Despite being raised in the shadow of tech giants like Apple and Google, Stephanie Valenzuela struggled to see how she fit into the industry. As a Latina, Valenzuela said she rarely saw herself represented. Valenzuela has worked as a tech recruiter as part of a small cohort of Latinas in the sector. She wants to...
Santa Clara County makes cuts to tackle huge deficit
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors is cutting hundreds of vacant positions to close a looming deficit—paving the way for the passage of a $11.3 billion budget for 2023-24. Supervisors addressed the $120 million deficit last Thursday by not only cutting 600 positions, but also shifting more money into county reserves, totaling $218.6 million,...
Silicon Valley celebrates Juneteenth
This year marks the third year since Juneteenth became a federal U.S. holiday, but one Silicon Valley group has been recognizing it for decades. San Jose’s SoFa District was home to the 42nd annual Santa Clara County Juneteenth in the Streets Festival last Saturday. The event, hosted by the African American Community Services Agency, averages...
‘Recipe for failure’: Santa Clara County called on to end youth incarceration
Raymond Goins spent four years as a teenager inside Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall, where he said he faced conditions that were damaging to his well-being. Goins, along with more than 50 others, rallied in front of that same juvenile hall on Thursday demanding the center no longer be used to incarcerate youth. Organizers at...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County workers prepared to strike over staffing vacancies
Thousands of Santa Clara County union workers voted to authorize their bargaining team to call for a strike as their contract is set to expire later this month and the county grapples with a budget deficit. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 521 members are upset over the shortage of workers and vacant positions that...
San Jose hospital to cut acute psychiatric care
The pending closure of an inpatient psychiatric facility has the potential to worsen an ongoing mental health crisis in Santa Clara County, which has a severe shortage of behavioral health beds and services. Good Samaritan Hospital plans to close it’s 18-bed inpatient psychiatric facility at its Mission Oaks Hospital location in Los Gatos. It’s parent...
Santa Clara County gets windfall from opioid settlement
Santa Clara County is flush with millions of dollars from a nationwide opioid settlement. But how to spend it is still up for debate. Local health officials received $5.8 million from the first installment, with the potential for up to $48 million over the next 18 years. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors wants to...
PolitiBeat: San José Spotlight’s inaugural political festival
San José Spotlight’s inaugural all-day political festival PolitiBeat, a first for the region, brought together dozens of leaders in government, education, media and sports to discuss the successes and challenges facing San Jose and Silicon Valley. Held last Saturday at the iconic Hammer Theatre in downtown San Jose, PolitiBeat offered more than 150 attendees the...
Report: Silicon Valley Latinos face ongoing struggles
Latinos in Silicon Valley are facing exacerbated quality of life challenges in the wake of the pandemic, including education gaps, worsening housing conditions and health disparities, according to a new report. The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley’s 2023 Latino Report Card, unveiled Tuesday at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, shows that even as some...
Silicon Valley inequality persists four years in a row
A vast amount of wealth in Silicon Valley is concentrated in just a few households, while residents throughout the region struggle to afford basic needs. That’s according to the 2023 Silicon Valley Pain Index, an annual report put forward by researchers at San Jose State University. This year’s findings highlight how eight households in Silicon...