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Santa Clara County wants to give children and families the necessary tools to succeed in life. To accomplish this, officials have created a new office. The Office of Children and Families Policy will support and manage a diverse set of priorities that focus on children, youth and family programs. These priorities will monitor the effectiveness of...
How are special interests swaying Silicon Valley elections?
Special interest groups have spent a whopping $2.3 million to boost their preferred candidates across eight local races—making the 2022 primary election one of the most expensive seasons in recent Silicon Valley history. More than half of all political action committee (PAC) spending has gone to the San Jose mayor’s race. Special interests are also...
San Jose transit board fights bill that would reorganize leadership
Silicon Valley transit officials are standing firm against a legislative proposal that would dramatically change VTA’s governing body. The VTA board of directors voted unanimously Thursday to oppose Assembly Bill 2181, introduced in February by Assemblymember Marc Berman. The bill would eliminate the current board of directors on or after July 2023 and shrink the...
Experts advise South Bay residents remove lawns to fight drought
Santa Clara County residents are being asked to reduce water usage and local water authorities are offering incentives to help homeowners and businesses achieve this goal. In mid-May, Valley Water officials said county residents are going in the wrong direction in their use of water. Valley Water reported residents reduced water by 15% last October...
Silicon Valley homeless students could see guaranteed income
A state bill from a Silicon Valley legislator could bring hope and help to homeless high school students. Introduced by state Sen. Dave Cortese, Senate Bill 1341 provides $50 million to $75 million in aid to homeless youth. The bill aims to uplift about 15,000 high school seniors with guaranteed income of $1,000 per month for...
Negative campaign ads bombard Silicon Valley voters
As Silicon Valley inches closer to the June 7 primary election, an onslaught of negative political ads are popping up in voters’ mailboxes, forcing candidates to dispute these smear tactics. Candidates in San Jose and Santa Clara County races have spent big bucks to get their names in front of voters. These efforts has been met recently...
Reader Panel: San Jose voters share candidate selections
San Jose voters are already casting their ballots for the primary election next week, but some aren’t excited about their choices. Residents who spoke with San José Spotlight said they’ve voted for many key offices up for grabs on June 7, including San Jose mayor, City Council, Santa Clara County sheriff, district attorney and county assessor. This news...
Santa Clara County leaders want office to track hate crimes
Santa Clara County officials want to create a department focused on hate crimes, but local leaders have questions about how it would work. The Board of Supervisors recently directed county workers to come up with a plan for implementing dozens of recommendations for addressing hate crimes. This would include developing a reporting system for hate-based...
San José Spotlight nets 8 wins in annual California Journalism Awards
San José Spotlight has won eight California Journalism Awards in the annual contest sponsored by the California News Publishers Association, including four first place honors. The yearly competition highlights the best print and digital news reporting and photography in the state. News organizations compete based on size and circulation. San José Spotlight took part in...
Panel: Lack of housing is main cause for San Jose homelessness
The lack of affordable housing, systemic racism and weak safety nets continue to be the leading causes for Silicon Valley’s homeless crisis, a panel of experts last week. Hosted by San José Spotlight and nonprofit Destination: Home as part of an event series on the issue, the Thursday panel examined the root causes of homelessness—and...