Early results show Los Altos Vice Mayor Neysa Fligor leading by a large margin in Tuesday’s runoff election to decide Santa Clara County’s next chief property taxer. As of 9:22 p.m. Tuesday, Fligor has 65.7% of the vote with 108,556 votes, while former Saratoga Councilmember Rishi Kumar has 34.2% with 56,617 votes. Voter turnout in...
2025 in review: Silicon Valley’s biggest stories
It was a transformational year for Silicon Valley. A county assessor’s 30-year reign came to an end. Two city leaders were sentenced in court. Superintendent firings and mass layoffs rocked a host of local schools. And a judge brought an end to a historic transit labor strike. But for each chapter that was closed this...
Santa Clara County new public defender is a familiar face
Damon Silver has for months led Santa Clara County’s public defender office in an acting role. Now his title is permanent — and he’s stepping into a watershed moment for Silicon Valley’s criminal justice landscape. The tech region’s crime-fueling wealth divide has deepened to “instability and revolt” levels, according to economists. The mayor of the...
Santa Clara County sheriff won’t release Taser body-cam footage
Santa Clara County leaders promised full transparency when they approved the deployment of Tasers in the jails. Now sheriff’s deputies are using them — and county leaders don’t want the public to see the videos. The county has repeatedly denied California Public Records Act requests by civil rights advocates seeking the body-worn camera footage of...
Federal judge pauses changes to Santa Clara County housing grants
A federal judge has temporarily blocked efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to upend federal funding for permanent housing. U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy on Friday granted a temporary injunction halting the upheaval of Continuum of Care grants, which have historically been used to fund permanent housing programs and are the federal government’s main response to...
Santa Clara County homeless deaths are declining
Homeless deaths have dropped more than 20%, even though homelessness continues to rise in Santa Clara County. Approximately 155 homeless people died between Dec. 1, 2024 to Nov. 30, down from 197 the previous year, according to data provided by nonprofit HomeFirst. A majority of the deaths, 187, were male. The oldest homeless person who...
Early voting begins for Santa Clara County assessor’s race
Santa Clara County voters can walk into 19 different vote centers and select their next chief property taxer starting Saturday. A total of 38 centers will be available throughout the county for the Dec. 30 county assessor runoff election between Los Altos Vice Mayor Neysa Fligor and former Saratoga Councilmember Rishi Kumar. The remaining 19...
San Jose program helps women start child day care centers
An East San Jose nonprofit is providing economic mobility for residents, as well as affordable child care for the community. A child care program started by Grail Family Services has enabled 81% of participating women to earn their child care licenses to combat a dearth of facilities in East San Jose. A total of 80...
San Jose bike shop donates bicycles for annual toy drive
A San Jose nonprofit and bike shop are teaming up to make the holiday season a little brighter for families in need. Sacred Heart Community Service is holding its annual toy drive through Friday, and is working with Good Karma Bikes to provide hundreds of bicycles to local children, in addition to books and toys....
Santa Clara County nurses speak out against staffing shortages
Nurses are sounding the alarm on staffing shortages at Santa Clara County hospitals that they say are causing delays in patient care. Nurses rallied at county hospitals Tuesday to protest furloughs and dangerous staffing shortages stemming from President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which slashed funding for vital services including Medi-Cal and food stamps. Dozens...