As the LGBTQ community mourns the murder of Natalia Smüt and pushes back on violence, some say transgender people face a more subtle form of violence and hostility—workplace discrimination. Roxanne built a decades-long career as an attorney and judge, then she went public with her identity as a transgender woman. “I haven’t even been able to...
Silicon Valley libraries slowly reopening. Here’s what you need to know
For patrons and staff alike, the reopening of the Santa Clara City Library feels like Christmas morning. The public institution recently expanded access to indoor services alongside the Santa Clara County Library District and some branches of the San Jose Public Library. At all three branches of the Santa Clara City Library—Central Park, Mission Branch and Northside Branch—patrons...
Johnson & Johnson vaccine back on in Santa Clara County
Bay Area health leaders, including Santa Clara County’s top health official, are lifting the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The county halted administration of the one-shot vaccine after reports of extremely rare cases of blood clotting. The pause came a month after Santa Clara County received its first doses of the highly-anticipated shot...
Will South Bay keep expanded homeless housing post-pandemic?
Santa Clara County made strides in housing its unsheltered residents during the pandemic. Now county officials want to make sure it doesn’t backslide as the region prepares for a post-pandemic future. With the help of emergency federal and state funding, the county’s Office of Supportive Housing provided shelter to more than 5,500 households over the last year. COVID-19...
1 million South Bay residents received at least one COVID-19 shot
Santa Clara County announced Friday that it’s administered one million COVID-19 vaccines. “We need to take a moment and take a deep breath and really celebrate,” said Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody. “This is a really big deal.” The milestone comes just over four months after the county vaccinated its first person and one...
Santa Clara County considers overhauling ‘military-style’ weapons policy
Santa Clara County is considering overhauling and regulating the sheriff’s “military-style” weapons policy, heeding calls for the demilitarization of law enforcement. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to analyze how the Sheriff’s Office spends its budget on equipment. Supervisors hope to reform or get rid of what they believe is overboard spending on...
Santa Clara County to redistribute COVID-19 fines to small businesses
Santa Clara County will begin the process of returning thousands of dollars in COVID-19 safety violation fines back to small businesses. Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to create a grant program that redistributes money collected from pandemic-related health and safety violations back to local businesses. Once developed, the county is expected to partner with local financial...
Santa Clara County lags behind in COVID vaccination rates
Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 vaccination rates continue to lag behind other large counties in the Bay Area. Officials hope a new federal vaccine supply will help close the gap. The county celebrated last week as it received an extra 300,000 doses from a federal program, releasing thousands of additional appointments across the South Bay. All Californians...
Silicon Valley unemployment rate drops during slow recovery
A new jobs analysis from a regional nonprofit think tank suggests Silicon Valley is slowly recovering from the economy’s tumble last year. But the region has a long way to go before getting to pre-pandemic levels. The data analysis comes from Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies, the nonprofit’s research arm that publishes the Silicon...
First 100 days: Has County Supervisor Otto Lee kept his campaign promises?
Santa Clara County District 3 Supervisor Otto Lee claimed victory in November following an ugly contest with candidates exchanging barbs over campaign finance and racial comments. On the campaign trail, Lee promised broader rent relief for tenants, a more aggressive plan to combat homelessness and labor-related proposals, including hazard pay. Since taking office, Lee introduced a grant...