Michael Sandvig was one of the first employees hired at the Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in The Pruneyard nearly three decades ago. As a bartender, he’s seen the Campbell staple change and grow into a beloved watering hole — some of his favorite memories include firefighters dropped into dunk tanks at fundraisers for the...
Cupertino dashboard tracks traffic collisions
One West Valley city is dissecting data to improve traffic safety. Cupertino recently released a public dashboard charting 1,950 traffic collisions between 2018 and 2024, compiling data from the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System. The data reveals that within about six years, collisions resulted in 47 severe injuries and 10 fatalities primarily along the...
Return of Campbell summer concerts a boon for businesses
Campbell is ready to groove again after one of the region’s largest free summer concert events was canceled last year. The annual Campbell summer concert series is returning this year after downtown construction led to a yearlong hiatus, and the city is anticipating the economic windfall. The free concert series, featuring live music from local...
Apple rescues Cupertino’s transit project
A significant West Valley interstate project was about to be abandoned. Then a tech giant stepped in with millions of dollars. Cupertino, in collaboration with VTA and Caltrans, can move forward with the Interstate 280 and Wolfe Road interchange improvement project thanks to a roughly $4 million donation from Apple to bridge the remaining funding gap....
Lawsuit ties up millions of dollars in Campbell revenue
An anti-tax group is fighting to end Campbell’s sales tax hike, tying it up in the courts and putting the city in a multimillion-dollar bind. The Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association, along with Campbell resident David Wolen, is suing Campbell over Measure K, a half-cent sales tax hike. The measure raises the sales tax to 9.875%,...
Cupertino all-inclusive playground welcomes everyone
Cupertino resident Alicia Schober got teary-eyed at the opening of a new, all-inclusive playground at Jollyman Park earlier this month. It would have provided another outlet for her son’s sensory needs if it had been available when he was growing up. As soon as the playground’s gate opened on June 13, children, adults and older...
Can new highway lanes end Los Gatos’ beach traffic nightmare?
A long-awaited project to alleviate Los Gatos beach traffic has received funding — but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the money needed to address bumper-to-bumper gridlock on summer weekends. The VTA board of directors has allocated $11.3 million for the State Route 17 Corridor Congestion Relief Project as part of its budgets for...
Los Gatos balances budget but projects future shortfall
Los Gatos has managed to balance its budget despite a multimillion-dollar deficit by cutting funding for programs and services, ranging from library resources to legal fees. But it might not be smooth sailing for long. The Los Gatos Town Council unanimously approved a fiscally sound budget for fiscal year 2025-26 June 3 after facing a...
Cupertino city manager steps down as part of settlement
Cupertino is in the market for a new leader after settling with its city manager. The Cupertino City Council voted 4-1 in closed session June 3 to settle with City Manager Pamela Wu, who was placed on paid leave last month. Vice Mayor Kitty Moore voted no. Wu stepped down as part of the settlement...
Los Gatos group proposes new community center
A West Valley town doesn’t have a central community hub. One local group is trying to fix that. The Los Gatos Thrives Foundation, a nonprofit focused on helping older adults, recently unveiled conceptual designs of a potential new community center. The designs signal the start of plans to build a multigenerational community center in a town that’s been...