Santa Clara County leaders this week set in motion a plan to connect older adults to technology, a need that has become more urgent since widespread shelter-in-place orders went into effect. Concerns about the impact of social isolation have grown as the majority of senior services have transitioned online. The increasing use of telehealth and...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County approves fines for not wearing masks, flouting health order
Santa Clara County will begin issuing fines of up to $500 for not wearing face masks or social distancing in public, the Board of Supervisors decided unanimously Tuesday. In an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate its impact, the board adopted an urgency ordinance issuing citations against residents and businesses for violating...
COVID-19 workplace complaints pile up in South Bay but lack follow-up
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated. Workers showed up to work sick with COVID-19 symptoms. Management hid positive test results from employees. Supervisors banned phones to prevent documenting unsafe facilities. These are some of the allegations many South Bay workers have made since Santa Clara County began to ease shelter-in-place restrictions to allow some businesses to...
Santa Clara County approves Caltrain sales tax measure
Caltrain moved one step closer to being saved when the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved a sales tax measure Tuesday to keep the rail running. “I appreciate that folks weren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves, keep talking and get us to ‘yes,'” said Board President Cindy Chavez. However, to be placed on...
New gender-bias complaints emerge against Santa Clara County school official
Two local educators have leveled new complaints of gender-based harassment against Santa Clara County Board of Education Trustee Joseph Di Salvo, who’s been in hot water over his behavior toward women. The complaints came to the board after Di Salvo claimed a long record of supporting women in July to rebut an independent investigation that...
Santa Clara County COVID-19 tax plan fails
Santa Clara County’s effort to tax residents to pay for COVID-19 relief measures failed after a short debate Tuesday. County leaders proposed two options for asking voters in November to approve a 5/8-cent sales tax to help close the county’s estimated $300 to $600 million budget deficit. The county has spent $165.4 million so far...
Santa Clara County education board hit with lawsuit over gender harassment probe
Tensions in the Santa Clara County Office of Education continue to rise as trustee Joseph Di Salvo filed a federal lawsuit against the board and his colleagues Tuesday, claiming a vote to censure him last month violated his free speech and due process rights. The civil complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the...
San Jose residents weigh proposed closure of Reid-Hillview Airport
Planes have flown daily out of Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose since the mid-twentieth century. But 2020 could be the last decade in which the roar of these engines is heard, and as ideas to repurpose the airport are discussed, residents are speaking out. Santa Clara County officials just finished gathering public input about...
Silicon Valley’s COVID-19 testing guru quit last job amid pressure to reopen economy
Three months ago Dr. Marty Fenstersheib was pressured to reopen the economy in San Benito County. He knew COVID-19 cases would surge if he bowed to the pressure. Hours after a high-stakes confrontation with county supervisors, he quit. Now, he is the COVID-19 testing guru in Santa Clara County where he is credited for the...
Statewide food program has fed only 1,000 people in Santa Clara County
South Bay food providers are questioning why Santa Clara County has chosen only a handful of restaurants and has served so few meals to needy residents during the unprecedented pandemic. A statewide program — Great Plates Delivered — served 66,730 meals to a little more than 1,000 residents in Santa Clara County as of July...