Santa Clara County voters might find a new sales tax measure on the 2024 ballot—and there’s an opinion poll swirling through the community to gauge the climate. Texts and emails went out last week asking residents whether they would vote for a half-cent sales tax increase on the next ballot. The poll was sent by text through Opinion Research U.S....
San Jose mayors blast MLB for excluding city
San Jose officials are making a renewed push to clear a path for a future professional baseball team in the city. A group of former San Jose mayors and current Mayor Matt Mahan sent a sharply worded letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred calling for an end to the San Francisco Giants’ claim...
Bay Area lawmaker won’t be bullied out of office
In her first six months in office, state Sen. Aisha Wahab has faced critiques for pro-worker, anti-discrimination bills and even a recall committee—but said she still hasn’t hit her stride. Last November, Wahab became the first Muslim, Afghan American elected to the state Legislature and jumped right into the work, authoring 10 bills since her...
‘Not enough representation’: Silicon Valley Latinas struggle to enter tech industry
Despite being raised in the shadow of tech giants like Apple and Google, Stephanie Valenzuela struggled to see how she fit into the industry. As a Latina, Valenzuela said she rarely saw herself represented. Valenzuela has worked as a tech recruiter as part of a small cohort of Latinas in the sector. She wants to...
Santa Clara County makes cuts to tackle huge deficit
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors is cutting hundreds of vacant positions to close a looming deficit—paving the way for the passage of a $11.3 billion budget for 2023-24. Supervisors addressed the $120 million deficit last Thursday by not only cutting 600 positions, but also shifting more money into county reserves, totaling $218.6 million,...
Silicon Valley celebrates Juneteenth
This year marks the third year since Juneteenth became a federal U.S. holiday, but one Silicon Valley group has been recognizing it for decades. San Jose’s SoFa District was home to the 42nd annual Santa Clara County Juneteenth in the Streets Festival last Saturday. The event, hosted by the African American Community Services Agency, averages...
‘Recipe for failure’: Santa Clara County called on to end youth incarceration
Raymond Goins spent four years as a teenager inside Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall, where he said he faced conditions that were damaging to his well-being. Goins, along with more than 50 others, rallied in front of that same juvenile hall on Thursday demanding the center no longer be used to incarcerate youth. Organizers at...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County workers prepared to strike over staffing vacancies
Thousands of Santa Clara County union workers voted to authorize their bargaining team to call for a strike as their contract is set to expire later this month and the county grapples with a budget deficit. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 521 members are upset over the shortage of workers and vacant positions that...
San Jose hospital to cut acute psychiatric care
The pending closure of an inpatient psychiatric facility has the potential to worsen an ongoing mental health crisis in Santa Clara County, which has a severe shortage of behavioral health beds and services. Good Samaritan Hospital plans to close it’s 18-bed inpatient psychiatric facility at its Mission Oaks Hospital location in Los Gatos. It’s parent...
Santa Clara County gets windfall from opioid settlement
Santa Clara County is flush with millions of dollars from a nationwide opioid settlement. But how to spend it is still up for debate. Local health officials received $5.8 million from the first installment, with the potential for up to $48 million over the next 18 years. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors wants to...