Santa Clara County Families & Children Digest

Senate Bill 274 bars willful defiance or low-level behavioral issues from suspending students in grades six through 12.

Kaiser patients waited 19 days for follow-up mental health appointments in 2019, nine days longer than state law permits. The settlement includes the largest-ever penalty issued by California’s behavioral health regulator.

By July of next year, it will be illegal for public schools in California to suspend students for low-level behavior issues after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation banning “willful defiance” suspensions among TK through 12th grade.

The Sunnyvale City Council is slated to award a $3.9 million contract for pedestrian improvements in the Sunnyvale Neighbors of Arbor community, which includes La Linda and the San Miguel neighborhood.

An affordable housing development centered on homeless foster youth will break ground in San Jose next month.

The Palo Alto Police Department has assigned a crossing guard to Escondido Elementary School after a 12-year-old boy was hit by a car, galvanizing parents to advocate for traffic safety around campus.

Newsom rejected Senate Bill 799, which would have paid striking workers California unemployment benefits after two weeks, and SB 686, which would have extended workplace safety protections to domestic workers, such as housekeepers and nannies.

Several anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers are advertising abortion pill reversal. California Attorney General Rob Bonta calls the claims false advertising that mislead vulnerable patients.

A small group of activists want California voters to decide whether transgender minors should be allowed to receive puberty blockers, hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries.

Three key foster youth programs are set to receive more money from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors that will help kids in the classroom and even after they turn their tassels.

Children of color and those who live in low-income households face disproportionate disparities in education, poverty levels and housing, according to the 2023 Santa Clara County Children’s Data Book.

Rengstorff Park is set to be home to a Magical Bridge playground, which is designed to be accessible for people of all ages, including those with physical and cognitive disabilities.

East San Jose is primed to help its youngest residents with a new center to shape their academic future as the Cesar Chavez Early Learning Center opens its doors.

The city of Milpitas is launching a new event called Retro Milpitas. The idea is to offer residents a a chance to experience the Milpitas of the 1970s through the 2000s.

Many California caregivers are aging immigrants making near-minimum wage. Two bills to improve pay and safety could benefit elderly Californians facing a caregiver shortage.

Great need was faced down by great generosity at Bill Wilson Center’s 50th anniversary celebration at the Santa Clara Convention Center on May 19 and attended by more than 350 supporters. Adele and Carl Peterson set the pace with a $50,000 matching gift challenge that was quickly met.

Experts say high-quality care is so vital for small children. It’s also why the ongoing child care crisis is so worrisome and why President Joe Biden’s administration is once again trying to address the issue on a national scale.

Mountain View is readying for hundreds of new homes to come online in the next decade. What remains an open question is how local school districts will accommodate the expected influx of students.

Moving forward, young teens and children who take a trip to California’s Great America will need to do so with a chaperone. Now, any guests 15 years old or younger must have a chaperone who is at least 21 years old.

After more than 20 years of steady growth, Palo Alto has seen a recent reduction in the number of students biking to campus. Now, city and school officials are looking to restore momentum to the Safe Routes to School program.

From brainy write-ups to passionate pleas for reform, here are selected excerpts from CalMatters' Earth Day op-ed contest.

A new study by UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs analyzed 18 years of data from the California Healthy Kids Survey to find massive drops in violence and weapons incidents throughout California.

The Los Altos Teen Center, housed inside of the Community Center, was recently renovated. Anyone in grades 6-12 may attend for free, and operating hours are 3:30-6:30 p.m. on weekdays.

The El Camino Health and the El Camino Healthcare District donated nearly $1 million during the 2022 calendar year to Santa Clara County community partners in an effort to improve nutrition education.

Josh Selo—who last month took the reins at the Bill Wilson Center, which helps homeless teens—faced bullying and intimidation as a gay youth.

Senate Bill 9, introduced by state Sen. Dave Cortese in December, would raise the age limit of young adults who are terming out of the foster care system from age 21 to 26.

Two of Santa Clara County’s largest school districts took police off campuses in 2020. Three years later, advocates said the districts have expanded mental health programs and other services in lieu of funding police contracts.

Parents voiced anger over plans to eliminate programs for students with moderate to severe disabilities at two elementary schools.

Scout Blood is an organization devoted to saving lives through blood donations in developing countries, created by San Jose-based 11th-grader Annmaria.

With its new home at Children's Health Council in Palo Alto, the Schwab Learning Center's reach is now expanding beyond Stanford to the wider community.

The school district is moving ahead with plans to create requirements for its child care providers after plans to reduce space for two providers drew backlash.

After balking last month, Palo Alto approved a plan to welcome dinosaur sculptures to its newly renovated Junior Museum and Zoo.