More than 3,000 Santa Clara County nurses are at an an impasse with county officials and are headed to the picket lines over pay increases and workplace conditions. The Registered Nurses Professional Association plans to strike from April 2-4, with members saying they’re struggling to live in the county, facing violence from patients and opposed...
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County
Homeless nonprofit to stop running Sunnyvale shelter
One of Santa Clara County’s largest homeless service providers is stepping back from operating a 145-bed shelter in North County. HomeFirst will stop operating the North County Shelter in Sunnyvale by the end of June, passing shelter operations to another provider which the county has yet to identify. Over the past few months, HomeFirst has...
Santa Clara County board to seat a woman majority next year
Santa Clara County is closer to retaking its storied but challenged title as “Feminist Capital of the World.” After November’s general election, women will outnumber men 4-1 on the county’s powerful Board of Supervisors for the first time. While policy decisions don’t always boil down to gender, current and prospective supervisors say a supermajority of...
Former Santa Clara County sheriff loses appeal on corruption case
Former Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith has lost her appeal of a court case that barred her from public office in 2022. Smith argued that by retiring prior to being found guilty of six corruption and willful misconduct charges that year, the removal proceedings that disqualified her from jury service and her job were...
Silicon Valley official censured for conduct and removing documents
Valley Water leaders have censured one of their colleagues and stripped her of some responsibilities for taking confidential documents from district offices and allegedly making discriminatory and harassing remarks against district officials and workers. In a nearly five-hour special meeting Thursday, the water district board of directors voted 6-1 to censure Director Rebecca Eisenberg, with...
Santa Clara County may fund safe parking for homeless residents
Santa Clara County officials may help finance San Jose’s multimillion-dollar safe parking efforts and set up more sites on unused public property for the region’s homeless residents. The Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed on Tuesday to look into both possibilities and requested more information by May. Debate ensued over whether the funding could be justified...
Silicon Valley congressman nets millions for Black cultural center
A proposed cultural center aiming to honor the history of Silicon Valley’s Black residents and provide expansive support services just received millions to help build on its future. The Silicon Valley African American Cultural Center, slated to open in 2027, has secured $4.1 million in federal funding thanks to Rep. Ro Khanna. The mixed-use development...
Cost of San Jose BART extension balloons — again
The VTA megaproject to bring BART to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara, with a cost estimate that’s already ballooned to more than two and a half times its original target, is now facing yet another increase and timeline delay. Officials said this week the six-mile extension project for the rail line is expected to...
Silicon Valley mayors agree lack of housing is a top issue
How do you get the leaders of neighboring Silicon Valley cities to sit down and talk about critical issues facing the region? It’s simple. Serve breakfast. Five local mayors shared their perspectives on housing, transportation and other pressing needs Thursday at the Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce’s annual Mayors’ Breakfast. This year’s event included...
Bay Area business groups consider partnership to expand influence
Two major business advocacy organizations representing hundreds of the region’s biggest companies are considering joining forces to expand their influence in critical policy areas, including artificial intelligence and housing. Leaders of San Francisco-based Bay Area Council and San Jose-based Silicon Valley Leadership Group are formally exploring a partnership “to create the nation’s most influential business...