Santa Clara County Local News: Local Governments

As Santa Clara County grapples with growing numbers of deaths from overdoses of fentanyl and other opioids, the Behavioral Health Services Department is deploying a comprehensive set of initiatives to prevent overdose deaths in local communities, says a press release from the county.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, a Hollister Democrat, says that when it became clear that tax revenues would be substantially below estimates, the Legislature should commit to a budget that protects classroom funding.

In his recent debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that the state’s economy is “booming,” but a new report shows that it is actually slowing down.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival Association dished out $65,000 in donations to various organizations during a ceremony at Gilroy Presbyterian Church, continuing its long-standing tradition of giving back to the community.

Brian Canepa of W-Trans, the consulting firm hired by the city in September 2022, said multiple surveys of weekday parking in the broader downtown area revealed that only 44% of the 3,181 spaces were occupied during the peak hour of 10 a.m., noting that was before the new 144-space lot opened on Eigleberry and Seventh streets.

Gilroy officials are looking at updating a decades-old ordinance on food trucks, but some business owners are cautioning city leaders to not make it restrictive for those wanting to sell their wares downtown.

City officials say a housing proposal on Hecker Pass Highway does not meet the criteria for the so-called “builder’s remedy,” a provision of state law that allows developers to bypass local zoning requirements.