With public dollars stretched thin and the need for food and shelter growing, San Jose leaders on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to create a coronavirus relief fund that will help the city receive federal resources for those affected by the pandemic. The fund will allow the city to continue operating its temporary emergency shelters,...
Coronavirus: San Jose legislator introduces bill to provide job-protected leaves
San Jose Assemblymember Ash Kalra introduced legislation Wednesday to allow Californians who are affected by COVID-19 to take a state-protected leave from their jobs, in addition to extending the leave by 12 additional weeks. The bill, AB 3216, would also allow employees to take a job-protected leave to care for a family member whose school...
Bay Area hiring dips 25 percent since coronavirus shutdowns: report
Hiring across the country is down significantly as the United States reels from the sudden impacts of the novel coronavirus, which has shuttered storefronts and office parks alike. Though some technology sectors have seen gains, the Bay Area hasn’t been spared, new data shows. The Bay Area has seen a 25 percent decline in hiring...
New California rules for restaurants cause confusion in Santa Clara County
Gov. Gavin Newsom threw struggling restaurateurs a lifeline on Tuesday when he announced restaurants can open for dine-in in certain counties. But the news won’t make a difference for Bay Area restaurant leader Angelo Heropoulos, who owns the farm-to-table Hero Ranch Kitchen in Saratoga and San Jose. After selling off the popular Greek chain Opa! three...
California has done more than 1 million COVID-19 tests, county ramps up capacity
California has now conducted more than 1 million tests for COVID-19, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday, just as Santa Clara County leaders encouraged workers with frequent public contact to get tested. “Ramping up our testing capacity is critical as we begin modifying our stay at home order,” Newsom said during his daily briefing. “In addition...
UPDATE: San Jose OKs trailers for homeless residents amid COVID-19
Already facing a severe housing shortage, San Jose leaders worry the newest crisis plaguing the region — the coronavirus pandemic — will spread among its homeless community, one of the city’s most vulnerable populations. With more than 6,000 unhoused residents in the city, lawmakers are ramping up their efforts to contain the virus. As part...
Coronavirus: Need help paying a bill or buying groceries? There’s a donor for that.
For many of San Jose’s low-income families, paying a utility bill, filling the gas tank or buying groceries is becoming increasingly difficult as stay-at-home orders stretch out. Pandemic of Love, a San Jose-based chapter of a larger organization, aims to streamline the giving process, making it easier for immigrant and undocumented communities to seek help....
County to consider plan to offer WiFi, devices to neediest South Bay families
Santa Clara County officials on Tuesday will consider a proposal to purchase computing devices and provide internet access for the county’s 15,000 neediest families. The proposal, authored by Supervisor Dave Cortese, calls for partnering with the county’s Office of Education on an initiative that he estimated would cost the county “a little more than $1...
South Bay activists spent lifetime fighting for worker rights. Then they got COVID-19.
Alone in her hospital room at night, Augustina “Sally” Armendariz kept the light on to counter the loneliness and fear she felt at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center, where she spent four days battling COVID-19 last month. The 77-year-old lifelong Santa Clara County resident and 60-year community activist is a fighter by nature, but...
Tesla files lawsuit against Alameda County after Elon Musk’s Twitter threats
In a heated Twitter rant Saturday morning, Tesla CEO Elon Musk threatened to move his company’s operations out of the Bay Area and sue Alameda County “immediately” for not easing stay-home orders due to COVID-19 that have shuttered his carmaking business. Later, Musk made good on the threat and filed a lawsuit against the county....