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After nearly a quarter-century of service, Santa Clara County’s sheriff is calling it quits at the end of the year. Sheriff Laurie Smith told San José Spotlight she does not plan to run for reelection in the June primary. The deadline for entering the race is Friday. There has been widespread speculation about whether Smith...
Former Silicon Valley judge leads shift in state juvenile justice
This story was originally published by The Imprint, a national news outlet covering child welfare and youth justice issues. Katherine Lucero—a daughter of farmworkers and longtime juvenile court judge who calls for compassion and support rather than jail and foster care—is now leading the most populous state toward a once-unimaginable goal: a future without youth...
Silicon Valley lawmaker wants to bring dignity to digital age
There is an alarming gulf between people thriving in the digital economy and those shut out of it. That gulf grew wider during the COVID-19 pandemic as tech workers enjoyed the ability to work from home while people in service jobs struggled with layoffs and housing insecurity. Rep. Ro Khanna has watched this crisis unfold in...
Silicon Valley water leaders want longer term limits
Directors of a Santa Clara County water district want to extend their term limits, even as some members cast doubts about the cost and necessity. Valley Water’s board of directors voted 4-3 last month to put a measure on the June primary election ballot asking voters to approve an extension of how long directors can serve on...
Santa Clara County slides into endemic stage of COVID
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Bay appears to be at a turning point as restrictions are peeling back. Still, county officials and local health experts are wary of returning fully to pre-pandemic lives. “We anticipate that we will continue to see peaks and valleys (of infection) in the months and perhaps years ahead,” a...
Santa Clara County wants to make ghost guns vanish
Elected officials are taking steps to outlaw homemade guns in Santa Clara County. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will consider creating an ordinance to prohibit the possession, manufacturing and assembly of ghost guns. Elected officials are taking steps to outlaw homemade guns in Santa Clara County. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously...
Santa Clara County to review how sex assault DNA is handled
Santa Clara County officials are asking the county’s top law enforcement agency to review how it uses DNA collected from survivors of sexual assault, following a scandal in San Francisco. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday for the Santa Clara County District Attorney to outline how the county crime lab handles DNA from sexual...
Silicon Valley day care closures sideline working mothers
A lack of affordable day care drove women out of the workforce when COVID-19 hit. Now they are stranded and can’t get back in. About 2 million women dropped out of the workforce in the U.S. since the beginning of the pandemic, compared to 1.6 million men, according to an economic study by the Bay...
Santa Clara County sheriff responds to corruption accusation
Months after being accused of corrupt misconduct by a civil grand jury, Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith has finally issued a defiant response. According to court papers filed on Tuesday, Smith argues four of the seven counts in the accusation against her are legally insufficient and should be dismissed. “I am gratified that the...
California CARE Court could help get homeless, mentally ill off the streets
Gov. Gavin Newsom could change how the state handles its severe mentally ill—if he can persuade legislators to fund a proposal in the upcoming fiscal year budget. A Thursday morning event at Crossroads Village, a Momentum for Health mental health campus, brought together Silicon Valley advocates and politicians alike to learn about the new CARE...