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...
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County
VTA workers return to site of San Jose mass shooting
As VTA cautiously moves forward with limited light rail service, some workers are still grappling with trauma from the May mass shooting as they return to the rail yard. Last week, VTA trains embarking on test runs left the Guadalupe rail yard for the first time in almost three months. On Sunday, the transit agency...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County lawmakers vote ‘no confidence’ in sheriff
Santa Clara County supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday to say they have no confidence in Sheriff Laurie Smith’s handling of the jail—but not before hearing from the county’s top cop herself. Smith excoriated the Board of Supervisors for attacking her and said officials used her as a bandage for a systemic problem, and when that failed...
Homeless fentanyl deaths rising in Santa Clara County
Fentanyl continues to kill unhoused residents in Santa Clara County, and some unsuspecting users may be taking the drug in the form of counterfeit pills. Seven homeless individuals in San Jose suffered fatal overdoses from methamphetamine laced with fentanyl in the past month, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. Fentanyl, a synthetic...
What San Jose residents should know about COVID booster shots
As the infectious COVID-19 Delta variant continues to sweep the nation, federal and local officials are rolling out a plan to offer booster shots to vaccinated individuals as early as September. Federal officials announced a plan last week to make booster shots available by the week of Sept. 20, pending further reviews. Adults with two doses of the...
San Jose residents protest jail plans, call for sheriff to step down
Group chants and black masks: that was the scene Friday outside the Santa Clara County Jail as more than two dozen residents and advocates protested for alternatives and reforms to the current system. Led by Silicon Valley De-Bug, protesters gathered at the corner of West Hedding Street and North San Pedro Street to amplify a...
Santa Clara County registrar ready for recall election
Anticipation surrounding a potential replacement for Gov. Gavin Newsom could contribute to high voter turnout for the upcoming Sept. 14 recall election. Shannon Bushey, registrar of voters for Santa Clara County, estimates a 50-60% voter turnout for the recall election. Part of the reason, Bushey said, is because residents have been expecting the recall election for...
SVO rebrands to San Jose Chamber of Commerce
San Jose’s largest business organization got a facelift with a new CEO in the spring. Now it’s changing its name too. The Silicon Valley Organization, a business chamber that represents more than 1,000 companies in the city, will now be called the San Jose Chamber of Commerce—bringing the city’s name back into the organization for the...
San Jose fare inspectors faced hostile work environment, VTA records show
Fare inspectors at VTA complained numerous times about management who contributed to a toxic work culture, including an alleged physical assault on one employee, according to new records obtained by San José Spotlight. In 2017, a VTA fare inspector filed a workplace violence report that accused a supervisor named Ronald Freeman of intentionally bumping into him...
Residents want to recall Santa Clara County supervisors
An effort to recall the top elected officials in the county is starting—but organizers are still gathering volunteers before hitting the streets to canvas for signatures. Jeff Roberts, a Santa Clara County resident inspired by the campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, is trying a similar strategy to remove the entire Board of Supervisors for...