Santa Clara County’s crumbling jail conditions, which have been described as a “hellhole” and led to hunger strikes, could land the county in court The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley on March 17 sent the county a letter demanding conditions be addressed before the end of the month — or else it will sue. “We are deeply...
‘I’m not a virus’: Silicon Valley lawmaker unveils plan to combat anti-Asian hate
Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee introduced a slew of proposals Tuesday to research and combat hate crimes against the county’s Asian and Asian-American population. Lee’s proposals, adopted unanimously by supervisors, will create a community outreach and education campaign against race-based violence against Asians, and begins work on federal and legislative advocacy to encourage proposals...
Santa Clara County moving into orange tier, expanding indoor dining and retail
Santa Clara County on Wednesday will move into the less-restrictive orange tier of the state’s reopening plan, removing capacity limits for retailers and doubling capacity for indoor dining and other businesses. The county is currently in the red tier since March 2. Local health officials say COVID-19 cases are steadily falling, which means restaurants, movie...
Santa Clara County advocates celebrate win for immigrants
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...