During the last 10 days of every month, Julia pulls together whatever scant meals she can with produce from food banks and canned items until her food benefits renew. The 28-year-old, who didn’t provide her last name for privacy reasons, receives about $600 a month in food stamps to feed herself and three children. She...
Santa Clara County sheriff won’t release Taser body-cam footage
Santa Clara County leaders promised full transparency when they approved the deployment of Tasers in the jails. Now sheriff’s deputies are using them — and county leaders don’t want the public to see the videos. The county has repeatedly denied California Public Records Act requests by civil rights advocates seeking the body-worn camera footage of...
Kumar: Rebuttal to Larry Stone’s ‘The assessor is not a political position’
For decades, residents of Santa Clara County have endured inconsistent assessments, a broken appeals process and unprocessed refunds — all from an Assessor’s Office that has refused to modernize, standing in stark contrast to Silicon Valley’s cutting-edge innovation while maintaining a laser focus on extracting higher tax revenues from the very people who elected the...
Developer for Los Gatos project warns of legal costs
The developer of a proposed 13-story apartment building in Los Gatos warned the Town Council last week of potential legal costs for blocking the project, even though the council says the developer’s application is moving forward. “I respectfully want to tell you the town’s multiple lawsuits (related to housing construction), including attempting to block this...
Federal judge pauses changes to Santa Clara County housing grants
A federal judge has temporarily blocked efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to upend federal funding for permanent housing. U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy on Friday granted a temporary injunction halting the upheaval of Continuum of Care grants, which have historically been used to fund permanent housing programs and are the federal government’s main response to...
Mountain View backs plan for more housing south of El Camino Real
Amid objections from some community members, the Mountain View City Council has backed a plan to allow for more housing in select areas south of El Camino Real, a part of the city that is currently made up of mostly single-family homes. In a 6-1 vote, the city council approved a motion to update land use...
‘A charming little place’: Willow Glen dog boutique is closing
Willow Glen’s main drag is about to lose its bark, and dog lovers are devastated. Gussied Up Dog Boutique, at 1310 Lincoln Ave., will be closing once the store’s inventory is gone. The store’s landlord declined to renew the lease, citing major plumbing repairs. “Hearing all the stories, how much this store means to people,...
San Jose shopping cart crackdown could be costly
As part of a year-long effort to rein in San Jose’s problem with abandoned shopping carts, the city has been reviewing proposals to hire a company to retrieve and return carts to grocery stores. A three-month pilot program shows such a retrieval service could easily recoup its costs through fees charged to grocers. However, the hundreds of...
Los Gatos’ youngest mayor brings new perspective
At age 27, Rob Moore brings a fresh perspective to the Los Gatos Town Council as the youngest mayor in town history. Councilmembers voted unanimously to make Moore mayor on Dec. 9, as officials select who takes the position every year. He’s not only the sole councilmember younger than 60 — he’s also from a...