions are the backbone to a healthy society, providing loans for small businesses, disaster recovery, low-income families, immigrant communities and affordable housing developments. That essential service is now in danger. President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI) last month put a target on these institutions and brought...
Freshman Silicon Valley lawmaker makes his mark
Silicon Valley’s newest assemblymember has hit the ground running in his first four months, with a hefty bill package supporting economically disadvantaged Californians. District 26 Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens was sworn into office Dec. 8, and since then he’s met with thousands of residents, community leaders and local officials. The freshman state lawmaker is carrying 17...