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San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
Supt. Of Schools Dewan Says Board Met and Acted Illegally When It Fired Her

Mary Ann Dewan was dismissed Oct. 2 after six years leading the county Office of Education. She is now demanding reinstatement, claiming the board violated California’s Brown Act and had no authority to fire her.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Uses AI to Streamline Government

San Jose is a beehive of artificial intelligence innovation, with the city continuing its integration of the technology into every day services to improve the lives of residents.
Now that AI is more accessible than ever, Mayor Matt Mahan along …

Los Gatan logo LOCAL NEWS
Gail Pellerin Among Top 4 Stock Investors in California Legislature

The total stock portfolio of the Legislature was worth as much as $112 million last year but experts say the public should know more about a politician’s total wealth.

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Looks for Missing Medi-Cal Members

Low-income residents in Santa Clara County are losing their state-sponsored health care at a time when the public hospital system is experiencing unprecedented demand for services.
Medi-Cal members dropped from 458,000 to 425,000 in the county between June 2023 to …

San Jose Spotlight logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County deputy overtime contributes to ballooning deficit

This year, a multimillion-dollar deficit won't just threaten Santa Clara County's essential public services — it will force county leaders to reckon with a decade-long overspending crisis in the Sheriff's Office.
Since 2013, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office has …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Mayor’s Update: Gilroy’s next two years

In June the City Council approved our financial budget for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. For the next two years this budget drives the City’s spending and funding allocations within the limits of our revenue sources. As your mayor and …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Will Target Junk, Weeds, Graffiti in Aggressive Cleanup Program

San Jose will no longer wait for citizen complaints to remove graffiti, junk cars and trash from city streets in downtown and other selected areas.

Metro Silicon Valley logo LOCAL NEWS
Caste Action

State Senator Aisha Wahab of District 10 is confident her bill to end caste discrimination will fare well in the State Assembly before the summer recess begins pending budget approval on July 14. Co-authored with Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, the bill …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Agency mulls Gilroy’s annexation request

A plan to annex 55 acres of land into Gilroy’s city limits, which could eventually house 307 residential units, may be considered in early 2023 after more than 20 years in the works. Known as the Wren Investors and Hewell …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
DA Rosen Quits Twitter, Says Musk Is Spreading ‘Hatred and Bigotry’

The district attorney also is asking all elected district attorneys throughout the U.S. to take their offices off Twitter.

Los Gatan logo LOCAL NEWS
New Grand Jury to be sworn-in Dec. 15

The Santa Clara County Superior Court will discharge the 2022 Civil Grand Jury and impanel 19 new Civil Grand Jury members on Dec. 15, Presiding Judge Theodore C. Zayner said today. The Civil Grand Jury, an arm of the Santa …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Reminds Gun Owners of New Year’s Day Deadline to Comply with Gun Insurance Law

Firearm owners are encouraged to apply for a city of San Jose insurance attestation form to provide proof of insurance coverage.

Morgan Hill Times logo LOCAL NEWS
City of Morgan Hill gets AAA rating

S&P Global Ratings has assigned the City of Morgan Hill an issuer credit rating of AAA, the highest possible credit rating from S&P, with a stable outlook, says a press release from the City of Morgan Hill. S&P’s AAA rating …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Heat Warning Extends to Thursday; More Flex Alerts Issued

A statewide Flex Alert has been issued for Sept. 5 as a heat wave impacts the Golden State with blistering temperatures over the Labor Day weekend and beyond. The alert for Labor Day is the sixth consecutive day that the …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
Santa Clara County Supervisors OK Cash Payments to Needy High School Seniors

The plan is a local version of a statewide bill proposed by Sen. Dave Cortese that failed to win legislative approval. Senate Bill 1341 would have financially supported homeless teenagers in their last five months of high school.

Los Gatan logo LOCAL NEWS
County blocked homeowner’s attempt to access CZU insurance money before two-year deadline

The Santa Clara County Department of Planning and Development has been preventing a homeowner in the Lexington Hills area of Los Gatos from accessing public documents needed to fix damage caused by the storm that sparked the 2020 CZU Lightning …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
San Jose Police Contract Talks Boil Over into Public Debate

While the San Jose Police Officers Association claims response times are growing and predicted a “mass exodus” of officers because of pay and working conditions, the city counters that the department has the lowest vacancy rate in a decade, and …

San Jose Inside logo LOCAL NEWS
Silicon Valley Power Launches EV Charging Assistance Program for Multifamily Housing, Schools

The program launched by the electric utility owned and operated by the City of Santa Clara will help multifamily properties, schools, and businesses successfully plan, fund and install EV charging stations.

Featured

California's sprawling public education system encompasses approximately 10,500 schools.
California’s Education System: How the Bureaucracy Works
How California's extensive public school system is organized and managed, explained.
States have expansive powers to protect the health of the general public.
The State’s Broad Power to Protect Public Health, Explained
Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health.
RCDs look after the land, whether it’s used for grazing, growing, or getting out into nature.
California Dirt
RCDs were created to avoid a repeat of the Dust Bowl. Now they work with landowners to preserve the air, water and natural habitats that sustain us all.
Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population
How local government tries to control the world’s deadliest wild animal—the mosquito.
There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained
Areas that the county overlooks can form their own local governments.
California continues to work on legislation that would make voting easier.
Voting Rites
And more bills are on the way to help you make your mark on Election Day.
Over two weekends last October, residents of Santa Cruz and Watsonville  participated in demonstration rides aboard an electric streetcar on rails.
The ‘Rail Trail’ Movement, Explained
The heated controversy over what to do with abandoned railroad tracks
California transportation history runs from railroads to today’s car culture.
California’s History of Transportation: From Railroads to Highways
The history of transportation in California has shaped the state, from the earliest stagecoach to today’s car culture.
The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here
The making of Gov. Newsom's plan to help get mentally ill Californians into treatment.
Moss Landing in Monterey Bay is the world’s largest battery storage facility for solar and other renewable energy.
Solar Power and California’s Clean Energy Goals
How the sun is helping push the state toward 100 percent renewable energy.
Owning homes is the primary way the middle class builds wealth, and an option no longer available to most Californians.
Is California’s Housing Crisis Making Inequality Worse?
California has some of the worst economic inequality in the United States. Is housing a cause? Could it be a cure?
The California Supreme Court has defined the state’s legal and political agenda for more than 170 years.
How the California Supreme Court Blazes Legal Trails
From its beginnings in the Gold Rush, the state Supreme Court continues to define the state today.
Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society
Zoning is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
How Land Reclamation Hurts California’s Environment
The hidden price tag of “reclaiming” swamps and marshes as usable land.
The Pajaro River levee broke during the 2023 atmospheric river storms, flooding the town of Pajaro.
Is California Ready for More Extreme Weather Driven by Climate Change?
Increasingly extreme weather events are already testing California’s preparedness.
Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does
How a nuclear plant, a real estate development and an oil spill led to a landmark law.
Translated from the Greek, “Democracy” means “people power.” How much power do the people have in California?
People Power! What Is Democracy, and How Does It Work in California?
The Goddess of Democracy is alive and well in California, but that hasn’t always been true.
Long-duration energy storage, such as this thermal energy storage facility, allows renewable energy sources to operate at full capacity without overloading the power grid.
How California Leads the Race For Long Duration Energy Storage
For renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to be viable, ways to store the power they create are essential.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
California has a goal of 6 million heat pumps cooling and heating buildings by 2030.
6 Million New Heat Pumps: Essential to California's Climate Future
Installing 6 million heat pumps by 2030 is essential if California is to reach its goal of net zero carbon emissions.
Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law
54-year-old environmental law is often blamed for causing the state’s housing crisis. Is it getting a bad rap?
The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works
More than half of California farmland is under contracts that prevent its development.
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