The West Valley has scarce resources for the hundreds of homeless residents living on its streets. That may change as elected leaders consider adding its first shelter. All five West Valley municipalities — Cupertino, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Campbell and Los Gatos — recently approved a homeless shelter feasibility study conducted by Good City Company. The...
San Jose District 3 special election heads to recount
Santa Clara County elections appear to be cursed — they can’t seem to avoid recounts for too-close-to-call races. The special election to replace the disgraced former District 3 San Jose councilmember Omar Torres is headed for a recount on April 24. The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters will only have four days to certify...
Santa Clara County emergency housing vouchers in jeopardy
Santa Clara County officials are bracing for more cuts to their housing voucher programs, which subsidizes rent for low-income individuals. Last month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) informed the county that Emergency Housing Vouchers were expiring. This pandemic-era program, which began in 2021 through a $5 billion lump sum approved by...
Silicon Valley college district first to provide free meals
Leilany Huerta-Hernandez remembers her throbbing headaches in the late afternoons because she couldn’t afford to purchase food as a West Valley College student. Her hunger was ever-present, but she felt ashamed to ask for help. Students like Huerta-Hernandez will soon be able to cross this one worry off their list. West Valley-Mission Community College District...
VTA finalizes contracts with three unions, excludes frontline workers
Three of VTA’s four unions ratified new contracts for the next four years, leaving the transit agency’s frontline workers hanging. Service Employees International Union Local 521, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 1101 and Transportation Authority Engineers and Architects Local 21, which represent about 575 workers combined, reached agreements with VTA as...
Paperwork jams up Santa Clara County jail releases
Silicon Valley is known for technological innovation, but its jails are running on paper — and it’s fueling a public safety crisis. Santa Clara County is leading Bay Area counties in late-night jail releases due to an outdated paper-based processing system, according to a March report from the Sheriff’s Office. This poses myriad problems because...
Santa Clara County Office of Education appoints new superintendent
The Santa Clara County Office of Education’s embattled elected board has found a new superintendent. Board of Education Trustees appointed David M. Toston on Wednesday after five months of political instability and division following the controversial firing of former superintendent Mary Ann Dewan in October. He will begin his new role May 1. Toston was...
Long-planned Santa Clara development still in limbo
Developer Related Companies recently finished two apartment buildings in Santa Clara totaling about 5.5 acres, but its 240-acre mixed-use project designed to change the city’s landscape has been stalled for years. Officials from Related Companies and Santa Clara celebrated the opening of The Clara and Ellore last week — two high-rises that will bring 508...
San Jose Downtown Farmers’ Market returns
The San Jose Downtown Farmers’ Market is returning after a three-year hiatus, with vendors planning to sell fresh corn, tomatoes, citrus fruit and more delights on Wednesdays near the Hammer Theatre. Paolo Obillo, manager and site operator of the Regional Farmers’ Market Association, said the original Downtown Farmers’ Market was put on pause in 2022...
Data center, hundreds of homes coming to downtown San Jose
Two major housing developments in San Jose are the first to be approved as part of Mayor Matt Mahan’s latest initiative to expedite projects that provide “extraordinary benefits” to the city. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously April 8 to accept proposals from Canada-based real estate company Westbank to develop 1,492 homes across two...