Santa Clara County Public Safety Digest

One year after a consultant said San Jose should expand the powers of the city’s police watchdog, city leaders have shot down the recommendation.

Workers are in the final stages of a long, $217 million project: Install a protective barrier at the Golden Gate Bridge. Roughly 2,000 people have died by suicide jumping from the bridge since it opened in 1937.

Days after Palo Alto officials broke ground on a housing complex for homeless residents, they received an application for a very different type of development at an adjacent site in the Baylands: a wastewater purification plant.

The San Jose Police Department will be getting more military-grade equipment, including projectile launchers that have been at the center of costly lawsuits. But some local community groups are strongly opposed to the purchases.

The County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health Services Department is scheduled to host a fentanyl education and Narcan training at the Rinconada Library.

Tustin Air Base was destroyed Nov. 7 in a raging fire that could last for days. Authorities said letting the 1942 hangar collapse was the only way to contain the fire.

Palo Alto City Council voted to permanently close California Avenue to cars.

A woman who suffered serious facial and oral injuries when a scooter she was riding struck a broken lamp post base in downtown San Jose is set to receive a $337,500 payout from the city.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan unveiled the first iteration of city “scorecards” to track progress in key areas,  hoping this will serve as a model nationwide.

A news report digging into police misconduct records found that a Mountain View officer was disciplined for social media posts that the department found discriminatory.

In a move that many students and parents wished had been made sooner, the Palo Alto school board approved a pair of resolutions that condemn the Hamas attack on Israel and denounce both antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Santa Clara City Council members agreed to allow for the rezoning of two parcels in the city's historic downtown, in addition to hearing a report from Police Chief Pat Nikolai about security at Levi's Stadium.

Members of the community argued during a school board meeting that a statement of support would go a long way in making Jewish students feel safe at their schools.

The FDA announced the changes to its blood donation eligibility guidelines in May, which now recommend asking donors about individual risk factors that may cause them to be more prone to contracting infections like HIV.

A U.S. District Court decision that overturns California’s assault weapons ban is igniting outrage among top state and local officials.

Drawing on violence in the Middle East, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan on Saturday doubled down on a promise to bolster public safety by hiring more police, holding repeat offenders accountable and cracking down on drugs during his first formal address.

One of San Jose’s most dangerous streets will be getting new safety features to protect children going to school.

The Palo Alto Unified School District will temporarily ban members of the public from addressing the school board via Zoom, a prohibition that was inspired by a series of lewd, racist comments that disrupted a City Council meeting.

San Jose could hand out more speeding tickets next year thanks to Assembly Bill 645, which legalizes the state’s use of surveillance cameras in school zones and “safety corridors” to catch speeding drivers for a five-year pilot program.

Middle and high school students across California will be protected by a new law requiring life-saving prevention and response resources for fentanyl overdoses under legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

For the time in Milpitas, public comments at public city meetings will not be submittable through Zoom in light of what’s called “Zoom-bombing,” a phrase for when participants crash meetings through Zoom and engage in harassment or hate speech.

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.

East Side Union High School District Superintendent Glenn Vander Zee has agreed to establish a school safety task force comprised of teachers, administrators, parents, students and board members to identify ways to make campuses safer districtwide.

The San Jose City Council unanimously approved a three-year, $479,000 contract with Chicago-based Benchmark Analytics for its Police Early Intervention Solution system. 

Long-anticipated traffic-calming measures are coming to California Street, with major changes to the thoroughfare that will make it safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers in Mountain View.

An East San Jose convenience store with a controversial history has received a permit to sell alcohol, despite concerns of underage drinking and increasing crime in the area.

The European Union has banned certain additives that are used in American candies and baked goods. California is on the cusp of prohibiting their sale by 2027.

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.

While other local towns, aiming to reduce crime, have opted to install automatic license plate readers and gunshot detection services, the Menlo Park City Council veered in a different direction.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills, authored by Assembly member Marc Berman, that empower the state DOJ to conduct firearm inspection and that require sellers to provide information about the risks of gun ownership.

A small number of wild birds have tested positive for West Nile virus in Redwood City, Menlo Park and other parts of San Mateo County, prompting authorities to ask the public to report any dead birds they encounter.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has identified nearly 500 “zones” that are ill-prepared to tolerate flooding, earthquakes, heat waves, wildfires, landslides and other natural hazards. California topped all states with 51 total zones, followed by 35 in Texas and 32 in Florida.