Advocates are gearing up for a regional outreach effort now that the door is open for a Bay Area public transit funding measure on the November 2026 ballot. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 63, also known as the Connect Bay Area Transit Act, on Oct. 13 — clearing the way for a voter initiative...
Will Prop. 50 boost minority voter turnout in South Bay?
Throughout California, voters are casting mail-in ballots at a furious pace for next Tuesday’s statewide special election to decide whether to adopt Proposition 50, the Democrat-backed plan to counter Republican gerrymandering in other states. But local organizers in Santa Clara County say it has yet to be seen whether the statewide partisan fracas over Proposition...
Newsom signs off on Silicon Valley lawmakers’ bills
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed dozens of bills into laws earlier this month, tweaking bureaucratic processes to improve voter transparency, election accountability and workers rights. Several state lawmakers from San Jose and Santa Clara County had their bills approved. Here’s an overview of some new laws, which take effect Jan. 1, 2026 unless otherwise stated. Improving...
Santa Clara County faces heat for political mailers
Publicly-funded warnings about disastrous local hospital closures are appearing in the mailboxes of Santa Clara County residents. Critics can’t help but notice the timing. The foreboding mailers, under the county government’s official letterhead, are appearing weeks before voters decide on a five-eighth-cent sales tax measure Nov. 4. County leaders say the sales tax, known as...
Santa Clara County remains on guard despite ICE reprieve
South Bay civic leaders said they remain ready to support the region’s immigrant community after news broke Thursday morning that President Donald Trump is backing off plans to surge federal law enforcement personnel in the Bay Area. “They’ve made the right decision. Our region is on the rise,” Mayor Matt Mahan said during the news...
Silicon Valley military families may lose their low-cost grocer
The U.S. Department of War may close Santa Clara County’s only place for military service members and their families to buy food and household items at reduced prices. The commissary at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View has long served as a grocery lifeline for military families in the Bay Area. But Congressman Sam Liccardo...
Bay Area group donates food for Diwali
Thousands of Santa Clara County residents celebrate Diwali every fall by creating colorful rangoli designs and eating traditional dishes with family. One local group takes the holiday spirit a step further by collecting thousands of pounds of food for those who need it most. The Bay Area chapter of nonprofit Sewa Diwali is gathering nonperishable...
Santa Clara County will create ICE-free zones
Santa Clara County leaders will establish ICE-free zones throughout Silicon Valley — raising physical barriers and locking gates to prevent federal immigration agents from unlawfully using county properties for surveillance and arrests. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to follow Chicago’s lead and create an inventory of vacant lots, garages and other county-owned spaces...
Silicon Valley civil rights leader sues over sexual harassment claims
Years of sexual harassment allegations have swirled around a correctional officer-turned-leader of one of Silicon Valley’s biggest civil rights groups. He’s suing the Santa Clara County officials who found them credible. A county personnel board last August unanimously found NAACP of San Jose/Silicon Valley President Sean Allen engaged in a pattern of sexually harassing, intimidating and...
San Jose youth hub and apartments open
A project for young adults in Santa Clara County has finally put out the welcome mat. The Hub and Parkmoor Community Apartments, a 17,000-square-foot youth facility with 81 apartments, opened Monday. Half of the apartments have been set aside for young people transitioning out of foster care, with the rest going to low-income, very-low income...