After an initial denial over the Independence Day weekend, state officials approved Santa Clara County’s request to reopen more businesses under a new health order set to take effect next Monday. As of Tuesday morning, the county’s 35-page application to verify it met certain criteria was added onto the California Department of Public Health’s list...
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County
As masks become a new political weapon, Silicon Valley is mostly supportive
On a recent sunny, 80-degree afternoon, downtown San Jose started to regain its foot traffic. Small businesses, restaurants and coffee shops settled into new routines after months of shutdown. Their patrons, nevertheless, are getting used to a new summer accessory: A face mask. “It’s necessary,” said resident Rylee Dietz with a bandana over her face...
Divide between Santa Clara County and California grows over reopening, outdoor dining
There appears to be a growing schism between Santa Clara County and the state over plans to reopen more local businesses and even keep outdoor dining in the South Bay, particularly in light of recent actions by state agents to shutter South County restaurants over the Independence Day weekend. Santa Clara County is no longer...
July 4th in Silicon Valley takes on different meaning with COVID-19 pandemic
Patriotism has taken on a different meaning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahead of Independence Day weekend, officials have made more forceful steps to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus as confirmed cases, hospitalizations and intensive care numbers have jumped in recent weeks in Santa Clara County. The Association of Bay Area Health Officials issued a...
Property assessments reach $551.5 billion, peak of Santa Clara County economic growth
The valuation of properties on Santa Clara County’s assessment roll topped $551.5 billion – likely a peak of Silicon Valley’s decade of economic growth. The net valuation of all real and business property, which determines property tax rates, increased by $35.5 billion – a 6.87 percent increase from 2019’s $516 billion valuation, with the help...
‘A new stage’: Santa Clara County issues new order asking state to reopen nail, hair salons
After nearly four months of closure, Santa Clara County gyms, spas, hair and nail salons are set to reopen later this month — if the state says yes. But things will look much differently inside those businesses than before the COVID-19 pandemic closed their doors in mid-March. Personal care businesses are among the last to reopen....
Santa Clara County program may help ‘defund police’ response to mental health crises
As calls to defund the police in the wake of the killing of George Floyd sweep the nation, the focus has turned to how law enforcement handles calls related to mental health crises. At its most basic level, “defund the police” is a demand for money to be moved from police budgets and reinvested into...
Santa Clara County nonprofits primed to take over policing, funding for social needs
Calls to defund the police have spread nationwide, as communities grapple with police brutality following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and San Jose’s militarized response to otherwise peaceful protesters in late May. While some support complete abolition of the San Jose Police Department’s proposed $449 million budget, the discussion for many Santa Clara...
Santa Clara County not ready for next stage of reopening, Cody says
Santa Clara County isn’t ready to seek state approval to open more businesses due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations that has attracted the state’s attention, Dr. Sara Cody, the county’s top health official, said Tuesday. “At the moment, we don’t meet all the criteria on the variance application,” Cody told the Santa Clara...
Santa Clara County supports new policies for Sheriff’s Office use of force
In a direct response to curbing police violence and misconduct, Santa Clara County lawmakers Tuesday began “re-envisioning” use of force policies and daily functions of the county’s Sheriff’s Office. The Board of Supervisors unanimously supported the reform measures, introduced by Supervisor Joe Simitian, following the nationwide uproar and calls to defund the police after the...