Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen has coasted to reelection in all of his races. But progressive public defender Sajid Khan—after months of speculation and criticizing Rosen’s approach to prosecution—will be Rosen’s first challenger. Khan, 38, announced Sunday he’s running for district attorney, marking Rosen’s first opponent since elected in 2010. “The time for transformation...
Santa Clara County DA accused of retaliating against deputy
A deputy district attorney in Santa Clara County claims his office retaliated against him by issuing “unprecedented” security notices after being placed on indefinite leave. San José Spotlight on Thursday published an op-ed by Daniel Chung, a deputy DA who said the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office put him on paid administrative leave after he...
Silicon Valley pedals closer to region’s first bicycle superhighway
Santa Clara County is planning the region’s first bike superhighway—but a route still needs to be selected. “I don’t see a bicycle superhighway going down El Camino,” Erik Lindskog, a member of VTA’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, said at Wednesday’s meeting. “I think a bicycle superhighway needs to be a little more separate from...
VTA light rail is coming back to San Jose
Light rail commuters in San Jose might soon be able to catch a train again after service came to a halt in late May, according to a timeline released Thursday by VTA. The timeline includes six phases, with a goal to resume light rail service by the end of July. The update came after weeks...
Santa Clara County revises total COVID deaths by over 20%
Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 death toll dropped by 22% this month. That’s not a mistake—last Friday, county health officials announced a narrower criteria for deaths attributable to COVID-19, which excluded about 500 fatalities previously attributed to the disease. A similar change took place in neighboring Alameda County last month, when officials updated their COVID-19 death definitions....
Dam project leaves Santa Clara County’s largest drinking water source dry
A new earthquake retrofit project will render Santa Clara County’s largest drinking water source out of service for the next decade. Amid a massive drought that’s forced local officials to impose 15% water use reductions, the Santa Clara Valley Water District held a ceremonial groundbreaking on its latest project Wednesday—a large outlet tunnel at Anderson Dam in...
Pop star inspires Silicon Valley lawmaker’s conservatorship reform
A Silicon Valley lawmaker is vowing to continue his fight for conservatorship reform after pop icon Britney Spears recently slammed California for allegedly failing to protect her from abuse and exploitation. “We need to close loopholes and create accountability and transparency,” state Assemblyman Evan Low said in a statement. “I will continue to fight for...
Santa Clara County to receive Reid-Hillview Airport toxicity report
Santa Clara County has started the process to close Reid-Hillview Airport, but its future—and the supposed danger of lead exposure to surrounding residents—hangs on an upcoming health survey. The survey, conducted by the county, will be released to the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 17, according to county officials. It will examine whether residents in Reid-Hillview’s flight path—the Latino-heavy...
San Jose residents defy orders, light fireworks
San Jose residents lit up the night sky on Independence Day, ignoring weeks of pleas and threats from city and county officials to not set off illegal fireworks. The full scope of the evening’s explosive festival is not available yet, but the first batch of data is a mixed bag. The San Jose Fire Department...
South Bay government agencies won’t mandate vaccines
Unlike their counterparts in San Francisco, Santa Clara County government employees won’t be required to get COVID-19 shots any time soon. Last month, San Francisco announced all 35,000-plus city workers will be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine once one is fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “The city and county of San...