Employees who work at Silicon Valley’s homeless shelters are putting themselves on the frontlines of the pandemic to protect the county’s most vulnerable residents, even as many live on the margins themselves. Two homeless service providers in Santa Clara County told San José Spotlight that, between them, six of their hundreds of shelter workers have...
Cortese: Support our foster youth in a post-coronavirus world
We are living in an unprecedented time that has forced a paradigm shift upon us. There is an understanding among many across the globe that we are all dealing with the same obstacle. For most of us, life has been stalled by the COVID-19 virus. Daily luxuries, which may have been taken for granted, have been replaced by...
Poll: Most Californians support shelter-in-place orders
A majority of Californians support continuing to shelter in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus, according to a new poll, despite protests by some residents ready to get back to work and restart the state’s previously booming economy. About 71 percent of Californians polled by the California Health Care Foundation and survey firm...
COVID-19 testing sites open in East San Jose
After months of calls for more COVID-19 testing, a vulnerable San Jose area that is home to a large immigrant population now has two free testing sites. “This has been a population that has been vulnerable for so many reasons pre-COVID — due to rent, due to food insecurities, lack of job opportunities and educational...
Plan unveiled for reopening San Jose small businesses
Plan announced by San Jose officials and regional business leaders would allow a host of retailers and other small businesses to offer outdoor services when stay-at-home order is lifted.
Ex-San Jose councilman leaves Santa Clara County for Valley Water
With just six months left in office, Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese is losing his chief of staff. Cortese’s top legislative leader, former San Jose Councilmember Don Rocha, is leaving his office for a job at the Santa Clara Valley Water District. He’ll serve as a supervising program administrator in government relations for the...
Your COVID-19 questions answered: Part One
San José Spotlight two weeks ago hosted an exclusive Q&A webinar with Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody, the driving force behind the nation’s first shelter-in-place order credited with flattening the curve on coronavirus infections and saving lives. We received nearly one hundred questions from Silicon Valley residents before and during the...
Preservationists fight to save former San Jose courthouse from demolition
The stout, yet distinct, former courthouse building at the corner of Park Avenue and Almaden Boulevard in downtown San Jose has been the focus of several redevelopment visions since the Santa Clara County Superior Court moved out years ago. But the most recent vision, by Jay Paul Co. to build a 3.4 million-square-foot office campus...
South Bay college faculty want more pay for more work during COVID-19 chaos
West Valley, Mission community college instructors say their workloads have increased significantly since the district switched to online learning because of the coronavirus pandemic
San Jose wants more federal help to feed struggling residents
FEMA's guidelines for reimbursement are too strict, say some city officials who are working to ramp up meal services in wake of coronavirus crisis