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Allegations about toxic work culture are surfacing again at VTA—this time in its customer service department. Current and former VTA workers told San José Spotlight a customer service manager, Combiz Khatiblou, was put on paid administrative leave last month and that an investigation is pending. Current and former employees claim Khatiblou contributed to a hostile...
San Jose homeless residents say nonprofit broke promises
Some unhoused people who received temporary housing after being swept off land owned by Apple are now worried they’ll end up on the streets again. Participants of the program, who have lived in Casa Linda Motel at 1669 Monterey Rd. in San Jose since September, said the program paid for by Apple and managed by HomeFirst was supposed to help...
Santa Clara County could commandeer controversial cement plant
A Santa Clara County supervisor wants the government to take control of a controversial cement quarry near Cupertino. Supervisor Joe Simitian said the county must find a way to acquire the Lehigh Permanente Quarry and Cement Plant property during a Thursday news conference. Simitian is introducing a referral to the full Board of Supervisors on Feb. 15...
Nearly one person a day died on Silicon Valley streets
In one of the world’s wealthiest regions, 30 people died in the streets over the span of a month—nearly one person a day dying outdoors in the heart of Silicon Valley. Homeless advocates said the number emphasizes the ongoing homeless crisis—accounting for almost one person per day—and stands in sharp contrast to the region’s wealth....
Longtime San Jose political staffer enters D1 supervisor race
A former political staffer and case manager is entering the race for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors District 1. Denelle Fedor told San José Spotlight on Thursday she intends to campaign for the seat during the June primary and has filed some preliminary paperwork. Incumbent Supervisor Mike Wasserman terms out at the end of...
Santa Clara County extends emergency contract despite protests
Despite pleas and protests from health care workers, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center has extended a contract with an Ohio-based medical group and allowed it to continue managing the hospital’s emergency physicians. The county’s health care center extended its contract with U.S. Acute Care Solutions (USACS) until June 2023 after the terms expired Sunday. Emergency workers...
Santa Clara County community college students prefer online classes
Santa Clara County community colleges are scrambling to offer late start classes and online learning after not listening to what students wanted. Faculty at many of these schools warned administration that school surveys showed students were not ready to return to campus. Online classes had waiting lists, while in-person classes had to be canceled due...
Indoor mask mandate to stay in Santa Clara County—for now
Santa Clara County is keeping its indoor mask mandate even when the state and several neighboring counties are ready to ease back some COVID-19 restrictions as soon as next week. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state health department announced Monday that California will begin pulling back some of its COVID-19 rules, starting with the mask...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County supervisors approve millions for affordable housing
Several affordable housing projects are coming to Santa Clara County as officials race to build more homes to address growing homelessness. The Board of Supervisors approved $75.5 million on Tuesday to build six new affordable housing projects—four in San Jose, one in Mountain View and one in Sunnyvale—adding 758 apartments to the South Bay’s housing...
Santa Clara County puts funds toward disaster service workers
Santa Clara County is adding scores of permanent workers who can focus on delivering COVID-19 aid to residents amid an ongoing pandemic. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to pay for 251 disaster service worker positions. Most of these positions will be added to the County Executive Office and Office of Emergency Management, and...