Santa Clara County Local News

While taking responsibility for managing hazardous and biological waste, county officials today said private contractors – not hospital employees – had been hired to handle hazardous and medical waste identified by the DA.

On a recent December afternoon, about 30 volunteers gathered at St. Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista to give their efforts to the sprawling, multifaceted Farmworker Caravan—an annual holiday donation drive for families in need in five counties.

On a recent December afternoon, about 30 volunteers gathered at St. Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista to give their efforts to the sprawling, multifaceted Farmworker Caravan—an annual holiday donation drive for families in need in five counties.

More multifamily home construction could be in San Jose's future, with the approval of a new developer incentive program.
The San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted 9-1 to squash financial penalties for developers who build less than the required 15% affordable housing benchmark, provided the projects are multifamily homes. Councilmember Peter Ortiz was the sole no vote.
Mahan, who spearheaded the council discussion, said city analysis shows hundreds of homes have been built downtown because of the existing high-rise incentives program, which officials recently extended. He said giving developers a break on one-time fees on affordable housing could mean more housing overall.
“The reality is that if we, particularly through one-time fees, try to meet all of those other obligations on the back of new housing construction, we will get less housing, which is our No. 1 need and our No. 1 crisis,” Mahan said. “We should think of it as a loss, because frankly, we got nothing this year, literally nothing.”
Up to 35 housing proposals totalling more than 10,000 homes are eligible, but only two to three projects are likely ready to move forward. Still, the incentive program is already achieving some of its intended outcomes, Housing Director Erik Soliván said.
Based on three potential projects analyzed by the housing department, developers could save up to $14 million in city-mandated fees through the multifamily housing incentive program.
“There are always trade-offs and balances in considering how best to incentivize market rate (housing) development, but that is for council and the mayor to consider how best to weigh those policy priorities based on staff recommendations and detailed analysis,” Soliván said at the meeting. “The probability of proceeding forward and reaching the target return on costs for certain projects is rather high.”

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The 41st annual Mission 10 Race will take place on Jan. 25, 2025. This year’s race will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Hollister, which sponsors and organizes the Mission 10 event.

‘Tis the season for gift giving! Why do you suppose most every religion expressed in the United States of America in the 21st century—and there are countless religions—all have a season set-aside for “gift giving”?

Business and city leaders are touting the recent opening of a 23-story apartment building as a major win in the effort to bring more people into downtown San Jose.
Representatives of Boston-based developer Morro, San Jose Downtown Association leaders and Mayor Matt Mahan earlier this month celebrated the opening of The Fay at 10 E. Reed St. — a 336-apartment high-rise complex marketed as luxury apartments. City officials approved almost $10 million in tax cuts for the project, which Mahan said incentivizes developers to invest in downtown San Jose.
“Get the investment, get the housing, the residents, all that vibrancy and then in the long run, know that by growing the pie and having more economic activity, we'll have the revenue to fund services,” Mahan said outside The Fay on Dec. 5. “I will thank my colleagues on the council for not just extending, but deepening the downtown high-rise fee waiver program.”
Russell Hancock, president and CEO of economic research group Joint Venture Silicon Valley, said the city’s fee waiver programs are a good strategy to attract more development downtown.
“People often refer to San Francisco as the crown jewel of the Bay Area, with its sweeping views and stunning properties. I think San Jose has felt like they’re in the shadow of that — well now something’s happened,” Hancock told San José Spotlight. “People have discovered San Jose, and these are serious people, investors, developers and cutting-edge architects.”
He said many developers view San Jose’s potential as a blank canvas that has yet to be fully realized.
Mahan toured The Fay about half a dozen times and told developers his vision for revitalizing downtown, Morro Vice President of Construction Curtis Wood said. In November, Mahan and Councilmembers Dev Davis and Pam Foley proposed an “Innovative Project Pathway Program” aimed at creating a streamlined approach to development in the downtown core.

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For six years in the State Assembly, and the last four years as State Senator, it has been an honor to represent Morgan Hill in the state legislature. Now that the election is over, the 17th Senate District boundaries move south, and Morgan Hill will no longer be in the Senate district I was just re-elected to.

Live Oak HS Boys Basketball (3-1 overall)

‘Tis the season for gift giving! Why do you suppose most every religion expressed in the United States of America in the 21st century—and there are countless religions—all have a season set-aside for “gift giving”?

Supervisor Cindy Chavez's final referral to county staff asked for options to address working conditions at residential care facilities and to contact stakeholders regarding the possible formation of an advisory council.
This recommendation aligns with the county's 2024 legislative policies that recommend: "Reform of Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly that increase frequency of State visits, improve monitoring practices, and provide complaint resolution." The referral, which passed unanimously, is the result of advocacy from caregivers, the Pilipino Association of Workers and Immigrants and the Santa Clara County Wage Theft Coalition.
Residential care facilities are private homes with six beds that provide 24-hour care and assistance with activities of daily living. There are two types of facilities: adult residential care facilities for developmentally disabled adults and residential care facilities for the elderly, for people 60 and older. There are 7,800 residential care facilities for the elderly in California.
An advisory council with workers, care home owners, worker and patient advocates and government agencies is needed to improve the intolerable working conditions at residential care facilities.
Caregivers in residential care facilities are vulnerable to wage theft, human trafficking, sexual harassment, physical and verbal abuse and retaliation including threats to call ICE if they report violations. The abusive working conditions and understaffing put patients and caregivers at risk, jeopardize caregivers’ health and safety and cause public health concerns.
Residential care facilities often accept residents who belong in skilled nursing facilities because they have acute medical needs or cognitive impairment that require on-going medical monitoring. Caregivers have not been properly trained to deal with acute care. Currently, there are no staffing ratios for residential care facilities for the elderly, other than a minimal staffing on the night shift. Many caregivers are above 50 or 60 years old with their own health problems. They are not permitted to use Hoyer lifts, so back injuries are common.
Wage theft in residential care facilities is prevalent, and 70% of judgments are unpaid. A 2021 Santa Clara County Wage Theft Coalition study revealed 1,628 wage theft cases in the county’s residential care industry affecting 3,474 employees. Caregivers lost a total of $15,328,942 in unpaid wages.
Labor Code 238 prohibits care homes from doing business in the state if they don’t pay wage theft judgments. The Department of Social Services receives names of care home owners who have not paid judgments from the state labor commissioner’s office, but the care homes continue to operate.
“There’s no accountability,” Hina Shah, formerly an associate law professor at Golden Gate University who directed the Women’s Employment Rights Clinic, said. Shah called conditions in many care homes “akin to modern-day slavery.”
The goals of a residential care facility advisory council should include the following:

Christopher HS Boys Basketball (3-0 overall)

Volunteer pilots win Rotary Club grant

Fruit picking, wine tasting and weddings — Silicon Valley leaders want to preserve the romance of their farmlands through tourism as the “Valley of Heart’s Delight” gives way to strip malls and tech campuses.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously moved forward with the idea of creating an economic development office to build a regional brand identity around South County agriculture. Proponents, led by South County District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas — argue it could breathe life into the sweeping rural landscape as a major visitor destination.
It’s unclear how much creating the office could cost. County finances are struggling, with officials juggling a $250 million budget deficit. Supervisors in the coming years will have to weigh tax dollars needed to support the county's public hospital system and social safety net services. County officials will report back to supervisors in February for a decision, with a proposal that includes possible mid-year budget allocations for the office’s creation.
Arenas said housing developments springing up in South County — namely under the builder's remedy legal tool allowing developers to bypass local zoning restrictions in areas that don't comply with state law — are threatening to erase the region’s history. She argued it’s critical to show the economic value of these lands in their current state.
"It isn’t viable if we don’t have additional support for those who are struggling to continue to be farmers in the last segment of farmland in our county," Arenas said at the meeting. "In our district we have about 23 out of roughly 60 or 65 builder’s remedy projects … on farmland, which is very telling of an issue that is making agricultural land viable and having it work for us."
Santa Clara County crops netted a gross value of $371 million in 2023 — a jump from $358 million in 2022, according to the county's most recent crop report.
The proposal goes beyond farmers, Arenas added.
“This is a proposal for economic development for unincorporated areas,” she said.

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A Southern California man and woman are accused of using a trending international online scam called “Pig Butchering” to try to steal more than $500,000 from an elderly San Jose man.

Silicon Valley’s main water supplier will maintain a hiring freeze in order to offset hundreds of millions of dollars in a budget shortfall.
Valley Water officials instituted a hiring freeze in February for 72 job vacancies amid a $222 million budget deficit for the fiscal year ending in June. The skyrocketing price tags for projects like the Anderson Dam and Pacheco Reservoir expansion — and the rising cost of cleaning waterways polluted by homeless residents — have caused a ballooning shortfall expected to increase to $300 million in 2024-25. That will grow to $350 million the following fiscal year, according to a March Valley Water presentation. Fifty positions are currently frozen and will remain so through fiscal year 2025-26.
The freezes have translated into about $1 million a month in savings, or roughly $9 million so far, according to Budget Manager Enrique De Anda. Managers have adapted by shifting tasks and reassigning employees, but the agency will likely hike water rates due to the cost increases for its capital projects.
“It will be a challenging year for the water utility,” De Anda said at a Nov. 26 board meeting. The rate increases will be discussed in the next few months.
Starting fiscal year 2026-27, Valley Water will release 10 frozen positions every year, and by fiscal year 2030-2031, the agency expects to lift the hiring freeze. Officials anticipate roughly $51 million in overall savings from the hiring freezes. Valley Water has about 900 employees.
The freeze will allow for critical positions to be filled so priority projects are not delayed. The agency does not anticipate any significant long-term impacts from the hiring freeze, Valley Water spokesperson Matt Keller said.
"Like everyone, Valley Water is facing financial challenges due to significant cost increases driven by high inflation," Keller told San José Spotlight. "Compounding that is the fact that Valley Water is facing substantial water rate increases over the next several years as we pay for the repair and replacement of our aging water supply infrastructure and invest in new infrastructure to address the impacts of climate change. Those water rate increases impact every resident and business in Santa Clara County. That’s why Valley Water is taking every action we can to reduce costs, including implementing a hiring freeze, delaying major projects and consolidating office space to avoid costly leases."

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Book sale benefits the library

Hello Gilroy! What a rewarding experience these last seven years have been. Since elected in 2018, then again in 2020, I have been dedicated to improving Gilroy’s financial stability and building a foundation from which our city services and necessary infrastructure can excel.

The City of Morgan Hill’s holiday tree was lit brightly on Dec. 7, when the local Kiwanis Club and members of the community celebrated the beginning of the winter holiday season with a slate of festivities in the downtown neighborhood. The tree is located in the front yard of the Morgan Hill Community & Cultural Center, at the corner of Monterey Road and Dunne Avenue.

Santa Clara County's top educator says a series of investigations into his ousted predecessor have revealed even more issues beyond major allegations of misspending public funds and malfeasance and now the findings are being turned over to authorities.
Former superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Dewan faces "deeply concerning" accusations of wrongdoing, according to a Dec. 10 letter from Charles Hinman, the interim Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools. Although he doesn't go into details about these new allegations, he has turned the information over to the authorities.
Dewan office's allegedly approved inappropriate expenditures of public funds, approved suspicious and unnecessary contracts, conducted unauthorized surveillance and used public dollars for personal legal fees. She's also accused of conducting "clandestine" investigations into some employees and Board of Education members, which were alleged to be retaliatory.
The board voted in closed session in October to fire Dewan.
Dewan didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hinman said he shared his latest findings with Board of Education members this week, just before the swearing in of the district’s newly-elected trustees. According to his letter, the investigations' findings are being turned over to authorities, including the Santa Clara District Attorney's office and Sheriff's Office, state attorney general, among others. Hinman said the board will cooperate to hold Dewan accountable for any "malfeasance and misfeasance."
"Under the leadership of a new superintendent who will no doubt choose to work cooperatively with the board, the County Office of Education is now providing the steady hand needed to move forward, with the accountability and transparency the community demands," Hinman wrote.
The Santa Clara County Office of Education is responsible for overseeing the special education services, migrant education and Head Start and state preschool programs, as well as services for delinquent students at risk of expulsion. The office provides academic and fiscal oversight for the county's 31 school districts and monitoring for the county's 21 authorized charter schools.​
Dewan’s firing without cause sent shockwaves through the county’s political circles and met fierce pushback from state lawmakers – even prompting calls for a civil grand jury investigation. The school board majority that supported Dewan’s ouster has made few public remarks about their decision. But hints about their motivations came after it made an “extraordinary” request for third-party audits into misuse of school district funds during Dewan’s tenure.

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