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.
Santa Clara County sheriff’s office struggles to probe misconduct
A new report from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s oversight office said the county is lagging on internal affairs investigations into deputy misconduct. Over the course of 2024, the Sheriff’s Office of deputy misconduct investigations were routinely completed just days or weeks before the one-year statute of limitations had expired, according to the June 17...
Scozzola: Santa Clara VTA frontline workers need better safety standards
I walked the picket lines a few months ago speaking to VTA drivers on strike. These proud members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 had overwhelmingly voted in favor of going on strike, but the impression I got was they were not eager to do so. They felt compelled to strike after many of...
Santa Clara County struggles to stop homelessness
As Santa Clara County starts to plan what the next five years of tackling homelessness will look like, officials have reviewed the past five years — what worked and what continues to be a challenge. The county connected 17,485 homeless individuals to permanent housing as of 2024, and is on track and may even exceed...
Silicon Valley officials rally to defend immigrants from ICE
San Jose resident Adilene Alvarez never expected her husband to be grabbed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while driving their two young children to day care in April. She never expected him to be held in the Bakersfield Federal Detention Center or to be threatened by federal agents that her children would be...
Santa Clara County revisits building a new jail
After wobbling on the idea for years, Santa Clara County leaders are struggling with how big the new jail should be when the incarcerated population has starkly declined since the pandemic. But they’re certain something will rise from the ground — even as they’re strapped for cash. The county has started gathering community input on...
San Jose nonprofits threatened by federal funding cuts
Santa Clara County nonprofits serving the region’s vulnerable residents are facing funding cuts coming down from the Trump administration. Among proposed cuts is the planned elimination of the $3.3 billion Community Development Block Grant program tied to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. San Jose distributes millions of dollars annually through the program...
The Biz Beat: Mommy’s Bánh Mì in San Jose knows best
The seeds for Mommy’s Bánh Mì in San Jose were sown when owner Curtis Lai joked to his mother — who was obsessively pursuing the perfect Vietnamese sandwich — she was making so many she should sell them. Little did he know she would take him at his word. “She was always saying, ‘Try this,...
Hundreds of affordable homes proposed for North San Jose
A proposal for 780 affordable homes next to Topgolf in North San Jose could be the city’s largest rent-restricted housing complex. The San Jose Planning Commission held a public hearing Wednesday for Alviso neighborhood residents living near a proposed 100% affordable housing project by developer Cloud Apartments at 7 Topgolf Drive. Housing advocates with organizations...
Silicon Valley BART project gets millions in funding, but still short
VTA is finding ways to patch the Silicon Valley BART expansion’s nearly $1 billion budget gap, from extra state funding to restructuring expensive contracts. The California Transportation Commission awarded two grants to the BART expansion project on Thursday and Friday, totaling about $100 million. At the same time, the VTA board of directors has approved...
Sunnyvale hires one of its own as new public safety chief
Sunnyvale has hired a new chief for its integrated Department of Public Safety. After a nationwide search, City Manager Tim Kirby appointed Daniel Pistor, the department’s deputy chief of fire services, after former Chief Phan Ngo retired in April. Pistor started his new assignment June 22 and is charged with overseeing the city’s integrated Department...