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Despite Santa Clara County officials describing lead exposure from Reid-Hillview Airport as a decades-long health crisis, a county-commissioned study shows elevated blood lead levels consistent with the state average. The report, released last week, found that out of 17,000 blood samples from children ages 0-18 within 1.5 miles of the airport, only 1.7% have elevated lead levels...
Study: San Jose children near Reid-Hillview Airport exposed to high lead levels
Lead levels at the Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose are dangerously high for children in the surrounding area, according to a report issued by the county. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors commissioned the lead study in 2020 using 17,000 blood samples collected between 2011 and 2020 from children living near the airport....
Santa Clara County to receive Reid-Hillview Airport toxicity report
Santa Clara County has started the process to close Reid-Hillview Airport, but its future—and the supposed danger of lead exposure to surrounding residents—hangs on an upcoming health survey. The survey, conducted by the county, will be released to the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 17, according to county officials. It will examine whether residents in Reid-Hillview’s flight path—the Latino-heavy...
San Jose students survey residents on Reid-Hillview Airport closure
When Yajaira Gutierrez first heard of a widespread survey about the potential closure of Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose, she was surprised by what it found. “I thought the results were really alarming,” Gutierrez told San José Spotlight. “It didn’t make sense to me that the community would rather keep that airport open than shut...
Silicon Valley advocates of Reid-Hillview Airport closure face opposition
Disagreements over the danger lead airplane fuel poses to East San Jose neighborhoods came to a head at a virtual forum about the closure of Reid-Hillview Airport. The Silicon Valley chapter of environmental justice organization Mothers Out Front invited Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez to its monthly meeting Wednesday for a presentation detailing the...
San Jose Legends: East Side matriarch Blanca Alvarado fights on for justice
Editor’s Note: San Jose Legends is a new monthly series that tells the remarkable stories of the historic and legendary people who have helped shape and transform our city. When life gives Blanca Alvarado lemons, La Madrina — the godmother — of East San Jose, zests them for cake. While harvesting lemons from her backyard...
Survey finds opposition to high-density zoning in San Jose but critics say poll is flawed
Roughly half of San Jose residents surveyed in a new poll oppose an initiative to boost the number of homes allowed in single-family neighborhoods. According to initial survey results, 48% of San Jose residents are opposed to Opportunity Housing, while 24% of residents support the initiative. Roughly a quarter of residents polled said they need...
San Jose survey reignites contentious debate on planned closure of Reid-Hillview Airport
A new San Jose survey has revealed stark division among residents about the closure of Reid-Hillview Airport — just ahead of a forthcoming study on lead levels of residents who live beneath the flight path of airplanes. “Everyone tries to make data-driven decisions when possible,” said Juan Estrada, founder of the community organization District 5 United....
Santa Clara County moves forward with airport closure, plans to repurpose land
Santa Clara County is moving forward with closing the Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose, county lawmakers decided Tuesday after hundreds of pleas from the community to use the land for affordable housing and other community needs. The supervisors voted 4-1 to begin preparing for a potential airport closure and begin the planning process for...
Future of San Jose’s Reid-Hillview airport back on the drawing board next week
The long-simmering debate over closing Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose and replacing it with a neighborhood development is expected to heat up again next week as Santa Clara County supervisors consider potential uses for the land. The Reid-Hillview airport, built more than 80 years ago, occupies nearly 200 acres that advocates say could be...