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June 19, the date that marks the end of slavery in the United States in 1865, is now a holiday for Santa Clara County employees — a first in California. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Sept. 22 to make the day, also known as Juneteenth, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and Emancipation Day,...
Route 22 overnight bus service once again on chopping block in Santa Clara County
The Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority is proposing to reduce or eliminate overnight services of the bus line dubbed Hotel 22, the only 24-hour bus route in the county that is often used by homeless residents seeking shelter at night. The transit agency has proposed several scenarios for Route 22, which is part of the...
‘Hellhole’: Santa Clara County suspect who got COVID-19 in jail describes conditions
Raul Covarrubias has sat in the Santa Clara County Main Jail awaiting trial since June 6, 2019. While his right to a speedy trial promised a decision by July 3, COVID-19 threw everything out the window. Covarrubias, who had no previous criminal history, tested positive in jail two days later. In an interview from the...
New panel begins to tackle emergency needs of homeless in Santa Clara County
Even as long-term solutions for homelessness in Santa Clara County gain momentum and support, emergency measures are lacking and likely will get worse. That was the grim reality presented to the county’s Unhoused Task Force, which held its initial meeting Sept. 9. Proposed by Supervisor Dave Cortese earlier this year, the group aims to address...
Bay Area transit leaders, unions butt heads on safety of public transit
A plan to address safety for public transit workers that is drawing harsh union criticism faces more scrutiny next week as transit leaders continue efforts to get people back on the roads during COVID-19. James Lindsay, international vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, said five members have died across California in the past two...
Santa Clara County joins legal effort to oppose postal service changes
Following President Donald Trump’s denunciation of voting by mail, Santa Clara County led a nationwide coalition of 32 municipalities in joining a legal challenge opposing changes to the United States Postal Service. The coalition, which includes the nonprofit watchdog group Public Rights Project, filed two amicus briefs Sept. 4 in cases challenging changes that might...
Census deadline looms as South Bay groups race to count residents
A federal judge in San Jose over the weekend halted the U.S. Census Bureau’s plans to wind down operations on Sept. 30, but local groups are still scrambling to get the word out about the federal survey and how it can benefit residents. “We’re really going where we know that folks need an extra push,...
New state bills aim to expand mental health coverage as cries for help rise in South Bay and beyond
Feeling depressed and suicidal, a girl called the crisis line of Uplift Family Services, a nonprofit with several Bay Area locations that helps children. The girl said she felt like killing herself and was admitted for an immediate psychiatric evaluation and care. In another case, the nonprofit received a call from a teacher who was...
South Bay panel looks at what it means to defund police
As calls ring out to defund police departments across the country, South Bay community organizers weighed in on why the topic is important and what defunding could look like in Santa Clara County. “With my nephew being executed while unarmed by a covert response unit with an AR-15 to the head, I asked myself, ‘Why...
Santa Clara County struggles to breathe life into mental health services for ex-inmates
Santa Clara County supervisors are vowing to save a critically underfunded mental health program that often is a last resort for hundreds of former inmates in need of medical help. Community Awaiting Placement Supervision (CAPS) helps place former Santa Clara County inmates into mental health treatment programs. They are ordered, upon release, to receive outpatient...