Santa Clara’s budget reserves are back to normal, but officials are still working to address hundreds of millions of dollars in needed infrastructure maintenance. The Santa Clara City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a $1.9 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2025-26 and $1.4 billion for fiscal year 2026-27. The city anticipates ending it’s current...
Santa Clara may add parking fees to city-owned lots
Santa Clara needs to bolster its city budget — and public parking fees could be on the menu. Small businesses aren’t on board and worry customer traffic could drop because they won’t want to pay. Although the proposed 2025-26 city budget anticipates a $9.3 million surplus, the following five years are projecting red ink. To...
Santa Clara data centers hit max energy capacity
Santa Clara leaders are raising concerns about how the city’s dozens of data centers affect residents and the environment. Santa Clara has more standalone data centers than any other California city — 55 in operation and three in the pipeline, according to the city. Demand is growing as more people use the internet and digitally...
Santa Clara isn’t spending taxpayer money on World Cup upgrades
The world’s largest sporting event — the FIFA World Cup — is coming to the United States in 2026, and Santa Clara is one of the only cities not breaking the bank to prepare, a data analysis by San José Spotlight shows. The games will be hosted across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Nearly all...
Santa Clara politicians turn to ChatGPT for advice
Santa Clara officials said they’ve used ChatGPT at two public meetings, sparking concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to inform decision makers. Artificial intelligence tools have been growing in popularity as cities like San Jose use it to improve road safety or translate public meetings. But the technology is still plagued with misinformation problems,...
Santa Clara approves another 1,000+ housing project
North Santa Clara is slated for more than a thousand new homes over the next few years, with whole neighborhoods under construction. The Santa Clara City Council gave its final approval March 25 on a 25.7-acre development at 2518 Mission College Blvd. The project will bring in 1,792 apartments, 268 of which will be affordable...
Santa Clara to spend millions fixing community swim center
Santa Clara is scrapping plans to temporarily reopen its swim center this spring, and instead is pushing forward with a broader renovation. The Santa Clara City Council has unanimously approved an additional $8.1 million to repair all three pools at the George F. Haines International Swim Center, along with the dive tower, boiler and other...
Santa Clara makes it easier for youths to play sports
Santa Clara wants to make it easier for low-income youths to play sports by paying their fees. The Santa Clara City Council voted unanimously Tuesday, with Councilmember Raj Chahal absent, to make the Wade Brummal Scholarship program easier to access and more streamlined. The program helps low-income families pay sports-related fees. Changes include a streamlined...
Santa Clara finalizes World Cup contracts
Santa Clara officials are paving the way for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by finalizing responsibilities. The City Council approved various agreements with the Bay Area Host Committee and the 49ers’ stadium management branch, ManCo, Tuesday in a 5-2 vote, with Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Councilmember Kelly Cox voting no. The agreement details operational and...
Santa Clara swim center closure ripples through community
Santa Clara’s George F. Haines International Swim Center has been closed for more than a year, leaving the city’s aquatics community and legacy foundering. The city closed the swim center in January 2024, citing structural safety issues after years of neglect. The renovations are so extensive that the complex needs to be completely overhauled, city...