The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office is reporting a slight downtick in uses of force last year — yet deputies sent more people to the hospital. The annual use of force report shows total incidents, such as deputies punching people or using batons, pepper spray and flash bangs, decreased from 627 in 2023 to 621...
Santa Clara County education layoffs unfounded, state lawmakers say
A handful of state lawmakers and Silicon Valley leaders are calling on the Santa Clara County Office of Education to reverse the layoffs of hundreds of teachers serving low-income preschoolers, migrants and special education students. The Monday letter — signed by state Sen. Dave Cortese and Assemblymembers Ash Kalra and Patrick Ahrens — questions the layoffs...
Mallon: How the VTA strike affected people who rely on public transit
The 17-day VTA union worker strike in March stopped Santa Clara County’s bus and light rail system for the first time in decades. I primarily rely on VTA to get to work and everywhere else I need to go. When the sudden disruption hit, my simple commute turned into, at times, an 11-mile walk. Instead...
UPDATE: San Jose transit agency mulls over regional sales tax
At a VTA board meeting Thursday night, chaos and confusion reigned with directors unable to decide on an approach to a proposed transit tax measure. The VTA board heard a presentation on Senate Bill 63, which would create a sales tax district to support transit across the Bay Area. However, boardmembers couldn’t agree on whether...
Santa Clara County probation vans bring services to homeless residents
Santa Clara County wants to help homeless people on probation avoid extra jail time by bringing legal services to encampments. People on probation are required to attend regular meetings with a probation officer and court hearings. But for homeless people who lack transportation, making these appointments becomes an obstacle, which can lead to longer probation periods...
San Jose business owner loses property for BART expansion
Sridhar Kollareddy walks between thousands of imported marbled granite slabs, slated to become countertops or gravestones. His business, Silicon Valley Granite, has sold the slabs across the Bay Area for 20 years from his San Jose facility. But now, he’s being forced to vacate the property in less than 72 hours to make way for...
San Jose hockey arenas to get security upgrades
San Jose’s premier hockey arenas are receiving security upgrades to improve fan safety as attendance steadily increases. The City Council unanimously approved $1 million in improvements Tuesday for SAP Center and Sharks Ice at San Jose — including vehicle barriers and access controls, as well as key card access and detection systems. Of the $1 million being allocated from the...
Will self-driving taxis come to West Valley?
Self-driving cars could hit the West Valley’s small, suburban streets as one company tries to expand its footprint outside big cities. Waymo submitted a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission last month seeking approval for its updated passenger safety plan — a move that could bring self-driving cars to Los Gatos, Cupertino and Campbell....
Lawmakers eye federal fix for California’s slow vote counting
The final makeup of the 119th Congress was not settled until a month after the 2024 election as California worked to tabulate and certify its results. Representatives from both sides of the aisle say that was a problem, and some are pushing for Congress to intervene. “Everyone has experienced the heartache of seeing their candidate...
San Jose Latino businesses say ICE reports scaring customers
Immigrant-owned businesses in East San Jose have suffered huge losses in revenue and foot traffic since reports of federal ICE officers went viral earlier this year. Fear swept through the undocumented immigrant community in San Jose after the Target store on Story Road became the location of an isolated Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in January. While...