The new year will bring a bigger paycheck for those earning minimum wage in Silicon Valley. San Jose workers will see their hourly rate go from $15.45 to $16.20, while those in Mountain View and Sunnyvale will see theirs bump to $17.10 from $16.30—the highest minimum wage in the region. Once a national leader in increasing...
San Jose’s VTA, union draft potential agreement for wage increases
VTA and its largest union don’t often see eye to eye, but they have cautiously agreed to wage increases and a bonus for roughly 1,500 bus and light rail operators, mechanics and other workers. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 struck a tentative agreement with VTA on Dec. 22 to establish a 10% pay raise for ATU...
Santa Clara County requires COVID boosters for workers in high-risk settings
Some workers in Santa Clara County will soon need a COVID-19 booster shot in order to continue working in high-risk settings. Santa Clara County health officials announced a new, limited health order Tuesday that requires some employees to have a booster shot as a condition of employment. The mandate will effect all public and private employees...
COVID testing sites in Silicon Valley overwhelmed by demand
Amid increasing concerns over the transmissibility of the omicron variant, many Santa Clara County residents in the South Bay are scrambling to find free COVID-19 testing during the holidays. “We were told that there would be a surge during the holidays, and we’re definitely seeing that surge now since at least (last) Thursday,” Sherie Call,...
Santa Clara County property value grows despite COVID pandemic
When COVID-19 first emerged in early 2020, the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office braced for a repeat of the Great Recession, when property value plummeted. Instead, 2021 boomed in residential and commercial property sales, even with a pandemic hanging over the South Bay. The Santa Clara County assessment roll—which includes the value of all real estate...
The COVID pandemic still ranks as the No. 1 issue for Silicon Valley
As 2021 draws to a close, San Jose residents share their hopes for the coming year. Many want to see an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has negatively affected their health, work and travel. They also would like to see people treat each other with more kindness. Retiree Felice Lopiccolo said although vaccination levels...
San Jose’s VTA light rail trains are increasingly empty and slow
The VTA light rail system is much like the famed song “Rock Island Line”: if you want to ride it, you gotta ride it like you find it. Light rail riders find the commute to be clean, comfortable, easy to use, handicap accessible and on schedule. It can also be time-consumingly slow, with a cross-town...
Top ten Santa Clara County political stories of 2021
This year was a tumultuous one for Santa Clara County politics. Records revealed San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo hiding emails, Sheriff Laurie Smith is battling multiple political scandals and a prosecutor is simultaneously suing District Attorney Jeff Rosen and gunning for his job. Here’s a look at some major political developments that happened in Santa Clara...
FAA to investigate Santa Clara County leaded fuel ban at airports
The Federal Aviation Administration has started a formal investigation into Santa Clara County’s policy to ban the sale of leaded fuel at its airports starting Jan. 1. In a letter sent to the county on Thursday, the FAA said it will investigate to determine whether the policy is a violation of the United States Constitution and...
Memorial honors 250 homeless deaths in Santa Clara County
Kelly Tasker, a grandmother at the age of 44, battled homelessness for nearly a decade. Through the help of the Compassion Center in Gilroy, Tasker found her first permanent apartment that would have given her a chance to get help with her chronic illness and lift her partner off the streets. But for Tasker, along...