Catherine Zhang has lived in the United States 27 years, but 2020 marked the first time the longtime Santa Clara resident got a care package from her relatives in China. Inside were 100 face masks to help protect her as the novel coronavirus infiltrated and spread across the Bay Area. Zhang gave some of the...
Santa Clara County retailers to reopen for curbside pickup, but there’s a catch
After growing pressure from Silicon Valley businesses desperate to get back to work, Santa Clara County health officials on Monday made the highly-anticipated decision to allow certain retailers to open for curbside pick-up. The announcement Monday aligns Santa Clara County — along with four Bay Area counties and Berkeley — with the state’s revised shelter-in-place...
Santa Clara County jails face challenges curbing spread of coronavirus
With physical contact often inevitable inside their walls, county jails have become battlegrounds against the coronavirus pandemic. As the public health crisis continues, Santa Clara County has implemented various measures to prevent local jails from becoming the epicenters of the coronavirus. Nonetheless, infections are bound to occur, according to Roberto Potter, a professor of criminal...
Vietnamese restaurants donate thousands of meals to Silicon Valley hospitals
Most days, Tiêủ-Vân Phan’s car carries the tantalizing scents of Vietnamese shaking beef or Hainanese chicken rice, lingering from her meal deliveries to hospitals across the county. Vietnamese-owned restaurants in Silicon Valley have mobilized together to donate thousands of meals to frontline workers over the last two months during the region’s shelter-in-place orders. Phan, a San...
San Jose: Viva Calle on the chopping block of new budget
One of the South Bay’s most popular outdoor events is the latest casualty of the coronavirus pandemic — and its return is uncertain. Viva Calle, which debuted in 2015 and drew more than 100,000 bicyclists and pedestrians to explore the open streets of San Jose, is on the chopping block in City Manager Dave Sykes’...
From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, ‘unprecedented’ deficits caused by COVID-19 pandemic
Governments from Sacramento to San Jose City Hall are facing historic budget deficits caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, often having to solve these crises in virtual meetings as the region nears its eighth week in quarantine. “We are at a time that’s simply unprecedented,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday in announcing his revised budget proposal...
Major layoffs in Silicon Valley hit Team San Jose, Goodwill and car dealers
Coronavirus-linked layoffs have soared in Silicon Valley in recent months, affecting more than 21,000 employees across 26 companies in March alone, according to a San José Spotlight analysis of data from the state’s Employment Development Department. Industries with the most layoffs were retailers, restaurants, hotels, the arts and entertainment sector, personal care services and gyms....
Ockenfels-Martinez: Abandoning essential workers is a public health issue
Gig economy companies should be doing more to protect their workers and meet requirements under Assembly Bill 5 during the coronavirus pandemic
Child custody cases in Santa Clara County complicated by coronavirus
Sheltering in place hasn’t been easy on anyone. But for those who share custody of their children, the problem is exacerbated. Social distancing has made banal tasks like grocery shopping more arduous. Everything except essential businesses have shuttered their doors, so social endeavors like getting a drink with a friend or Sunday dinner at your...
Working remotely comes with risks in Silicon Valley
The coronavirus pandemic has also spurred an outbreak in malware and phishing attacks targeting employees who are now working from home