A new lawsuit by local advocacy groups alleges San Jose’s use of data collected by automated license plate readers deployed around town violates drivers’ privacy rights The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court, takes aim at the city’s practice of allowing the San Jose Police Department to search a vast database of license...
East San Jose small businesses struggle amid VTA construction
Capitol Expressway has turned into a traffic nightmare near the light rail connector expansion — and local businesses are looking to transportation officials for relief. San Jose business owners say construction from VTA’s Eastridge to BART Regional Connector has been driving customers away, with intermittent lane closures, redirected traffic, blocked driveways and construction debris along...
Bay Area transit sales tax measure clears state hurdle
Advocates are gearing up for a regional outreach effort now that the door is open for a Bay Area public transit funding measure on the November 2026 ballot. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 63, also known as the Connect Bay Area Transit Act, on Oct. 13 — clearing the way for a voter initiative...
Silicon Valley transit agency picks single tunnel for BART extension
Silicon Valley transit officials are moving forward with plans to dig a single tunnel and close their BART extension funding woes. The strategy is steeped with risk. After a fallout with the main contractor and scathing rebukes from BART officials, the VTA board of directors voted 8-1-3 to lock in on a new set of...
Feds to withhold $40M from California for not enforcing trucker English
By Josh Funk, AP Transportation Writer Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday he will withhold $40 million from California because it is the only state that is failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers. An investigation launched after a deadly Florida crash involving a foreign truck driver who made an illegal U-turn on Aug....
San Jose airport refuses to play Homeland Security video
San Jose is choosing not to allow partisan attacks in its airport amid an ongoing federal government shutdown. San Jose Mineta International airport isn’t airing a video of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for operational delays during the federal shutdown due to its political content. Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento and Stockton have also chosen to...
Cupertino could limit Bicycle Pedestrian Commission powers
The power of Cupertino’s Bicycle Pedestrian Commission is up in the air, leaving transit advocates worried about safety. The City Council on Tuesday will decide how much oversight should be given to those commissioners. Councilmembers will review four options, including splitting the commission’s responsibilities with the Planning Commission or expanding the planning commission’s role to...
Newsom says $750M in Bay Area public transit loans will be available
Gov. Gavin Newsom said earlier this month that $750 million in state loans to Bay Area transit agencies will be finalized before the end of the legislative session, after a deal reached in June to create the funding looked to be breaking down. BART, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit and Caltrain were...
Spirit Airlines departs from San Jose airport
One of the most affordable airlines in the skies is departing from San Jose’s airport for good. Spirit Airlines, known for its bright yellow planes and cheap airfare, will cease all service to and from San Jose Mineta International Airport after filing for bankruptcy for the second time in a year. Service ends Oct. 5,...
Sunnyvale councilmember injured in bike collision
A Sunnyvale official’s recent bicycle accident is reigniting concerns about traffic safety. Sunnyvale Councilmember Richard Mehlinger was hit by a car while riding his bike on California Avenue Aug. 30, breaking his left thumb and right wrist. Mehlinger, a staunch traffic safety advocate, said the incident shows the necessity and urgency of installing safety infrastructure. “There wasn’t a bike...