In the wake of multiple staff vacancies, Mountain View is setting up a new division within its public works department to address a backlog of transportation and street improvement projects. Public Works Director Jennifer Ng presented the plan for the new transportation division to the City Council earlier this month, as part of an update...
Cupertino applies plastic bag ban to more than grocery stores
Cupertino businesses and shoppers are adjusting to a future without plastic checkout bags but many said the alternatives don’t always work as well. Samiullah Memon, owner of Oakmont Sandwiches and Coffee, said adapting to Cupertino’s evolving rules has been both costly and confusing, particularly as guidance around acceptable materials has changed over time. “At first...
Santa Clara County public defenders crushed by caseloads
Santa Clara County public defenders have become a model for getting poor people out of jail before their trials. But their caseloads have exceeded national standards by staggering percentages and upcoming budget talks have the ability to plug an ongoing drain of attorneys. The county has lost 33 public defenders – who are constitutionally mandated...
San Jose to name new park in honor of Chinese American pioneer
San Jose’s newest park will bear the name of a pioneering Chinese American business leader. Councilmembers unanimously approved a plan Tuesday to transform an undeveloped 1.2-acre parcel of land in southwest San Jose into a new park, named in honor of the late Bill Kee, who led a fight in the 1940s to preserve San Jose’s...
Palo Alto looks to rezoning to limit impacts of state bill
Concerned about a new housing law that encourages development near transit areas, Palo Alto is considering numerous zoning changes that would blunt the impacts of the new legislation in neighborhoods like Old Palo Alto and Greenmeadow, which are dominated by single-family homes. Palo Alto officials are looking to minimize the impacts of Senate Bill 79, a...
Santa Clara County looks to fund Latino ‘health promoters’
Latino community health workers in Santa Clara County, known as promotores de salud or “health promoters,” have for years knocked on doors that others couldn’t. Now the county needs them again — and has plans to make them a permanent part of the region’s public health system. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously...
Cupertino college considers swapping its synthetic turf fields
Plans to upgrade the athletic fields at De Anza College in Cupertino are raising concerns from students and residents about what material should be used. The school’s aging artificial turf fields must be replaced because they’re nearing the end of their lifespan — and college officials need to chose between synthetic turf or natural grass....
UPDATE: San Jose police overtime hit $72M in 2025, audit shows
Despite years of effort to rein in spending on police overtime and reduce 9-1-1 call response times, San Jose continues to struggle on both fronts, according to a new report from the City Auditor’s Office. The report, which went before the City Council Tuesday, shows San Jose spent $72 million on police overtime between June...
Mountain View homes without drinkable water after breach
Since last Friday, Mountain View resident Mark Tashima has been told by city officials that he can’t drink or otherwise use the tap water in his home in the Cuesta Park neighborhood. That puts him in the same boat as about 65 other nearby households. On April 24, a city contractor breached a water main at the...