County of Santa Clara Government News Digest

Taking steps to address the region’s housing crisis, Santa Clara County has committed $47.4 million to help pay for six affordable housing developments, with $31.4 million allocated for projects in Mountain View and Palo Alto.

The San Jose Earthquakes and South Bay officials are taking a big step in long-held plans to develop a public and private soccer field complex at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.

Santa Clara County is expediting the implementation of new conservatorship rules for people suffering from severe mental illness and substance use disorders.

The race for the District 2 Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors seat continues to grow more contested, with education trustee Van Le announcing her candidacy.

The pain for Indigenous tribes in Santa Clara County is generational, dating back hundreds of years. The county's Muwekma Ohlone people, once a population of 30,000, now number at about 600.

Santa Clara County has agreed to a $90,000 settlement with a Muslim woman who said her hijab was inappropriately removed when she was being booked into jail last year.

Santa Clara County is the second-most expensive county in the nation to buy a home, yet demand is still strong.

Jennifer Celaya is the latest hopeful to hop into the contested race for the District 2 seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. The 42-year-old unsuccessfully challenged veteran politician and current Supervisor Cindy Chavez in 2020.

Senate Bill 335, authored by Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), allows Santa Clara County—which has the fourth highest sales tax rate in the state—to put a measure on a ballot before December 2028 to increase the sales tax rate by 0.625%.

A plan to build an estate home in Coyote Valley was killed Nov. 7. Siding with open space advocates, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to allow the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority to acquire the vacant 4.6-acre property though eminent domain.

The South Bay Labor Council’s endorsements for the November 2024 election reveal notable surprises and omissions.

Santa Clara County now files the second-highest number of gun-violence restraining orders in the state, with cases involving people known to be armed and threatening themselves and others. But an array of court fights could upend the legal foundation for red-flag laws.

Neurologist Peter Fung, 56, of Sunnyvale, has entered the race for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, joining Mountain View Councilwoman Margaret Abe-Koga and Sally Lieber, a member of the state Board of Equalization.

Tech might be king in Silicon Valley, but the economic effect of arts and culture on the region should not be brushed aside—it brings millions of dollars into Santa Clara County.

A Santa Clara County spokesperson said the county granted permission to the city to clear out Four Corners after conditions at the encampment had “deteriorated” from a recent homicide, suicide, overdoses and arson.

Nurses and supporters are holding rallies at three Santa Clara County health facilities as part of a day of action calling on county leaders to support improved working conditions for nurses.

A new report bolsters the importance of guaranteed basic income programs as a lifeline for families in Santa Clara County who can’t afford the necessities.

San Jose State University envisions partnering with public school districts across Santa Clara County to combat the housing crisis and the soaring cost of living dilemma that has driven teachers and students out of the Bay Area.

Setting aside concerns from city staff, the Palo Alto City Council officially endorsed an effort to create a new Joint Powers Authority that would advocate on behalf of all Santa Clara County cities and towns.

New data from the Santa Clara County assessor's office shows a significant number of properties declining in value from 2,595 last year to 19,325 this year.

Santa Clara County has settled an unfair labor practice charge with Valley Physicians Group, a union representing more than 450 doctors in the county health system.

After decades of building and buying housing in surrounding cities, Stanford University will now look to own campus for future residential growth under a plan approved by Santa Clara County supervisors.

As Santa Clara County prepares to approve new policies for Stanford University's growth, Palo Alto and the university are at loggerheads over a key question: Can the university's campus accommodate most of its future housing needs?

A pilot program developed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney, county office of pretrial services,  sheriff's department and the San Jose Police Department will amend a form officers use when when booking someone arrested for a crime.

The construction of an inpatient psychiatric hospital that will serve Santa Clara County’s youngest residents is another step closer to becoming a reality.

Three Santa Clara County departments will move to the new West Tasman campus in San Jose: the Assessor’s Office, Department of Tax and Collections, and the Clerk-Recorder’s Office.

Inadequate housing and resources have plagued local farmworkers for decades. That might take a favorable turn if Santa Clara County officials prioritize their needs.

Amid speeches and lunch, Santa Clara County’s Commission on the Status of Women commemorated its 50-year anniversary at LinkedIn headquarters in Mountain View on Aug. 24.

The use of artificial intelligence has spread like wildfire into the world of fire prevention in Santa Clara County. County officials are implementing AI sensors to analyze air temperature and particles in the air to locate fires and prevent larger ones from igniting.

Lehigh Cement Plant, which provided material for landmark Bay Area structures, will remain closed permanently, following an agreement with Santa Clara County.