Santa Clara County health care leaders weren’t shy about voicing what’s in store for the future of public health at a forum hosted by San José Spotlight, as they brace for billions in revenue cuts. Editor Moryt Milo, who moderated the Sept. 17 State of Health Care in Silicon Valley event, questioned panelists on the ramifications...
Santa Clara County rolls out more affordable housing
More than 200 households have been given stability with the opening of two affordable housing developments near Diridon Station in San Jose. City and county officials on Wednesday celebrated the opening of Bellarmino Place and adjacent Alvarado Park, which will provide housing for older adults and people at risk of homelessness. The Santa Clara County...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County to coordinate response against ICE raids
Santa Clara County’s resistance to federal immigration crackdowns is about to get more organized. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to explore shifting county personnel and forming a county-coordinated regional response to ICE raids and residents facing deportation. It comes as county leaders have put $13 million since December into deportation legal defense and...
Santa Clara County partnership gives surplus food to people in need
Santa Clara County is taking a unique approach to prevent food waste: bring it directly to the people who need it most. Last year, the county started a food recovery program to install commercial refrigerators in affordable housing developments and stock them with produce and ready-to-eat meals. It partnered with nonprofit Martha’s Kitchen to deliver...
Santa Clara County opens walk-in clinic for substance disorders
While Santa Clara County is facing unprecedented revenue losses due to federal health care cuts, one newly opened clinic may survive. Santa Clara Valley Healthcare’s Compassionate Addiction Services and Support (COMPASS) Clinic opened Sept. 2, with federal grant and opioid settlement funds contributing between $2 million to $3 million. The substance use recovery facility is the...
Santa Clara County prosecutors, law enforcement not sold on sales tax
As local leaders and doctors rally behind Santa Clara County’s proposed sales tax measure, sheriff’s deputies and county prosecutors are urging voters to think twice. Dozens of health care workers and elected officials gathered at Valley Medical Center in San Jose on Wednesday in a show of public support for the five-eighth cent general sales...
Silicon Valley could see more affordable housing under Trump bill
Amid a tsunami of cuts to the nation’s social safety nets, a golden nugget in the congressional budget bill will allow developers to create more affordable housing. H.R. 1 provides an increase to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, the primary source of federal funding for affordable housing. Starting next year, states will be...
Santa Clara County hospital burn unit caught in fed cuts
Cramped within a tiny, aging section of Santa Clara County’s flagship public hospital, a team of people in cyan and navy scrubs treats the worst burn injuries in California. But a wave of massive federal spending cuts may complicate efforts to expand. The 55-year-old burn unit is one of only three centers of its kind...
Santa Clara County tax measure wins lawsuit, stays on ballot
Santa Clara County’s 11th hour sales tax measure is moving forward — but the fate of its public hospitals might come down to several words. A judge has ordered county officials to strike President Donald Trump’s name from the ballot language as a reason for approving a five-eighths cent sales tax hike for the county...
Silicon Valley child care program boosts businesses
At a time when Santa Clara County is grappling with a lack of child care and day care centers are struggling to stay afloat, one program is giving providers the support they need to prosper. Last August, San Jose gave $1 million to Upwards for its Boost program to help child care centers streamline their...