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Santa Clara County scored a substantial legal victory this month when the U.S. Department of Justice dropped an appeal on a legal rule that sought to limit public services for immigrants. County Counsel James Williams called the decision to drop the case “a victory for the rule of law,” he said, because otherwise the change...
San Jose Speaks: A conversation with Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone
San José Spotlight earlier this month welcomed Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone in its latest San Jose Speaks series, which features interactive conversations with South Bay leaders, influencers and decision makers. Stone discussed Proposition 19, which was approved by voters in 2020 and significantly complicated the rules for transferring property tax assessments. The March...
40 years of fighting for LGBTQ rights in San Jose
It may be hard to imagine now, but there was a time when a majority of San Jose and Santa Clara County voters rejected an opportunity to ban discrimination against the LGBTQ people among them. “’Gay people are so disgusting they deserve no rights, and we don’t even want them in town.’ That was the...
Can Santa Clara County keep $1 billion housing promise?
An audit released this week suggests Santa Clara County might not be able to make good on using $1 billion in public funds to build the homes promised when voters passed Measure A in 2016. The premise of Measure A has always been that the nearly $1 billion bond would be used within a decade...
A year of despair and resiliency: How COVID-19 changed San Jose
For many residents in the South Bay, March 17, 2020 marked the beginning of a year like no other. One year ago, Santa Clara County and five of its neighbors became the first in the nation to impose a shelter in place order, as the COVID-19 virus silently engulfed the globe. There were 258 confirmed...
Santa Clara County could move to orange tier next week; vaccine eligibility expands
Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 cases are still on a downward trend, meaning the county could move to the state’s orange tier next Wednesday. Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody confirmed at the county’s Health and Hospital Commission meeting Wednesday that if the county continues to see decreasing COVID cases and hospitalizations through...
Former Santa Clara County nonprofit leader accused of bullying staff
Katherine Harasz won praise from Silicon Valley’s biggest politicos for her work, but some current and former employees characterize her as a leader who created a hostile environment during her time as executive director of the Santa Clara County Housing Authority. Some of the complaints about Harasz’s leadership are outlined in a 140-page document filed...
What Santa Clara County renters, landlords should know about evictions
Renters affected by the pandemic likely took a sigh of relief when, early this year, California lawmakers extended the statewide ban on evictions for those facing financial hardships until the end of June. The law also created a rental assistance program to help lift lower-income renters out of rental debt. The program started taking applications...
Lacking childcare: Santa Clara County’s employees would turn down promotions
Almost two-thirds of Santa Clara County employees say juggling work and childcare has made it impossible to achieve their career goals—even saying they’d turn down promotions. “It’s horrible because you feel like a bad worker and a bad parent at the same time and you’re basically just trying to keep your child alive,” an employee...
Blue Shield, Santa Clara County argue over COVID vaccine shortage
The company running California’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts refused a request for more vaccines for Santa Clara County from Kaiser Permanente, county leaders said today. Kaiser is one of the region’s largest health care providers but has been given too few doses of the vaccine to cover its patients. That sparked the creation of the county’s “no...