It’s rush hour when a middle-aged man walking down East Santa Clara Street collapses with a stroke. A few minutes later, a firefighter trained as a paramedic gets on scene. The firefighter takes the patient’s vitals, gives him an IV and stabilizes him. But he can’t take the man to a hospital — only the county’s ambulance provider...
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County
How Santa Clara County will help seniors paying taxes they don’t need to
School districts in California don’t require homeowners who are eligible for a parcel tax exemption to renew it every year, which means seniors over the age of 65 and low-income or disabled homeowners don’t have to reapply to continue getting a tax break. But California law only allows school districts to grant exemptions — not...
Top takeaways from Santa Clara County’s new $8.1B budget
After a week of budget hearings, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve the hefty $8.1 billion budget, funding projects that prioritize strengthening existing programs and services as the county prepares for an economic downturn. The budget from County Executive Jeff Smith, approved by the Board of Supervisors Friday, focused on...
Hundreds of Santa Clara County workers rally for health care, wages
Hundreds of union members poured out in front of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors’ chambers Wednesday in the blistering heat, rallying for an increase in wages and services for county workers as the supervisors inside deliberated on next year’s funding priorities during a budget hearing. Union leaders from SEIU Local 521 advocated for...
Santa Clara County lawmakers make no changes to ICE detainer policy
A nail-biting 56 days have passed since the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to explore changes to the county’s sanctuary city policy, but on Tuesday it voted unanimously against a notification policy preventing law enforcement from cooperating with ICE officials. Emotions ran high among the public at April’s grueling and nearly eight-hour long meeting...
Amid criticism, Santa Clara County moving ahead on $5M women statue fund
Santa Clara County is starting to dip into $5 million it set aside for monuments that celebrate women, but it’s unclear when the work might come to fruition and some critics say taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be spent on women statues. The idea for the fund sparked while planning an International Women’s Day event last year,...
Will Laura’s Law help mentally ill residents in Santa Clara County?
It’s been almost 20 years since Laura Wilcox, a 19-year-old volunteer at a mental health clinic in Northern California, was shot and killed by a mentally ill man who refused treatment. A year later in 2002, California passed “Laura’s Law,” an assisted outpatient treatment program that gives counties the ability to mandate that severely mentally...
Santa Clara County approves $5M for sexual assault services
While women’s healthcare services are being threatened nationally, Santa Clara County leaders are fighting to preserve and invest in securing those rights at the local level. In two monumental moves for women, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on Tuesday to reserve $5 million to support services for victims of sexual assault and gender-based violence...
Santa Clara County expands early child care program
In a win for education advocates and leaders, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday to extend a pilot program intended to help the most vulnerable kids in San Jose. The Universal Access to Early Childhood Care, Education & Health Services program was introduced in 2017 by former Supervisor Ken Yeager to provide...
San Jose students, cannabis leaders put pressure on DA Jeff Rosen
South Bay college students and cannabis advocates on Wednesday pressured District Attorney Jeff Rosen to comply with a California law that clears the records of incarcerated individuals who have cannabis convictions. Assembly Bill 1793, a law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last year, requires district attorneys to review all existing marijuana conviction cases by July 1, 2020 with the...