A Santa Clara County program to help the severely mentally ill receive treatment has outpaced expectations in its first year of implementation, after a hard fought battle to get it approved. The Assisted Outpatient Treatment program (AOT) also known as Laura’s Law, allows different authorities and family members to refer people diagnosed with a severe mental illness—schizophrenia...
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County
Writers strike comes to Cupertino—Apple’s front door
While Apple held its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) organized outside the company’s visitor center to protest unfair wages and job security. Members of the local guild leafletted and made speeches on Monday, voicing their frustrations over an ongoing labor dispute between WGAW and the Alliance of Motion Picture and...
Silicon Valley elected leader wages war with agency
New records show rising tensions, turmoil and dysfunction at the region’s largest water supplier — with one of its own directors now demanding the public agency pay her attorney fees in her fight against them. Valley Water Director Rebecca Eisenberg has ruffled feathers since taking office in January. But six months into her tenure, emails...
How San Jose lawmaker’s bill could curb workplace violence
Manuel Huizar, a 24-year-old San Jose Safeway employee, was fatally shot by shoplifters last year. In April, Home Depot employee Blake Mohs, 26, was shot and killed while attempting to stop a robbery in Pleasanton. In May 2021, nine people were fatally shot by a transit worker at San Jose’s VTA rail yard. It was...
District attorney drops investigation into Cupertino council
The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office is not moving forward with an investigation of members of the Cupertino City Council who allegedly meddled in decisions to hire and fire city staff, citing a lack of evidence. A referral from the Cupertino city attorney spurred the DA’s probe, following twin investigations that found city councilmembers...
Silicon Valley community colleges get new leadership
Foothill De Anza-Community College District has selected a new chancellor after a monthslong nationwide search. The school board announced its pick on Tuesday: Lee Lambert, a community college chancellor based in Arizona. Lambert starts this August, replacing chancellor Judy C. Miner who’s retiring. District stakeholders said they hope the new leader addresses the needs of both...
Santa Clara County scores 2026 Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is coming back to Levi’s Stadium, and businesses and residents are welcoming one of the nation’s largest sporting events even though it’s three years away. Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, home to the San Francisco 49ers, will host Super Bowl 60 in 2026 a decade after it hosted Super Bowl 50 in...
Will ranked choice voting come to Santa Clara County?
A new voting system may come to Santa Clara County—if officials decide to pursue it. Assembly Bill 1227, authored by Silicon Valley Assemblymembers Evan Low and Alex Lee, would allow the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to implement ranked choice voting for county elections. Ranked choice voting—recently adopted in Bay Area cities such as...
UPDATE: Silicon Valley special ed teachers demand safer classrooms
Santa Clara County special educators are continuing to push for safer classrooms amid serious injuries. Dozens of special education teachers gathered in front of the Santa Clara County Office of Education Wednesday afternoon to protest before a board meeting. They chanted, “What do we want? Safe schools!” and held signs that said, “Stand up for...
Santa Clara County fairgrounds plans plod ahead
Plans to revamp the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds into a sports and recreation facility have been progressing for more than a year, but it’s unclear when shovels will hit the ground. After more than a year of exclusive negotiations with the San Jose Earthquakes, Major League Cricket and San Jose State University—all of which are eyeing...