Santa Clara County leaders are walking back a portion of proposed budget cuts to keep a pioneering suicide prevention program that’s contributed to one of the lowest death rates in all of California. At a Monday budget hearing, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to save two positions from being cut from the county program...
Audit: Palo Alto cops frequently fail to activate body cameras
When two Palo Alto police officers attempted to arrest a drunk woman at a restaurant, they noted in their report that they heard a loud “pop” sound after pushing the woman against the wall. One of the officers told the woman: “I know it hurts because you are moving so much.” Only after they handcuffed...
Santos: Cleaner creeks, safer waterways — protecting our resources is working
In November 2024, the Valley Water board of directors approved the Water Resources Protection Zones Ordinance to address the environmental and safety issues from encampments along Valley Water waterways and facilities. We understood that there wouldn’t be an easy fix, but our progress over the past year shows that a coordinated approach can bring real...
Water and garbage rates increase for San Jose residents
While utility hikes are a regular occurrence for San Jose residents, an especially sharp jump in garbage disposal fees and water rates have led to pushback amid growing concern over rising living costs. Under new fee schedules set to take effect July 1, the start of fiscal year 2026-27, San Jose’s garbage disposal service fee...
Santa Clara County LGBTQ+ office hits 10 years of service
Santa Clara County is celebrating a decade of providing services to LGBTQ+ residents through an official department. The Office of LGBTQ Affairs on Friday celebrated its 10-year anniversary amid a Pride Month flag raising ceremony, resource fair and inclusive “lavender” graduation for LGBTQ+ high school and college students. The county department hosted the event in partnership...
Plans for massive Mountain View space center raise housing concerns
For the better part of a decade, NASA Ames and UC Berkeley have been planning to build a $2 billion space center at Moffett Field, but few details about the massive project on Mountain View’s border have been publicly known. That changed recently with the April release of an environmental report laying out different scenarios for the project....
Hakhamaneshi: Why I walked away from a $4,000 water heater rebate
I recently looked seriously at replacing my 2014 natural gas water heater with a heat pump water heater. At first, the decision looked easy. Silicon Valley Clean Energy was offering a large rebate, and with stacked incentives the total could be about $4,000. A contractor estimated that a 65-gallon heat pump water heater could cost...
Santa Clara County jail worker who exploited women gets light sentence
A Santa Clara County jail worker who sexually exploited incarcerated women by smuggling in drugs faces just one year behind bars. Marcos Pina Mejia, 56, pleaded guilty June 8 to two felony counts of bringing methamphetamine into Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas and two misdemeanor counts of having sex with a detained person. The civilian, non-sworn...
State proposition could wipe out San Jose’s Measure E funds
San Jose leaders are rallying opposition to a measure headed for the statewide November ballot that could undermine a cornerstone of the city’s efforts to keep low-income people housed. The measure, championed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, raises the threshold to pass local voter-sponsored tax initiatives, and also limits the amount cities can tax...