Santa Clara County on Tuesday opened a COVID-19 vaccination site at Emmanuel Baptist Church in East San Jose in an effort to further reach communities hit hardest by the virus. The church, located in the heart of one of the most impacted ZIP codes in San Jose, has served as a testing site, administering more...
Santa Clara County set to approve another $100 million for affordable housing
Santa Clara County supervisors have approved spending more than $100 million to build five housing complexes for low-income residents. The funds will come from the Measure A housing bond, passed by a majority of voters in 2016. The bond will eventually raise just under $1 billion for affordable housing projects and incentives across the county....
Could canceled homeless count in Santa Clara County affect funding?
A biennial count of Silicon Valley’s unhoused population —- critical for understanding if the homeless crisis is getting worse — won’t happen this year because of COVID-19. Some advocates worry that could mean a loss in federal funding for homeless services. Santa Clara County’s “Point-in-Time” count, which involves volunteers scouring streets, tents and underpasses to...
Santa Clara County wobbles on replacing new jail with mental health center
Santa Clara County appears to be backing off a pledge to ditch plans to build a new jail for a mental health center, citing the need to improve its crumbling jail and inhumane conditions faced by inmates. Supervisors unanimously accepted a report in January from County Executive Jeff Smith and Deputy Executive Martha Wapenski that...
Santa Clara County faith groups scramble to comply with changing COVID-19 orders
It’s been a tumultuous time for South Bay faith groups who have heard varying guidance from the federal, state and county government about whether they could worship inside. All indoor church operations are officially suspended in Santa Clara County despite recent pushback from local churches and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that suggested such a...
Following COVID-19 vaccine scandal, Good Samaritan permanently closes vaccine clinic
Good Samaritan Hospital, one of the largest medical centers in the county, is permanently closing its COVID-19 vaccine clinic, claiming that it has vaccinated all of its staff and therefore fulfilled its responsibilities. The news comes three weeks after the hospital faced backlash for allowing teachers and staff at an affluent Los Gatos school district...
Santa Clara County cuts hundreds of jobs to reduce deficit
County officials this week approved eliminating more jobs to bring a gaping budget deficit down to just north of $140 million — that’s about $60 million less than projected last fall. The projections are also much better than last summer, when supervisors thought they might battle a shortfall between $200 and $500 million. But reaching this...
New COVID-19 vaccine clinics coming to East San Jose and Gilroy
A new county map shows just how hard East San Jose and South County have been ravaged by COVID-19, prompting health leaders to launch new drop-in vaccination sites in those areas. The new map breaks down COVID-19 cases by ZIP code in the county. Each ZIP code’s cumulative case count, population, and rate per 100,000 residents...
San Jose Republicans say Trump was what their party needed, despite second impeachment
Being a Donald Trump supporter in Silicon Valley was never easy. In 2019 after the president announced his reelection bid, Justin Aguilera, a 33-year-old GOP candidate for Congress, told San José Spotlight many conservatives in the South Bay were scared to express their political views publicly for fear of social shunning and professional retaliation. To...
New South African COVID-19 variant found in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County health officials Wednesday said two cases of a new South African COVID-19 variant have been identified in Santa Clara and Alameda counties — the first in California. So far, one case has been identified in each county, respectively. This is at least the second new strain health officials have identified in Santa...