Santa Clara County Local News

A crypto investor seeking to reduce financial risk would not go wrong with diversification, as it is listed among the basic principles of investing that can aid in mitigating portfolio risk.

When disaster strikes, California gets federal funding to hire temporary workers to clean debris. But the jobs are tough, and some agencies struggle to manage the grants.

An extension of the BART system into San Jose tops the list of 65 infrastructure projects in Santa Clara County in 2024.

The mayor of Northern California’s largest city has sized up Gov. Gavin Newsom more and more in the past year — building his statewide profile as a centrist foil for other Democrats in the process. But when, if ever, will the state be ready for San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan to become governor?
Articulate, young and always camera-ready, Mahan is already building name recognition up and down the state. He publicly ruffled Newsom’s feathers on crime and homelessness in August. Now he appears to be casting doubt on the governor’s attempt to strategize Californian political resistance to another Donald Trump presidency.
In view of TV news cameras last week, Mahan publicly dismissed the political theater of a Trump-focused legislative session that Newsom convened in Sacramento. He instead urged California Democrats to go “back to basics” of what matters to people in the state, such as housing affordability, cost of living, and quality public schools.
But Mahan wasn’t speaking to a Bay Area TV anchor. He was in Southern California, sitting down with FOX LA.
“Listen to ordinary people about the issues that affect their daily lives. Be honest that the policies and programs we have in place are not always delivering the outcomes we need,” Mahan said.
The differences between both Democrats — whose offices declined to comment for this story — didn’t start there.
Political cloud formations
Earlier this year, Mahan campaigned and fundraised for Proposition 36, a voter-approved statewide ballot measure that heightens criminal charges for retail theft and drug crimes. Mahan argues the measure will enhance local courts’ ability to bring people into treatment, reduce crime and erase sidewalk tents. But the measure undermined Newsom’s own legislative efforts tackling the relationship between mental health, drugs, criminal justice and homelessness.
It prompted Newsom — who has criticized Proposition 36 as a draconian return to the war on drugs — to summon a news conference at a Home Depot in San Jose, where he signed a handful of anti-crime bills. Mahan wasn't in attendance despite supporting those bills.
Some believe the clouds are forming around a bid for higher office — and Mahan knows it. When asked about eyeing the governorship on Dec. 6, his response was immediate.
“I don’t want to run for governor. I want to run San Jose. I love this job. I have the opportunity if the voters decide to do this for eight more years,” Mahan told FOX LA. “I want to make San Jose work and make it a model for the rest of the state, but I am talking about statewide issues and Sacramento a lot because the truth is, we can't solve it alone in one city. So many of our policies — the funding we have — is all tied together.”
There may be early signs of a statewide electorate receptive to the 42-year-old tech entrepreneur. In recent years, the tech elite has ascended to new political heights. Several tech CEOs, including Sam Altman of Open AI and Elon Musk of X (formerly Twitter), Tesla and SpaceX, have won coveted advisor roles for newly-elected and powerful American leaders this year. But Mahan — who launched several civics-focused tech startups with the likes of Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff — embodies the nexus of tech and politics.

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The Sunnyvale City Council is about to see a demographic shift that will make its representation more reflective of the city’s population.
The city will have a female majority on council with the election of Eileen Le in District 6 and Charlsie Chang in District 4, along with Councilmember Alysa Cisneros’ reelection in District 2 and sitting Councilmember Linda Sell. The city will also have its first Asian American majority, with Le and Chang alongside Sell and Vice Mayor Murali Srinivasan bringing a new dimension to the council.
Based on the 2020 census, Sunnyvale has a population of 155,805, and about half the population is Asian American. The city council hasn't had a female majority since the 1990s, when Mayor Patricia Castillo, Vice Mayor Robin Parker and Councilmembers Frances Rowe and Barbara Waldman served.
“The more diversity you have on council, the more you can be reflective of the wider community, and then your decisions will be representative of that diversity,” Sell told San José Spotlight.
She said switching to district elections made running for city council more accessible, and is likely the reason the city’s elected officials have been more diverse in the past few years.
Making elections more accessible helped the city reach multiple demographic milestones. Not only was Sell the first Asian American woman on the city council when voters elected her in 2022, Srinivasan also became the first Indian American on the council that year.

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A grant of $1,749,800 from the Valley Health Foundation will help the YMCA of Silicon Valley expand and enhance childcare services for families in Gilroy.

A grant of $1,749,800 from the Valley Health Foundation will help the YMCA of Silicon Valley expand and enhance childcare services for families in Gilroy.

Add one more person to the list of employers feeling the Bay Area's cost of living pains: An incoming Silicon Valley congressman looking for legislative staff and office space.
Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo will be the region's first new congressman in decades, and he’s at the early stages of building his teams to serve in the Bay Area and Washington, D.C. His first session in the House of Representatives is Jan. 3, but he said his limited budget to get a team rolling doesn’t match the extraordinary expense of paying employees in California. And while the lease is up for the Palo Alto congressional office of his retiring predecessor, Rep. Anna Eshoo, the location won't work for Liccardo. The 54-year-old Capitol freshman said he's prioritizing people.
“Palo Alto office space is not cheap. We need to pay people more to live here and we also need to pay more for things like rent. We are still sorting out the numbers,” Liccardo told San José Spotlight. “We’re spending every possible dollar we have on people and having a really good team. That means we’re looking for relatively cheap options for offices.”
He's gotten help from a familiar name around town — Matt Hammer, the son of the late former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer. The 56-year-old political strategist, previously a policy and climate advisor for Liccardo's congressional campaign, served as Liccardo's transition director over the last month.
Hammer said Liccardo will have his pick of D.C. talent. President Joe Biden's administration is phasing out, and scores of Democratic bureaucrats are preparing to look for work when President-elect Donald Trump's Republican administration begins.
"There are a lot of incredibly experienced, talented people looking for work because of what happened in the election," Hammer told San José Spotlight. "We’ve had lots and lots of interested people applying — people in the Biden administration, people who have been working for Democrat legislators who are retiring or lost election. The situation is quite different on the other side of the aisle, who will be in greater competition for experienced people because they'll hold majorities in both the House and Senate."
Liccardo said he's also selected his chief of staff in D.C., but he and Hammer declined to say who. Sources tell San José Spotlight Liccardo is close to picking Tim Delmonico, an administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. Before that role, Delmonico was chief of staff for Congressman Raul Ruiz, a California Democrat representing Imperial County and parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Delmonico declined to comment.
Congressman-elect Sam Liccardo at his election night party on Nov. 5, 2024. Photo by Brandon Pho.
A geographic issue
Liccardo’s office space decisions reflect the issues he’ll be tackling on Capitol Hill. Rent and wages are one area. But a map of Liccardo’s district, which spans San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, shows why his constituents will need more than one local office.

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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)