Madison Nguyen, wearing black athletic pants and tennis shoes, walks with her 12-year-old daughter Olivia Tran in scorching 93-degree heat, canvassing an East San Jose neighborhood across from Story Road. They coordinate reading out house numbers, before her daughter jogs down the street to convince residents to vote for her mom as the next Santa...
Dewan: Pathways to careers in early childhood education
As early learning program options continue to expand to meet the needs of families, Santa Clara County will need more child care providers, teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals and wellness staff to serve our county’s youngest learners. Within Santa Clara County, 89% of preschool demands are being met, according to the 2024 Early Care and Education Facilities...
San Jose councilmembers team up to lobby city
Terming out of office hasn’t kept San Jose policymakers from sticking around City Hall as paid lobbyists. But the business of swaying former colleagues is becoming a crowded field. Councilmember Sergio Jimenez is jumping into the elected official to lobbyist pipeline. He’s already formed a new consulting firm before terming out of his council seat...
West San Jose development cuts affordable apartments
A proposed West San Jose housing project that would have added more than 100 affordable homes has been scrapped. Sand Hill Property Company had a previously approved redesign for nearly 1,000 apartments across four separate buildings at the El Paseo de Saratoga shopping center, 150 of which would have been affordable housing. But the developer...
Silicon Valley political groups fail to meet transparency requirements
Campaign finance reports are crucial to learning who’s funding elected office seekers. But new data shows Santa Clara County is rife with disregard for election transparency laws. Nearly 40 political campaign committees across the county have failed to file transparency reports by legal deadlines since 2018 — in many cases even after receiving two written...
Election 2024: Betty Duong in tight race for D2 county supervisor
Betty Duong knocks on the door of an East San Jose porch wearing a big floppy sun hat and white sneakers. She chats with the man who opens the door in Vietnamese about her run for the District 2 seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors when suddenly the man’s wife sees her and exclaims...
New East San Jose superintendent to deal with school closures
A struggling East San Jose school district plans to close multiple campuses as it brings on a new superintendent to help guide officials through the difficult process. Due to a projected $20.8 million budget shortfall, along with declining enrollment, Alum Rock Union School District will have to close up to nine of its 21 schools....
Sunnyvale older adults to get living center, convalescent hospital
More than 100 apartments for older adults and a medical facility could be coming to Sunnyvale within the next few years. The Sunnyvale Planning Commission unanimously approved plans for a six-story senior living site and 72,000-square-foot convalescent hospital at 1027-1035 West El Camino Real during its Monday meeting. It will have 36 assisted-living homes and...
Campbell shields affordable housing residents from rent shock
Officials in one West Valley city are taking action to combat a statewide policy gap that leaves residents in affordable housing vulnerable to rent increases that could price them out. The Campbell City Council voted 4-1 last month to cap affordable housing rent increases at 5%, plus cost of living changes or a flat 10%...
San Jose still searching for new flea market site
San Jose officials are hard-pressed to find an alternative site for the Berryessa Flea Market as development is set to displace vendors and threaten their livelihoods. The city has explored two of eight potential locations — the former Sears near Eastridge Mall and a former landfill in South San Jose — but they lack substantial...