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A coordinated effort by hundreds of Santa Clara residents successfully killed a proposal to build interim housing for unhoused families. In a unanimous vote, the Santa Clara City Council rejected a proposal to build 60 units of transitional housing at 2035 White Oak Lane. Councilmembers directed city employees to search for alternative sites. The proposal...
Santa Clara residents want to reclaim their once vibrant downtown
Santa Clara residents want to rebuild their downtown after tearing it down more than 50 years ago. Members of Reclaiming Our Downtown, a Santa Clara grassroots group, has led the push to revitalize the once-bustling six-block downtown. They want to return the city’s downtown to its original street grid of mixed-use businesses in the downtown area...
Santa Clara councilmember criticizes neighboring lawmaker over homeless site
Backlash over a safe parking site in San Jose for the homeless has bled into a neighboring city. Santa Clara Councilmember Kathy Watanabe took to Nextdoor earlier this month to share an email she sent to San Jose Councilmember David Cohen. The email blasts a safe parking site at 71 Vista Montana for homeless people...
Santa Clara city attorney firing opens new relationship with 49ers
The firing of Santa Clara city attorney Brian Doyle leaves the city poised for major political changes, including bridging its divisive relationship with the San Francisco 49ers. The City Council ousted Doyle two weeks ago in a closed door meeting. Councilmembers did not explain why he was terminated but he was the subject of a monthslong...
UPDATE: Santa Clara lawmaker apologizes for comparing homeowners to toddlers
The Santa Clara City Council will not censure Councilmember Kevin Park over his comment comparing homeowners to toddlers after Park publicly apologized at a council meeting Tuesday. “I do understand the need for an apology. I will repeat the intent was not to offend, but that’s not what happened, which was that people were offended,”...
Santa Clara won’t divulge details about city attorney probe
Santa Clara has been investigating its city attorney for alleged misconduct for at least four months now—but the city won’t say how much the probe will cost, when it’ll be done or whether it will be released. Instead they are referring those questions to an outside law firm, which denied them on behalf of the...
Amid budget woes, Santa Clara spends big on city manager’s office
As cities across the Bay Area grapple with budget cuts and deficits spurred—or in some cases, worsened—by the pandemic, massive salaries in one South Bay city have drawn public scrutiny. In Santa Clara, salaries in the city manager’s office have topped the list for government worker pay in California. According to public records, City Manager...
Urban farm housing project moves forward in Santa Clara
An innovative housing project in Santa Clara that will feature a large urban farm will be ready to welcome tenants in 2023, officials announced Thursday. A first-of-it’s-kind project, Agrihood will span 5.8 acres of land and include 160 mixed-income apartments, 165 homes for low-income seniors and veterans and 36 townhomes. The complex located at N. Winchester Blvd across...
Bloom Energy sues Santa Clara over permits—for a second time
Bloom Energy filed suit against Santa Clara last week—marking the second time the San Jose-based energy company has sued the city to issue permits for its fuel cell boxes. “Climate change is rearing its ugly head,” Santa Clara Councilmember Suds Jain told San José Spotlight. “My main opposition to Bloom Energy is that their carbon footprint...
San Francisco 49ers won’t meet with city official after ‘tirade’ and threats
The San Francisco 49ers are refusing to meet with Santa Clara’s city attorney after his “wild” tirade during a recent meeting. The tense exchange—which unfolded over a recent Zoom call—ended with Santa Clara City Attorney Brian Doyle saying the team wanted him to “sleep with the fishes” and questioning the “thugs” team officials work for....