Our New Book & Goodbye, Columbus

The Los Altos City Council was scheduled to pass the second reading and adopt a housing element implementation ordinance—a proposal that has prompted residents near Rancho Shopping Center to fret about the fate of supermarkets, coffee shops and other forms of retail.

Eliminating honors classes in ninth grade isn’t hurting high achievers, and it may be helping other students to succeed at college-acceptance-level courses, a Sequoia Union High School District report has found.

With deep concern about the fate of the city's redwood trees, the Environmental Planning Commission approved a motion, in a 4-1 vote, to construct a new hotel and office building in East Whisman.

The San Jose metro area ranks in the top 10 among the lowest in the country for employees returning to the office. San Jose sits in the ninth spot at 40.7% for return-to-office rates, according to a recent study by Kastle.

Rick Walker spent 12 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Exonerated in 2003, Walker left prison as a free man but without a home, job or any support from the state.

Election season is kicking back up in Milpitas. Former Mayor Rich Tran posted on his personal Facebook account that he was looking for a campaign manager.

After a monthslong debate between local leaders, San Jose is set to receive 200 temporary housing units for homeless residents in North San Jose—with help from the local transit agency and the state.

Eager to create more housing opportunities, Palo Alto is preparing to welcome taller and denser residential projects to an area that is seeing significant developer interest: a stretch of El Camino Real just south of Page Mill Road.

After an unseasonably cool start to the year and now a mini heatwave in October, winemakers said this weather pattern is having an interesting impact on their grape harvest—in a good way.

San Jose’s Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Department is streamlining its permitting process to generate faster turnaround times.

Long-anticipated traffic-calming measures are coming to California Street, with major changes to the thoroughfare that will make it safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers in Mountain View.

San Jose is launching language interpreter services at some public meetings after translation mishaps earlier this year.

As Palo Alto prepares to update its zoning code to meet its targets for new housing, city officials remain undecided on a critical question: How far should they go when it comes to loosening density limits in residential zones?

San Jose leaders say homelessness is a crisis, and they intend to jumpstart their stalled progress in meeting ambitious housing goals.

Despite a stated goal to celebrate diversity by marking more holidays, Palo Alto officials rejected a recommendation to designate both Juneteenth and Cesar Chavez Day as paid days off for city workers. Creating two new holidays, as some had suggested, would cost about $2 million.

A new California law will ban over two dozen chemicals from fragrances and cosmetics. It’s another first-in-the-nation law—and another instance of California following European Union regulators.

The facts of climate change can lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair. Some California activists are creating communities for people to talk about those feelings.

Water providers say rebates for residential areas are costly and residents may refuse to remove their lawns. The rules aim to save enough water for more than a million households a year.

In an effort to reduce the risk of wildfire, Cal Poly Humboldt faculty and students have embarked on a three-year study to investigate tree health.

Student workers at the 23-campus system say their pay is low, their hours are restricted and they get no sick pay. They are hoping to join the employees union to fix that.

The European Union has banned certain additives that are used in American candies and baked goods. California is on the cusp of prohibiting their sale by 2027.