Public transit riders in Silicon Valley have a lot of agencies to keep up with: VTA, BART, Caltrain—and that’s if you take public transit at all. And if you plan on traveling to places like the North and East Bay you’ll have to wade through 27 different public transit agencies. San Jose Councilmember and VTA...
Santa Clara County sees few breakthrough COVID hospitalizations
Despite concerns about breakthrough COVID-19 infections, the number of hospitalizations among vaccinated residents in Santa Clara County remains low—and is mostly driven by older residents and those with underlying health issues, county health officials say. At county-run hospitals, only 12 of 52 patients with COVID-19 involve people who are fully vaccinated, which health experts say suggests breakthrough...
Former opponent challenges embattled Santa Clara County sheriff
As Sheriff Laurie Smith battles investigations and demands for resignation, she must now also face a former opponent who wants her job. Kevin Jensen, a retired captain for the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, filed paperwork to run for sheriff in the 2022 election. Jensen squared off with Smith in 2014 and lost. But he believes...
San Jose airport closure could poison another neighborhood
County officials are working to shut down Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose, citing lead exposure for surrounding residents. But shutting it down could shift the lead burden onto another low-income neighborhood: Washington-Guadalupe. Should Reid-Hillview close, some Washington-Guadalupe residents fear planes en route to Mineta San Jose International Airport will bring leaded fuel pollution to...
Santa Clara County workers catch COVID after return to office
COVID-19 infections are rising across multiple Santa Clara County departments about a month after management ordered workers back to the office, and some employees are frustrated and bewildered that they have to return. A county spokesperson told San José Spotlight that 221 positive infections occurred among approximately 22,000 employees between between July 3 and Aug....
San Jose shops fined for COVID violations can’t get grants
Over the last year, Santa Clara County has cited hundreds of businesses—big and small—with fines that now add up to more than $5 million for violating COVID-19 restrictions. The county put that money into a grant program to help struggling businesses—but those with violations say they’re not getting financial help. Dung “Calvin” To has cut...
Lack of census data hurts San Jose’s LGBTQ+ community
A Gallup poll found in 2015 that San Jose had one of the lowest LGBTQ+ populations of any large metropolitan area. Six years later, it’s tough to know if that’s changed—such basic information on the local LGBTQ+ population is missing because the U.S. census didn’t ask for it. In a major first, the 2020 census allowed U.S. residents to...
VTA workers return to site of San Jose mass shooting
As VTA cautiously moves forward with limited light rail service, some workers are still grappling with trauma from the May mass shooting as they return to the rail yard. Last week, VTA trains embarking on test runs left the Guadalupe rail yard for the first time in almost three months. On Sunday, the transit agency...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County lawmakers vote ‘no confidence’ in sheriff
Santa Clara County supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday to say they have no confidence in Sheriff Laurie Smith’s handling of the jail—but not before hearing from the county’s top cop herself. Smith excoriated the Board of Supervisors for attacking her and said officials used her as a bandage for a systemic problem, and when that failed...
Homeless fentanyl deaths rising in Santa Clara County
Fentanyl continues to kill unhoused residents in Santa Clara County, and some unsuspecting users may be taking the drug in the form of counterfeit pills. Seven homeless individuals in San Jose suffered fatal overdoses from methamphetamine laced with fentanyl in the past month, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. Fentanyl, a synthetic...