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...
Silicon Valley Latino leader dies at 90
Alcario Castellano, the grocery-clerk-turned-lottery-winner who used his fortune to reignite Silicon Valley’s communities of color, died Saturday at his home in Saratoga. He was 90. What began as a $141 million California Lottery jackpot in 2001 became, in time, a modern parable. A wave of excitement that fateful day between Castellano and his wife, Carmen,...
San Jose lawmaker withdraws bill to lower state rent caps
Politically-active landlords are coordinating a campaign to stop a proposal from California lawmakers to slash yearly rent control caps — and it appears to have worked. While Assemblymember Ash Kalra successfully advocated for his “Affordable Rent Act” proposal Thursday at the state Housing and Community Development Committee, further discussions with the Judiciary Committee led Kalra...
Los Gatos group collaborates on reducing wildfire risk
One group is clearing hundreds of forestland acreage in one of the largest wildfire risk reduction projects in Santa Clara County. The Los Gatos Creek Watershed Collaboration began testing tools to clear brush and restore the forest’s ecosystem on 155 acres along Montevina Road a little more than a week ago. The effort is part...
Here are the top two contenders in San Jose’s special election
Two candidates are headed to a June runoff election to decide who will represent downtown District 3 on the San Jose City Council — and Mayor Matt Mahan’s pick has been shut out. Santa Clara County elections officials certified results from the April 8 special election this afternoon, with Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley Executive...