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The race is on to replace Santa Clara County’s long-term assessor, sheriff and district attorney. The top two DA candidates have raised a cumulative $725,000, while the two leading contestants for assessor have raked in more than $571,000. Below is a glimpse of what candidates in county races raised from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31,...
Santa Clara County sheriff candidate secures key endorsement
A contender for the top law enforcement job in Santa Clara County has won a coveted endorsement. The Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of Santa Clara County is throwing its support behind retired sheriff Capt. Kevin Jensen, who announced his run for sheriff last September. The association’s members voted overwhelmingly to support endorsing him. “We know Kevin Jensen...
Santa Clara County wants to empower minority-owned businesses
Santa Clara County is launching a disparity study to level the playing field for minority-owned businesses. The county wants to be more inclusive by identifying underrepresented businesses facing language and cultural barriers that have been left out in the past. Dennis King, executive director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley, said organizations that get...
Santa Clara County workers disciplined for lack of COVID shots
A little more than 200 Santa Clara County employees are being disciplined for failing to comply with a county COVID-19 health order that targets high-risk workers. County officials told San José Spotlight on Wednesday that 209 employees are subject to discipline for failing to get vaccinated or a booster shot for COVID-19. The health order...
Palo Alto offers more help to renters facing eviction
The Palo Alto City Council is expanding relocation assistance to include more renters, but the only long-time renting councilmember could not participate. The council voted 5-1 Monday to pass an emergency ordinance requiring landlords of smaller residential buildings to pay relocation assistance to tenants during evictions. An existing law already requires the owners of buildings...
Santa Clara County leaders to review mining company violations
Residents and elected leaders are applauding the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors for taking steps to shed light on the complete record of violations at the only cement manufacturer in the Bay Area. The board voted unanimously last week on a referral from Supervisor Joe Simitian to create a report documenting all violations relating...
Santa Clara County revises COVID-19 testing health order
COVID-19 testing requirements are changing in Santa Clara County, but not drastically. On Monday, county officials announced changes to an ongoing health order allowing health care providers to use antigen testing instead of just PCR testing, and shifting the responsibility of testing and vaccinations back to providers instead of the county. “The update doesn’t make radical changes,”...
San Jose’s Vietnamese community pushes to reopen The Dragon Mountain
Vietnamese leaders and residents are rallying for Santa Clara County to reopen a privately-owned park in Milpitas that was shut down in 2019 over land use and permit violations. A group of more than 20 people gathered in front of Grand Century Mall in San Jose on Friday to voice support for the shuttered park called The Dragon Mountain....
COVID order poses staffing challenges for San Jose, county firefighters
With a countywide COVID vaccination deadline looming next week, local firefighters are bracing for more overtime demands and staffing challenges. Last month, Santa Clara County ordered workers in high-risk settings to get both COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots by Jan. 24. Workers who don’t comply with the order may no longer work in high-risk settings...
Little known about new COVID variant detected in Santa Clara County
A new strain of the omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Santa Clara County, but details about its transmissibility are scarce. Santa Clara County officials confirmed a strain known as BA.2 has been found in two people in the county. In a video shared with San José Spotlight, Deputy Public Health Officer Dr. George...