Local engineer and teacher Kevin Park is the latest candidate running for a seat on the Santa Clara City Council. Living in Santa Clara for the last 20 years, he said he’s prepared to tackle difficult finance and housing issues, especially amid the ongoing pandemic, but he also wants to help realize a new downtown...
Santa Clara extends agreement for student and workforce housing project
The Santa Clara City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a third extension for an exclusive negotiation agreement through next year with Santa Clara Station, the controversial proposed student and workforce mixed-use housing development near the city’s Caltrain hub. Located at 500 Benton Street – across from Santa Clara University and Santa Clara Police Department – the proposed seven-story,...
Santa Clara mayor’s company earned six-figures off teacher housing fees
It’s been 114 days since high school biology teacher Goldie Malone last saw her students. Luckily, the Santa Clara biology teacher at New Valley High School stays connected with other educators living at Casa del Maestro, an affordable housing complex dedicated solely to Santa Clara Unified School District teachers. But as rents continue to increase...
UPDATE: Santa Clara council approves Gateway Crossings hotel delay, affordable housing increase
Santa Clara elected leaders Tuesday unanimously approved delaying plans for a massive hotel and requiring more affordable housing on the Gateway Crossings project, a plan approved nearly a year ago. Located along Coleman Avenue near the city’s Caltrain station and an anticipated South Bay BART extension, construction of a 225-room hotel within the 24.4-acre mixed-use...
Santa Clara: State of the City highlighted COVID-19 deficits, accomplishments
Santa Clara faces rough waters as it contends with budgetary shortfalls, continued development and policing reforms, the mayor said in a recent State of the City speech. As the Mission City adapts to the growing economic toll of COVID-19 during shutdowns and rising number of cases nationally, Mayor Lisa Gillmor and city staffers spent nearly...
Santa Clara: Retired CHP lieutenant Bob O’Keefe running for City Council
Retired lieutenant Robert “Bob” O’Keefe hopes he can continue to serve and protect the people of Santa Clara — this time from a seat on the City Council. Born and raised in the Mission City, the 60-year-old retired California Highway Patrol lieutenant has joined the race for the District 5 seat, which was vacated by...
Santa Clara policy denies gay commissioner a role in Pride flag raising
As members of the Santa Clara City Council raise the LGBTQ Pride flag at City Hall Friday morning, a 25-year-old city policy denied a gay commissioner from standing in as a last-minute replacement. When Vice Mayor Karen Hardy, a math and computer science teacher at Wilcox High School, recently learned that she had the opportunity...
Community leader Harbir Kaur Bhatia running for Santa Clara City Council
Longtime civic entrepreneur and organizer Harbir Kaur Bhatia threw her name into the ring for Santa Clara City Council Tuesday. Running for the District 1 seat held by Councilmember Kathy Watanabe, she said her background in grassroots organizing would be an asset at City Hall. Bhatia said she’d push for a better quality of life, more diverse voices...
San Jose imposes a curfew, hundreds protest George Floyd death for third day
As protests erupted for the third day in downtown San Jose on Sunday over the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Minneapolis man, city leaders imposed an 8:30 p.m. curfew beginning Sunday. “This police department wants peace, wants to continue to have dialogue with this community (and) doesn’t want any community member harmed,” said...
Santa Clara: Suds Jain begins campaign for District 5 City Council seat
Suds Jain is a familiar face at Santa Clara City Hall, but now the retired engineer, high school robotics coach and city Planning Commissioner has filed paperwork to run for the City Council, with hopes of filling the District 5 seat vacated by Patricia Mahan in February. Mahan resigned in February due to medical reasons. Jain unsuccessfully...