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Santa Clara County wants to level the playing field for minority-owned businesses that have no skin in the public contractor game. The county plans to conduct a vendor diversity study to examine how the process can be improved. It will collect data to review how businesses are selected for county contractor jobs and analyze it...
Silicon Valley law to end unruly behavior on Newsom’s desk
A California bill that would allow public officials to remove disruptive individuals from meetings is poised to become law after gaining bipartisan support. State Sen. Dave Cortese and Assemblymember Evan Low introduced a bill earlier this year to update and strengthen the 69-year-old Ralph M. Brown Act, California’s open meeting law. The state legislators said...
Silicon Valley sees slight uptick in unemployment
The Silicon Valley unemployment rate went up in June—but experts say it’s not a cause for concern. A report by Joint Venture Silicon Valley shows unemployment rates increased by 0.4% in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties between May and June. Unemployment is currently at 2.2%, or approximately 32,300 people—9,200 in San Mateo County and 23,100 in...
Santa Clara County ‘navigators’ tackle mental health crisis
For someone in crisis, being able to access assistance is critical. To help, Santa Clara County is striving to connect people with the right services for treatment. The Behavioral Health Navigator Program, which launched July 27, offers personalized support by referring people to county and community resources that best fit their needs. The goal of...
Looking to rent in Silicon Valley? Get in line
Silicon Valley remains one of the most sought after rental markets in California, despite being one of the most costly. In a new study by apartment search site RentCafe, Silicon Valley ranked 8 out of 11 top rental markets in the state. The study looked at the number of renters competing for an apartment, occupancy and vacancy...
Silicon Valley’s new crisis center a game changer
The national mental health hotline is in full swing in the South Bay, and officials hope it will get those in crisis the help they need faster. Modeled after 911, the new three-digit 988 number is designed for those who need mental health crisis services. The program became law in October 2020 and launched nationwide last month. Santa Clara County officials...
Santa Clara County leader under fire over ‘tone-deaf’ letter
Local doctors say they’ve lost confidence in Santa Clara County leadership after seeing the head executive downplay the death of their colleague. San José Spotlight obtained an email sent from County Executive Jeff Smith to county health care workers after Dr. Amul Jobalia died by suicide in his office in May. Jobalia was a nephrologist at Santa Clara Valley Medical...
San Jose LGBTQ leaders: Monkeypox ‘not a gay disease’
The Silicon Valley LGBTQ+ community is livid another virus is being referred to as a gay disease. Concerned about stigmatization, local LGBTQ+ leaders are reacting to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recent declaration of monkeypox as a global emergency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 98% of cases are among gay men. Although anyone can...
Milpitas mayor’s race takes shape
Milpitas Mayor Rich Tran has handpicked his replacement, but now a new challenger—and an outspoken adversary—are shaking up the contentious mayor’s race. Councilmember Anthony Phan jumped into the mayor’s race Friday, joining fellow Councilmembers Carmen Montano and Karina Dominguez. Tran is terming out after three, two-year terms as mayor, but he is running for a...
San Jose advocates say early release doesn’t equal violent crime
Polarizing pandemic-era policies aimed to help depopulate the jails are expiring at the end of July—but the debate over their effectiveness is still alive. The state enacted a zero bail policy and citation and release orders near the start of the pandemic to limit the spread of COVID-19 in jails. Zero bail allows low-level offenders to...
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