Santa Clara County officials have charged a law enforcement watchdog with finding answers to two questions: Who halted an internal affairs investigation into the injury of an inmate at the jail, and why. During Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Joe Simitian drilled the Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring on the main objective...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County approves more funding for Afghan war refugees
Hundreds of Afghan war refugees are expected to settle in Santa Clara County in the next year. County officials want to help make that transition more comfortable. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $1 million of increased funding on Tuesday for organizations that help refugees resettle in the region. Much of the...
Local nonprofit helps house residents of North San Jose encampment
Getting dozens of homeless residents shelter and services isn’t easy, especially when it has to happen in a matter of weeks. But HomeFirst CEO Andrea Urton said it’s doable when you have the right resources. Residents last week were forced to leave a massive homeless encampment at Component Drive in North San Jose on land...
San Jose councilmember proposes ‘seamless’ public transportation
Public transit riders in Silicon Valley have a lot of agencies to keep up with: VTA, BART, Caltrain—and that’s if you take public transit at all. And if you plan on traveling to places like the North and East Bay you’ll have to wade through 27 different public transit agencies. San Jose Councilmember and VTA...
Santa Clara County sees few breakthrough COVID hospitalizations
Despite concerns about breakthrough COVID-19 infections, the number of hospitalizations among vaccinated residents in Santa Clara County remains low—and is mostly driven by older residents and those with underlying health issues, county health officials say. At county-run hospitals, only 12 of 52 patients with COVID-19 involve people who are fully vaccinated, which health experts say suggests breakthrough...
Former opponent challenges embattled Santa Clara County sheriff
As Sheriff Laurie Smith battles investigations and demands for resignation, she must now also face a former opponent who wants her job. Kevin Jensen, a retired captain for the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, filed paperwork to run for sheriff in the 2022 election. Jensen squared off with Smith in 2014 and lost. But he believes...
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San Jose airport closure could poison another neighborhood
County officials are working to shut down Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose, citing lead exposure for surrounding residents. But shutting it down could shift the lead burden onto another low-income neighborhood: Washington-Guadalupe. Should Reid-Hillview close, some Washington-Guadalupe residents fear planes en route to Mineta San Jose International Airport will bring leaded fuel pollution to...
Santa Clara County workers catch COVID after return to office
COVID-19 infections are rising across multiple Santa Clara County departments about a month after management ordered workers back to the office, and some employees are frustrated and bewildered that they have to return. A county spokesperson told San José Spotlight that 221 positive infections occurred among approximately 22,000 employees between between July 3 and Aug....
San Jose shops fined for COVID violations can’t get grants
Over the last year, Santa Clara County has cited hundreds of businesses—big and small—with fines that now add up to more than $5 million for violating COVID-19 restrictions. The county put that money into a grant program to help struggling businesses—but those with violations say they’re not getting financial help. Dung “Calvin” To has cut...
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Lack of census data hurts San Jose’s LGBTQ+ community
A Gallup poll found in 2015 that San Jose had one of the lowest LGBTQ+ populations of any large metropolitan area. Six years later, it’s tough to know if that’s changed—such basic information on the local LGBTQ+ population is missing because the U.S. census didn’t ask for it. In a major first, the 2020 census allowed U.S. residents to...