Santa Clara County and state leaders are gearing up for legal battle to block a planned ICE facility in South County. The lawsuit filed last month by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and county officials argues the federal government has illegally bypassed environmental laws, local zoning rules and other statutes in advancing the project just east...
South County rodeo celebrates the region’s agricultural heritage
A nearly 100-year-old South County tradition is making its annual return with a cowboy nod — and the buzz is growing. The Gilroy Rodeo is set for Aug. 7-9 and showcases the community’s cultural history while drawing people from all over the state and as far away as Europe, Australia, Mexico, Washington, Arizona and Colorado....
Work at South County ICE facility temporarily paused
Federal authorities have agreed to temporarily pause construction work on the apparent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility taking shape in South County. The delay is the product of a procedural agreement struck in the lawsuit brought last month by Santa Clara County and California to block the project. Under the agreement, filed Monday...
Con Azucar Cafe expands into South County
In less than a handful of years, a concept to spread Mexican culture and its traditions by way of a San Jose cafe has blossomed into an ever-growing franchise of stores, with Gilroy among the latest cities to embrace the model in its historic downtown. Con Azucar Cafe co-owners Alejandra Gonzalez, her husband Uriel Soto...
South County cities pass on joining ICE facility lawsuit
Advocates campaigning against a planned ICE facility in South County are expressing disappointment after two nearby cities decided not to throw their support behind a lawsuit challenging the project. Multiple city and county governments across the Bay Area and beyond have signed onto an amicus brief in support of the case filed last month by Santa...
South County families create their own livestock fair
Santa Clara County fairgrounds leaders caused an uproar this year for pushing the annual fair date to keep vendors happy and – as a consequence – some youth farmers out of contention for junior livestock shows. The parents’ response: Fine, we’ll organize our own. Preparations for an alternative fair are now underway among farmers in...
Blueprints confirm ICE involvement in South County facility
Detailed blueprints show an ICE office with detention and processing space is planned in South Santa Clara County. The 111-page document obtained by this news outlet, dated Sept. 17, 2025, illustrates a future U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility with detention areas, detainee processing areas, interview and holding rooms, spaces for mothers with infants,...
Santa Clara County officials denounce proposed detention center
Community leaders rallied at the seat of Santa Clara County government Thursday with a flurry of signs and one promise: No federal detention center will be built near Gilroy without a fight. It comes after San José Spotlight first reported on public records indicating a real estate firm in Beverly Hills — which has been...
Federal detention center planned in South County
Public records suggest the federal government plans to build a detention center in Santa Clara County, just 11 miles south of an ICE field office in Morgan Hill. The potential facility would be located at 7240 Holsclaw Road, an unincorporated area right outside Gilroy’s boundaries. Federal procurement records show the General Services Administration, which handles...
Gilroy case ruling strengthens California public records law
Cities will be held accountable when they withhold or destroy pertinent information during a public records request, as a result of a landmark California Supreme Court decision. In City of Gilroy v. Superior Court, the California Supreme Court on Jan. 15 unanimously ruled that governments must be held accountable even when records no longer exist...
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