Santa Clara County officials want to get ahead of artificial intelligence, and are exploring how to implement guardrails as the growing technology sparks displacement fears among public servants. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday, with Supervisor Susan Ellenberg absent, to move forward with a comprehensive study on how AI is used across its various...
Only two Santa Clara County races are competitive
Several top Santa Clara County officials are running for reelection unchallenged this year — but two incumbents will have to fight for their county-level seats. District Attorney Jeff Rosen and District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas — whose district covers Morgan Hill, Gilroy, unincorporated San Martin and portions of South San Jose — will have to...
State grant opens door to housing for South Bay farmworkers
Farmworkers who have grappled to make ends meet while doing backbreaking labor to feed Bay Area communities will have a pathway to home ownership. Santa Clara County will use a $2.2 million grant from the state’s Farmworker Housing Grant program to provide loans for mortgage assistance so low-income, first time homebuyers can purchase manufactured homes....
Out-of-state police access Silicon Valley license plate readers
The company behind a network of automated license plate reading cameras is losing its public safety contracts across Silicon Valley. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors is the most recent slate of officials to join Los Altos Hills and Mountain View in severing ties with Flock Safety over concerns the company has enabled unlawful...
Will Santa Clara County give reparations to Black residents?
After a successful push by community organizers, Santa Clara County officials have agreed to explore a reparations policy that could compensate Black residents for historic human rights violations and systemic racism. It’s still unclear when that will ultimately happen. County Supervisors Sylvia Arenas and Betty Duong last month approved a discussion on a reparations policy...
Santa Clara County budget cuts to hit mental health services
Santa Clara County officials were in the throes of a mental health crisis four years ago and took action to expand treatment. That progress is about to be scaled back as the county confronts an extreme budget shortfall. The Behavioral Health Services Department faces a $100 million deficit in the coming fiscal year due to...
South Bay property owners to pay fee for assessment appeals
Santa Clara County homeowners and businesses will have to pay hundreds of dollars in fees to challenge how much they pay in property taxes every year. The Board of Supervisors on Feb. 10 unanimously approved charging single-family home and condo owners $290 to appeal the county assessor’s determination of their property value, which in turn...
Santa Clara County tackles $470M budget shortfall
Santa Clara County leaders are looking at a $470 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year — forcing the largest midyear budget adjustment in more than a decade as they look to close $200 million of the gap. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to reshuffle 60 employees — mostly out of the public...
Future of Santa Clara County guaranteed income programs uncertain
To make guaranteed basic income a reality, Santa Clara County leaders turned to a real world trial. Now their efforts are making strides, but it couldn’t come at a darker time for the county’s social safety net outlook. A historic set of four simultaneous pilot programs is providing $1,200 in guaranteed basic income per month...
Santa Clara County may ditch camera vendor amid privacy issues
Cities across Silicon Valley may be on the cusp of cutting ties with a surveillance company linked to local police departments’ cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Santa Clara County officials this week signaled growing distrust with Flock Safety, a company that sells license plate reading cameras to cities across California, over concerns the...