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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....
Santa Clara’s latest fight: Lawmakers turning on a Zoom camera
Santa Clara councilmembers have a new battle on their hands: Whether officials should have their video cameras on during online public meetings. The argument stemmed from a petition by San Jose resident and Santa Clara business owner Kirk Vartan, who asked the council to discuss adopting an on-screen requirement at the next City Council meeting....
Santa Clara settles in district election case
Santa Clara’s fight to reinstate at-large council elections is over, ending a battle by five plaintiffs who accused the city of shutting out voters of color. Santa Clara reached a settlement of $712,500 Tuesday night with five Asian Americans who filed a suit in 2017, alleging that the city’s at-large council system violated the California...
Asian lawmaker in Santa Clara gets snubbed at anti-Asian hate event — by his colleague
At an event dedicated to stopping hate and violence against the Asian community put on by Santa Clara Councilmember Kathy Watanabe, Korean-American Councilmember Kevin Park was denied a chance to speak. The event, held at the Santa Clara Northside Library, was titled “#StopAsianHate” and run by Watanabe and Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor. Speakers included...
Santa Clara police union in hot water over its donation ask
In a move that seems straight out of a mafia playbook, the union representing Santa Clara’s police officers solicited donations from businesses in exchange for police department support. In its “2021 Business Supporter” flyer, sent to local retailers, the Santa Clara Police Officers’ Association said, “Place our decal in your window, and we will direct...
San Francisco 49ers consult medical experts to bring fans back to Levi’s Stadium
The San Francisco 49ers launched a medical advisory team aimed at reopening Levi’s Stadium to fans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team says the committee, made up of several prominent Bay Area health officials, will make safety recommendations that will allow for the return of fans to Levi’s Stadium. While the committee’s findings are right...
Will a $300K consultant fix Santa Clara’s tourism woes?
Santa Clara is mulling whether to pay a consultant $300,000 to create a tourism strategy for the city, a move scrutinized by several city councilmembers given the city’s questionable history of hiring expensive consultants. “It’s starting to look more like wasteful spending,” said Santa Clara Councilmember Anthony Becker. “I’d rather see available funds spent on...