Local doctors say they’ve lost confidence in Santa Clara County leadership after seeing the head executive downplay the death of their colleague. San José Spotlight obtained an email sent from County Executive Jeff Smith to county health care workers after Dr. Amul Jobalia died by suicide in his office in May. Jobalia was a nephrologist at Santa Clara Valley Medical...
San Jose LGBTQ leaders: Monkeypox ‘not a gay disease’
The Silicon Valley LGBTQ+ community is livid another virus is being referred to as a gay disease. Concerned about stigmatization, local LGBTQ+ leaders are reacting to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recent declaration of monkeypox as a global emergency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 98% of cases are among gay men. Although anyone can...
San Jose advocates say early release doesn’t equal violent crime
Polarizing pandemic-era policies aimed to help depopulate the jails are expiring at the end of July—but the debate over their effectiveness is still alive. The state enacted a zero bail policy and citation and release orders near the start of the pandemic to limit the spread of COVID-19 in jails. Zero bail allows low-level offenders to...
How many jobs does it take to pay rent in San Jose?
In the heart of Silicon Valley, an individual making minimum wage needs to work nearly four hourly jobs to pay the rent. A new report, conducted by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, finds housing costs in the nation are rising to unreachable levels for many—especially those working minimum wage jobs. Across the nation, full-time minimum wage workers...
San Jose youth want a seat at the table
After feeling unheard by decisionmakers, San Jose youth are forming a new group to give themselves a better seat at the table. Youth Liberation Movement, which officially launched in February, aims to improve San Jose’s approach to housing, education, mental health and criminal justice by partnering with local institutions. The group is youth-led and mostly composed...
Santa Clara County mine project threatens wildlife
A proposed sand and gravel mine in South County could spell danger for the land and local wildlife, but the landowner isn’t calling it quits just yet. On Friday, Santa Clara County released a draft environmental impact report for the mine proposed at Sargent Ranch, just south of Gilroy. The land is called Juristac in the language...
‘It’s not me’: San Jose candidate denies allegations of criminal history
There are thousands of people in the country with the last name Cantrell. Now one San Jose planning commissioner, running for a water district seat with that surname, is caught in a mudslinging campaign to defend against criminal allegations. Charles “Chuck” Cantrell is fighting against an anonymous email sent to his colleagues on the Planning...
Silicon Valley official looks to ban leaded fuel nationally
Santa Clara County’s fight to ban leaded aviation fuel might lead to changes nationwide—with one elected official poised to speak before Congress this week. Supervisor Cindy Chavez, who has led efforts to ban the fuel at county-owned airports will testify in front of the Congressional Oversight Environmental Subcommittee on Thursday. The subcommittee, chaired by Silicon...
Saldy Suriben brings pride to Silicon Valley LGBTQ+ community
From his upbringing in the Philippines, Saldy Suriben’s mother gifted him with an understanding of how to make friends easily and the importance of hard work. His father died when he was three months old and it was just him and his mother from then on. He had no brothers or sisters. “I’m proud of...
Silicon Valley water agency faces backlash over vaccine policy
Officials at Santa Clara County’s largest water supplier are on the defense after a whistleblower publicly accused the agency of retaliating against employees unvaccinated for COVID-19. An anonymous whistleblower calling himself “John Public” commented at a Valley Water meeting on June 28 and released a video on YouTube, which is no longer available, claiming the...