Santa Clara County Local News

South Valley Civic Theatre continues its new season with “Finding Nemo Jr.,” a coming-of-age story featuring an all-youth cast that finds the value of taking risks and trusting in yourself, your family and your friends.

Wills earns MBA

Glad we voted correctly

Although this article will be published after the Sept. 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, I wanted to discuss why remembering that day through service is so significant. Most of us who witnessed those events on that fall Tuesday morning have a clear memory of that day.

Pamela Campos said she remembers being in middle school the first time she marched with her family for immigrant rights — an experience that set her on a path toward advocating for families in her community where housing and child care are top issues.
A policy and program officer, Campos, 29, is running for the open San Jose City Council seat in District 2 against retired Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy Joe Lopez, with Councilmember Sergio Jimenez terming out at the end of the year. Campos and Lopez were the top vote getters in the March primaries. The district stretches from the border of Morgan Hill and up to a portion of South San Jose, ending at Sylvandale Avenue.
After graduating high school Campos began her career as a preschool teacher, entering the world of working-class educators. She soon found herself struggling with low pay and lack of growth. Though she thought earning a bachelor’s degree in child and adolescent development from San Jose State University would increase her chances for a higher paying position, she discovered school teachers were generally paid the same modest salaries even with college degrees.
“I felt that I was climbing the career ladder in early childhood care and education. But once I had my bachelor's degree at a time I was earning maybe $16 an hour — I had asked for a raise, (and) was told the most I could make was $17 an hour at that school,” Campos told San José Spotlight.
Campos said the more she inquired about potential school employment, the more she realized teachers were being underpaid and in need of greater advocacy.
She has been involved in advocacy work and community organizing since her university days. Campos said she also took a greater interest in immigrant rights while attending SJSU, including the meaning behind the ever-present butterfly symbol championed by many activists.

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Growing up in San Jose, public transportation was not as widespread and commonly used as other cities. While many use and rely on the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), this system is not as efficient or as popular as it should be.

Live Oak HS Football (0-3 overall)

Campbell’s mayor took a fireside chat approach to this year's State of the City, reading off her priorities in a soft, cushy armchair.
Mayor Susan Landry said at the annual address on Wednesday the city is furthering its environmental efforts, while prioritizing long-term land use planning and housing, larger city projects and community health and safety. She discussed the city’s financial stability as it moves past a structural deficit and a bond measure on the November ballot to raise revenue.
The main focus of the night was environmental sustainability. Landry shared the city’s newest initiatives — climate action and its parks and recreation master plans. The climate plan is in its early stages and is expected to be completed by next fall. Part of the plan will assess baseline greenhouse gas emissions in city buildings and include an assessment of infrastructure most vulnerable to climate change, while setting environmental priorities and policies to meet the state's goal to be carbon neutral by 2045. The parks and recreation plan is a yearlong effort to frame future maintenance and rehabilitation of the parks. This is set to go before the City Council next spring.
Landry said residents have told her the climate is a top priority and as an owner of Environmental Edges, a small landscape architecture firm, prioritizing the issue is personal for her.
“Sustainability is the quality of causing little to no damage to our environment, our legacy, to plan now to provide a healthy community for the generations to come,” she said at the event. “We wish the future to be a place where there is a high quality of life and our city has a healthier environment.”

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Romo enrolls at Holy Cross

We like her

People with drug and alcohol problems have for years found refuge at a long-term homeless housing program known as Hillview Court in Milpitas. But for an alarming number of them, the promise of stability and support has led to death.
Residents have rung warning bells for more than a year about frequent fatal overdoses where bodies aren't found until the smell reaches other rooms. Yet Abode Services, the contractor selected by Santa Clara County to manage the 134-apartment complex, boasts of having a wealth of on-site services to focus on the residents' well-being.
Milpitas police have recorded five calls for service where a person was pronounced dead at the apartments between Sept. 5, 2023 and Sept. 5, 2024. Police couldn’t say whether the causes of death were overdoses — which are determined by the coroner — but they’ve repeatedly been called to the apartments about possible overdose emergencies within the last year. Coroner officials didn't respond to requests for their data on deaths at Hillview.
Friends and family members of the dead believe the actual number is much higher.
Mariah Lopez, 24, recalls her 40-year-old father, Paul, fighting the idea of moving to Hillview after spending time in sober living homes. Her father believed Hillview would do more harm than good in his fight to get off hard drugs. During her father's first week at Hillview, a nearby resident was found dead in their room.
"When he moved there he told us it wasn’t a good idea, because he'd seen all this drug use there," Lopez told San José Spotlight. "He was doing good. But being in those apartments, it’s so easy to get your hands on them."
Paul died in July, after trying and failing to complete the paperwork for another housing program. As to the cause, Lopez said she's waiting for more information from the coroner. But his body wasn't found for five days, Lopez said, leaving it so decomposed the family couldn’t hold an open casket funeral.
"Multiple people had been asking for a welfare check to be done on him," Lopez said. "They said it was smelling in the hallway by his door and nobody had seen him come out of his house the last couple days with his dog."
Abode Services CEO Vivian Wang said the organization is committed to its residents.
“We are heartbroken when confronted with any loss of life, and we offer our deepest condolences to the loved ones of anyone who has passed away at supportive housing sites or while experiencing homelessness,” Wang told San José Spotlight. “While we cannot comment on any specific Abode participant or housing resident, we can say with confidence that we are deeply committed to our residents. We remain very invested in listening to their needs, learning what benefits them the most and making sure our supportive services are catered to their needs and goals.”
Milpitas police parked outside Hillview Court Apartments on Sept. 19, 2024. Photo by Brandon Pho.
John Tuitasi, 58, stood in the parking lot of Hillview on Wednesday, watching Milpitas police walk in and out of the apartments amid concerns over residents' safety. Tuitasi ended up at Hillview after suffering a stroke while homeless in San Jose. He was taken to Valley Medical Center where social workers helped connect him with Abode.
He said he believes more people have died at Hillview than the official numbers let on. But he also said the overdose problem shouldn't lead to shutting down a site that's helped people find stability, including himself. He said he's leaving in two months, after Abode helped connect him with a more permanent housing situation.
“It’s not like the whole apartment (complex) does it,” Tuitasi told San José Spotlight. “The staff can give us the outlet, the support, but some people aren’t ready for it yet. Everybody heals at their own time. Some people get it. Some people don’t.”
Rosie Chavez, a community organizer who's keeping track of the deaths at Hillview, said she’s frustrated due to the nonprofit's lack of oversight.
“People are not being called. They’re not doing checks,” Chavez told San José Spotlight. “They’re leaving bodies.”

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Sobrato football head coach Joel Rueda, a Bulldog alum, remembers the date well. The last time his school beat city rival Live Oak: Sept. 25, 2009.

Christopher HS Football (2-1 overall)

Everyone in South County is invited to Faith of our Neighbors, an educational program presented by the Interfaith CommUNITY of South County (ICSC) and the Interfaith Clergy Alliance.

Everyone in South County is invited to Faith of our Neighbors, an educational program presented by the Interfaith CommUNITY of South County (ICSC) and the Interfaith Clergy Alliance.

The Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a leader in water innovation in the region. Over the past decade, the center has provided purified water to enhance recycled water quality for non-potable uses such as irrigation and cooling towers.
Looking ahead, Valley Water is focused on expanding purified water for drinking. In the face of growing water challenges caused by climate change, local partnerships will be crucial to the success of purified drinking water.
I recently joined the mayors of San Jose and Santa Clara to mark the anniversary. Our collaboration is essential as Valley Water plans to build a new purified water facility in the coming years, further enhancing the region’s water security and resilience. We are committed to working together to create new infrastructure to secure a sustainable water future.
We are also excited to have participated in developing California's direct potable reuse regulations, which will go into effect in October. The new rules will provide us with new ways to use purified water for drinking in Santa Clara County.
In 2023, the Santa Clara County Medical Association endorsed the purified water project as a safe and healthy option to add to our water supply. After an extensive review process by the Division of Drinking Water and California Department of Public Health, we are now bottling purified water for every tour attendee to try.
Residents can sample the center's purified water, which uses advanced treatment processes such as microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light disinfection. The Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center is committed to raising public awareness about the safety and quality of purified water and its potential as a sustainable drinking water source for the community.
Our ability to bottle and share our purified water with the public for outreach purposes is an exciting milestone highlighting our dedication to providing sustainable water solutions.
As the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center enters its second decade of operation, Valley Water remains dedicated to delivering innovative and sustainable water solutions that meet the community's current and future needs.
Tony Estremera is the District 2 representative on the Valley Water board of directors.
The post Estremera: Moving forward on purified water appeared first on San José Spotlight.

Last year, Christopher toughened up on a hard preseason schedule and blitzed its league with a 10-0 record and a Central Coast Section playoff berth. This year, the Cougars have been shifted up to a higher division in the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

Gilroy recently had the distinct honor of welcoming Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren to our town, where she made a special stop at one of our most cherished small businesses, Arteaga's Food Center. Her visit underscored the vital importance of supporting local enterprises and addressing the challenges our community faces.

Local agencies finally have enough money to complete the Upper Llagas Creek Flood Protection Project, about 70 years after the massive infrastructure project was initially planned.

Local agencies finally have enough money to complete the Upper Llagas Creek Flood Protection Project, about 70 years after the massive infrastructure project was initially planned.