English
Spanish
Vietnamese
Scraping food off your plate into the trash just become a no-no in more Santa Clara County cities as of 2022. California’s new composting law ushered by Senate Bill 1383 aims to fight climate change by reducing methane emissions created by organic material in landfills. The bill requires a 75% reduction in organic waste disposal...
These Silicon Valley agencies require workers to have COVID shots
The country is entering its third year of the COVID-19 pandemic and has moved from lockdowns and closures to vaccine mandates. Here’s a look at which Silicon Valley agencies have mandated COVID shots for their workers. Santa Clara County Santa Clara County was one of the first agencies in the South Bay to mandate vaccines for its roughly 22,000...
Santa Clara County housing bond on track despite roadblocks, civil grand jury says
A Civil Grand Jury says Santa Clara County’s $950 million housing bond is working as promised, giving it an “A” rating in a recent report—despite the small number of low-income homes built since its approval. Measure A, passed by 68% of voters in 2016, will provide funding to build 4,800 affordable homes across the county over approximately a...
Santa Clara County opens temporary shelter as cold weather persists
With more freezing temperatures and potential rain on the horizon, Santa Clara County has set up an overnight warming shelter for unhoused people in downtown San Jose. A new shelter opened Thursday night at the California Army National Guard building, located at 251 W. Hedding St. in San Jose. Shaunn Cartwright, a homeless advocate and...
San Jose: A year in pictures
After a whole year in a pandemic, many Santa Clara County residents hoped 2021 would bring something different. The world reopened, which allowed for some beautiful moments in our community. But there was also turmoil and struggle for many living in Silicon Valley. Here’s a look at photos from this year in San Jose and...
Advocates rally to use Santa Clara County Fairgrounds to tackle homelessness
A coalition of advocates is pushing for Santa Clara County to open up 157 acres of public land on Tully Road to provide safe parking, encampments and services to those without a home amid an exploding homelessness crisis. The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds has been underutilized for years, as county officials attempted to revitalize it...
Santa Clara County leads region on COVID booster shots
Some Santa Clara County residents are rushing to get COVID-19 booster shots as infections from the omicron variant rise and the effectiveness of initial shots wanes. Following the announcement of the first omicron infection in Santa Clara County earlier this month, on Dec. 16 health officials reported 44% of eligible residents had received a booster...
Spike in employee complaints at Santa Clara County transit agency
Amid a surge in civil rights complaints, VTA is taking applications from consultants to study how to transform the agency’s workplace culture. Data received by San José Spotlight shows 129 complaints have been filed with VTA’s Office of Civil Rights as of Dec. 9. That is significantly higher compared to last year, when employees filed 76...
Minimum wage in Silicon Valley going up in January
The new year will bring a bigger paycheck for those earning minimum wage in Silicon Valley. San Jose workers will see their hourly rate go from $15.45 to $16.20, while those in Mountain View and Sunnyvale will see theirs bump to $17.10 from $16.30—the highest minimum wage in the region. Once a national leader in increasing...
San Jose’s VTA, union draft potential agreement for wage increases
VTA and its largest union don’t often see eye to eye, but they have cautiously agreed to wage increases and a bonus for roughly 1,500 bus and light rail operators, mechanics and other workers. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 struck a tentative agreement with VTA on Dec. 22 to establish a 10% pay raise for ATU...