Santa Clara County has unveiled a three-step strategy to change how county officials and medical providers connect people to treatment for substance use disorders. County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg on Tuesday announced that up to 15 beds will be opened for people in detoxification centers, to serve another 700 people each year. No new detox centers were...
Santa Clara County makes historic fire chief appointment
Santa Clara County Fire Department is celebrating the hiring of its first woman fire chief this month. Suwanna Kerdkaew, formerly the department’s Deputy Chief of Administration, was appointed last week by the county Board of Supervisors. She replaces former chief Tony Bowden, who has retired after being on injury leave. The 20-year fire department veteran began...
Election 2022: The race for Santa Clara County assessor
Santa Clara County’s longtime assessor is squaring off with a younger opponent who wants to shake up the office. Incumbent Larry Stone has been assessor of Santa Clara County for 27 years and he is seeking a seventh term to take him into his third decade in office. The assessor’s office determines the value of property...
Santa Clara County faces silver tsunami of homelessness
Struggling to make a living and plagued by abusive relationships, San Jose native Brenda Nichols fell into alcoholism and homelessness where she spent the last 10 years fighting for a way out. In 2019, she finally qualified for housing and was ready to turn her life around. But years of drinking and living on the...
San Jose union objects to VTA work culture consultant
VTA is postponing voting on a contract for a work culture consultant following a furious outburst from the head of the agency’s largest union. The VTA board of directors unanimously agreed Friday to defer approving a $1.9 million two-year contract with Deloitte Consulting to aid with transforming the agency’s work culture. The board made the decision...
Silicon Valley unemployment drops as hospitality sees slow recovery
Unemployment continues to plummet in Silicon Valley, but it’s anyone’s guess when the leisure and hospitality sector will fully recover. The unemployment rate in Silicon Valley dropped to 2.4% in March—less than half the rate recorded the same time last year—according to a recent report from Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies. Employers...
Election 2022: The race for Santa Clara County district attorney
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen is facing challengers for the first time since he was elected more than a decade ago. The top prosecutor of Santa Clara County oversees a department of 620 employees, 190 of whom are prosecutors. The DA files charges against people for criminal and civil offenses, ranging from homicides...
A vision of seamless Bay Area transit gets another chance
A campaign to unify the Bay Area’s 27 different transit agencies into one seamless system is gaining steam, but the slog toward full integration will be a long and challenging journey. Ian Griffiths, co-founder and director of Seamless Bay Area, said during a Wednesday webinar that recent legislation could pave the way toward integrating the...
Election 2022: The race for Santa Clara County Supervisor District 1
The fight for the Santa Clara County Supervisor District 1 seat is bound to be one of the most competitive races this election season. Supervisor Mike Wasserman, who has held the seat since 2010, terms out at the end of the year—and five candidates are vying to replace him. The newly drawn District 1 boundaries have...
VTA gives benefits to families of workers killed in San Jose shooting
VTA has agreed to pay retirement benefits to the families of workers killed in a mass shooting last May to make sure they’re taken care of for years to come. The VTA board of directors voted unanimously last week to give $4.9 million in retirement benefits to 10 families who lost loved ones in the...