A group of racist and anti-LGBTQ neighbors in Los Gatos have unleashed their hate against Mayor Marico Sayoc and her family. Such vitriol in the aftermath of the “Trump Era” is far too commonplace. Finally, we are seeing active pushback against this small-minded minority of bullies. A group called the Goldbridge Institute has formed to...
Santa Clara County preparing to roll out COVID kids vaccine
COVID-19 vaccines for young children are potentially days away from being rolled out in Santa Clara County, a critical step to ending the pandemic. On Tuesday, a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended a low dosage of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, saying the benefits of the shot outweigh any...
Khamis: YOSL—Yes On School Land
Have you heard of the anti- and pro-development acronyms NIMBY, “Not In My Backyard,” and YIMBY, “Yes In My Backyard?” We can now add the pro-development acronym of YOSL, “Yes On School Land,” to the list. As Santa Clara County struggles to keep up with housing demand, which is causing housing prices to skyrocket, San...
A few high paid Santa Clara County officials give up COVID bonus
Thousands of Santa Clara County employees will receive a COVID-19 hazard pay bonus before the end of the year. Not everyone plans to keep the money. Assessor Larry Stone informed County Executive Jeff Smith earlier this month that he will donate his $2,500 bonus to charitable nonprofits, including affordable housing agencies and local art organizations....
San Jose increases homeless camp cleaning efforts
San Jose residents and elected officials are frustrated with the buildup of more than 200 homeless encampments. The city plans to clean up some of them by next spring. The San Jose City Council reviewed the city’s ongoing encampment management policy on Tuesday. City officials will come back with a plan to identify encampments across the...
Angela: Police impact on the disabled community
I attended the Oct. 7 “Safety for All: Conversations on Law Enforcement from the perspectives of People with Disabilities” hosted by Parents Helping Parents. As a mother of a special needs child I am deeply concerned about current policing practices and their impact on the disability community and beyond. Police training in the U.S. is...
Santa Clara County holds hearing on long COVID
Santa Clara County has led the way when it comes to managing COVID-19 infection. But now officials are grappling with a growing concern: long COVID. Long COVID is when symptoms continue for more than 12 weeks after infection. A recently published study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one third of...
Allen: Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors should grow a spine
I retired at the end of September and after a few days of yelling at kids to get off my lawn, my wife insisted I find more constructive uses for my time. I thought about it and decided to become an informed citizen by reading the newspaper cover to cover each day. I opened the...
Silicon Valley Restaurant Association launches in San Jose
After being battered by COVID-19 and business closures, Silicon Valley eateries have an advocacy group—a local restaurant association. The Silicon Valley Restaurant Association, formed by San Jose consultant Sean Kali-rai and former Silicon Valley Organization (SVO) government relations director Eddie Truong, launches Tuesday. Kali-rai is a longtime policy analyst and cannabis lobbyist, while Truong rose...
No immediate transition funds for San Jose Flea Market vendors
San Jose Flea Market owners will pay millions to help vendors relocate amid looming development plans. But it will be some time before the retailers see a cent of that money. Roberto Gonzalez, president of the Berryessa Flea Market Vendors Association, told San José Spotlight he believed the Bumb family, which owns the flea market,...