Santa Clara County Public Safety Articles

California will soon add a new emergency hotline service with the number 988. Here’s the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.

Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health, even to suspend laws and commandeer private property. Here’s why, and how it works.

Noise is a form of pollution that threatens public health like any other type of environmental pollution. Here's what federal, state and local governments are doing to quiet things down.

A combination of factors all related to climate change are fueling the ‘unprecedented’ growth of the Caldor Fire in El Dorado County.

PG&E has a long history of starting wildfires, including the Dixie Fire, with equipment failures. Now, a federal judge wants the company to hand over information on the fires it has started this year.

As a new wildfire burned through Nevada and Placer counties, federal officials said they would now be more aggressive fighting fires.

The state of California, as well as some local governments, will soon require all public employees to be vaccinated against COVID. Here’s why they’re taking that step.

AB 1185, authorizing civilian sheriff's oversight bodies, was one of the few law enforcement reform bills to pass in the wake of the George Floyd protests. What does the law accomplish, and will it make a difference?

After admitting a power line may have started the Dixie Megafire in Butte County, PG&E now says it will place 10,000 miles of power lines underground.

Climate scientists say that global warming is making wildfire season much worse. Here's how climate change causes fires to be more destructive.

Mask requirements appear to be on the way back in California, including for fully vaccinated people. Here's why.

PG&E waited five days to report that one of its power lines may have sparked the Dixie Fire, which is burning across Plumas and Butte counties.

The delta variant and often lagging vaccination rates are putting California in new danger from COVID-19.

A new report reveals that only 20 counties have complied with a law requiring release of workplace COVID outbreak data.

As fire, heat waves and drought threaten the state’s water and power supplies, the governor calls for consumers to cut back on use.

Work begins on what officials say is an essential seismic upgrade to Anderson Dam, draining the reservoir even though Santa Clara County is in the middle of a drought.

Homeowners whose fire insurance policies were not renewed remain frustrated in their fight to get them back.

Pacific Gas & Electric is asking customers to pay more for protection from wildfires caused by PG&E.

The court system is our most direct contact with the government. Here's a brief explanation of Santa Clara County's Superior Court, how it works and what it does.

A Superior Court Judge has placed at least some limits on the governor's power to impose health-related restrictions. Here's what that means.