A federal judge has temporarily blocked California from enacting a law that would ban federal agents from wearing masks — but a similar policy in San Jose remains intact. On Feb. 9, federal Judge Christina Snyder ruled that California’s “No Secret Police Act” appears to be discriminatory since it only bans federal agents from wearing...
Super Bowl sets South Bay public transit ridership record
Public transit ridership to and from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara for the Super Bowl hit an all-time high with 30,000 trips — although not without a few bumps along the way. VTA tallied 28,000 light rail trips and 2,600 bus rides for the big game, which the National Football League said drew 70,823 people....
Silicon Valley lawmakers criticize Mahan, endorse opponent
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s moderate campaign for California governor has fared well with billionaires and tech moguls. But two progressive state lawmakers in his own backyard are less enthused. Democratic Assemblymembers Ash Kalra and Alex Lee are spurning Mahan’s bid for statewide office as a “handpicked” vessel for big tech’s movement to consolidate control...
San Jose lawmaker’s housing bills advance through Congress
A pair of bills spearheaded by Congressman Sam Liccardo that aim to speed up the approval process for new residential projects advanced through the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week as part of a bipartisan housing package. The bipartisan act aims to alleviate the housing shortage by streamlining housing regulations, updating certain programs in...
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...
Mountain View approves plan to close downtown train crossing to cars
Long-awaited plans to close Castro Street at the downtown Caltrain tracks and fully divert vehicle traffic at the rail crossing are moving forward, after the Mountain View City Council voted Tuesday to approve the new design for the major transit stop. The project, which will reconfigure the roadway and dead-end Castro Street at West Evelyn...