Santa Clara County

Santa Clara County

Do grand jury reports influence change in Silicon Valley?

Santa Clara County’s Civil Grand Jury for decades has attempted to improve government and investigate corruption, but whether it’s meeting those goals isn’t so clear. And most of the people lining up to serve on it are older white people. The Civil Grand Jury investigates complaints made by county residents, but not all complaints are...

Mansion proposal obstructs Santa Clara Valley ridgeline

A proposed Morgan Hill mansion is the target of a complaint claiming its construction will obstruct ridgeline views—something the county’s decades-old General Plan says should be avoided. “The whole idea is that ridgelines are the most aesthetically sensitive parts of the county, because everyone can see it,” said Brian Schmidt, advocacy director for environmental organization Green...

Santa Clara County seeks redistricting advisory commission members

Fifteen county residents will soon help reshape Santa Clara County government’s political power. Santa Clara County supervisors are creating a new advisory commission to complete redistricting obligations by the end of the year, in light of census data delays. Every county is required to redraw its supervisorial boundaries in 2021 according to federal, state and...

Garbage rates to increase in East Santa Clara County

Residents and businesses in East Santa Clara County will see their garbage rates go up this summer. Officials say that’s largely due to the rapidly changing international recyclables market. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved the 5.5% increase, effective July 1. The increase will affect about 5,000 customers in eastern unincorporated Santa Clara County,...

Why one in 10 Silicon Valley residents are refusing a COVID shot

One in 10 Santa Clara County residents are refusing a COVID-19 vaccine due to fear of side effects or safety concerns, misinformation and scheduling issues—a problem that county health officials are quickly trying to ameliorate. Misinformation still persists, researchers hired by the county discovered, with 19% of county residents surveyed believing vaccines can give you...

Campaign season lasts year-round in Santa Clara County

In Santa Clara County, politicians can fundraise for their campaigns all year and keep the excess money to pay off incurred debt. That’s much different than campaign finance rules in San Jose, which has strict laws to prevent officials from holding year-round campaign accounts that critics say undermine politicians’ integrity. “People running for office are...