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Silicon Valley 2024 general election guide

Silicon Valley voters this November will cast ballots in one of the region’s most consequential elections: From deciding who to send to Washington to a historic county supervisorial election, there is no shortage of major decisions up and down the ballot.

San Jose mayor sees ADUs as housing crisis quick fix

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said the Los Angeles wildfires created a rare opportunity for the state to build tens of thousands of new homes for displaced residents while simultaneously tackling the housing crisis. Mahan made his proposal to the state housing and community development department in an opinion piece published last week where he advocated...

City looks to slow down cars in push to end road fatalities

Street closures, lower speed limits and designated “school zones” with car restrictions during drop-off times are among the measures that make up Palo Alto’s new plan to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries. These programs, and dozens of others, are included in the draft Safe Streets 4 All Safety Action Plan, a 173-page document that...

Santa Clara swim center closure ripples through community

Santa Clara’s George F. Haines International Swim Center has been closed for more than a year, leaving the city’s aquatics community and legacy foundering. The city closed the swim center in January 2024, citing structural safety issues after years of neglect. The renovations are so extensive that the complex needs to be completely overhauled, city...

Ex-Silicon Valley education leader splurged on staffing

A top Silicon Valley education leader had five highly-paid admins and assistants working for her — with some making nearly $200,000 each a year in public dollars meant to serve the county’s most vulnerable students. An analysis by San José Spotlight revealed an office studded with six-figure salaried assistants, strategy managers and a “senior administrator...

Silicon Valley water agency flops on outreach ahead of sweeps

Santa Clara County’s largest water agency has begun banning homeless encampments on its property, reversing a commitment to let nonprofits and advocates do outreach prior to enforcing its new policy. Although Valley Water planned to start training nonprofit groups to provide information to homeless residents prior to enforcing an encampment ban on Jan. 2, that hasn’t...

Los Gatos senior housing development back on track

An older adult community in Los Gatos is on its way toward a major overhaul, providing what officials said are much-needed homes. The Los Gatos Town Council unanimously approved the Los Gatos Meadows development Tuesday, a 209-home, multi-story project dedicated for older adults at 110 Wood Road. Councilmember Maria Ristow recused herself from the vote...

Campbell office park could flip into large housing development

Campbell’s Technology Parkway could become home to one of the city’s largest developments in recent years. The Campbell Planning Commission initiated the community feedback process Jan. 28 for a proposed 290-home development located between 635 and 695 Campbell Technology Parkway. Campbell-based Bay West Development submitted the site’s plans in 2023, including 27 single-family homes and...

Philbrick: Transit is crucial for emergency preparedness

Dozens of San Jose firefighters have headed south to help contain the wildfires raging across Los Angeles County, while San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has called on local officials to evaluate efforts to protect our city from a similar disaster. As climate-driven events like wildfires, floods and earthquakes grow more frequent and severe and hit...

Mountain View strengthens rent control protections for mobile homes

Mountain View’s mobile home park tenants scored a big win Tuesday evening, following a yearslong effort to get the city to offer more rent control protections and cap annual rent increases below the rate of inflation. In a split 4-3 vote, the City Council approved limiting rent increases to 60% of the Consumer Price Index, with a...