Standard Blog

Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office requesting $8M for overtime

Citing much-needed jail reforms implemented over the past four years, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office is asking county lawmakers for more than $8 million to cover growing overtime costs. The request, which will be considered at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, would allocate $8.1 million from the Special Programs Labor Reserve. With little discussion, a county supervisors’ committee last week accepted a report from...

After City Hall fight, California Waste Solutions wins another year in San Jose

After a yearlong battle with its largest recycling hauler over money and contamination, San Jose agreed to allow California Waste Solutions to service 166,000 homes for another year. It’s a decision that means nearly one hundred CWS employees get to keep their jobs. CWS employees in January showed up in strength at City Hall in bright yellow vests to protest a staff...

Former San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed is moving to Colorado

After three decades in San Jose and leading the city through some of its most pressing fiscal challenges, former Mayor Chuck Reed is saying goodbye to San Jose —  sort of. Reed confirmed to San José Spotlight that he’s moving to Monument, Colorado, where his daughter, son-in-law and two grandkids live. “My wife wants to...

Mayor Sam Liccardo unveils plan to strengthen local gun laws

California is home to some of the most stringent gun laws in the nation, but San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo says they don’t go far enough. The mayor on Tuesday announced a plan to strengthen the city’s decades-old gun safety law to fight straw purchases and stop black-market gun sales. “A significant percentage of guns are entering our community from legal gun...

Santa Clara to appeal court decision forcing district elections

After a lengthy legal battle costing more than $3 million in fees, Santa Clara is appealing a court decision forcing district elections after it was sued for allegedly violating the California Voting Rights Act, according to the plaintiffs’ attorneys. City officials are appealing despite previous unsuccessful efforts from other cities in similar California Voting Rights Act cases. “The city is appealing...

New survey: Quality of life has ‘fallen’ in San Jose

A new city survey shows San Joseans say their overall quality of life has dropped to record lows and only 44 percent would recommend San Jose as a place to live. “While two thirds of residents expected to remain in San José over the next five years,” the report said, “ratings for the overall quality...

Google in San Jose: Who signed non-disclosure agreements?

Nearly 20 San Jose officials signed non-disclosure agreements in 2017 at the behest of Google as the tech giant explored building a massive campus in downtown San Jose. The agreements became a major sticking point for advocates who claimed the massive land deal was cloaked in secrecy and that the public deserved to know the...

Funk: The digital divide still haunts East San Jose students

In today’s world, it is critical that our children learn to use and master modern technology, think critically, communicate across a variety of platforms, work collaboratively and be creative with the ability to quickly adapt. In the East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD) we call this our Graduate Profile. Other districts may call it...