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Santa Clara County Community Service & Support Digest



Bike Palo Alto Returns After 4-Year Gap

09/28/2023

Bike Palo Alto, a local bicycling event organized by volunteers, is back after a long pandemic hiatus. The two-hour fair will be held on Sunday, Oct. 1, from 1-3 p.m. at Fairmeadow Elementary School.

California Community College Enrollment On the Rise, But One Group Lags Behind

09/26/2023

After a historic decline in community college enrollment during the pandemic, students are returning to school again, according to the state’s most recent data. But students between the ages of 20 and 30 are lagging behind.

California Sues ‘Crisis’ Pregnancy Centers That Promise ‘Abortion Pill Reversal’

09/21/2023

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.

California Health Care Workers Would Get $25 Minimum Wage Under New Deal

09/11/2023

A last-minute legislative deal would raise pay for California health care workers while giving medical providers a guarantee that they won’t have to battle local measures on employee compensation.

Sunnyvale Community Services Helps Local Students Get ‘Ready to Learn’

09/07/2023

At Sunnyvale Community Services’ day-long ‘Ready to Learn’ event, staffers at the nonprofit began giving away essential school supplies and gift cards to underserved students.

Santa Clara County Helps Salvation Army Add Housing

08/18/2023

County officials are hoping to coordinate support for the Salvation Army’s expansion of Emmanuel House shelter at 359 N. Fourth St. from 70 beds to 112 during a 10-month renovation project.

California Fire Foundation Issues Call to Help Maui Fire Victims

08/14/2023

The California Fire Foundation has set up a disaster relief fund to support the people and firefighters impacted by the recent firestorm in Maui.

Cal State Pushes Back on Community College Plan to Offer Bachelor’s Degrees

08/10/2023

A new law allows community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees, an option for students unable to attend a four-year institution. But California State University officials are objecting to many of those proposed programs.

Silicon Valley Black Cultural Center Gets a Boost

08/10/2023

The Silicon Valley African American Cultural Center is slated to open its doors in 2027, with the help of $3 million in state funds.

Out—Hot Dogs. In—Vegan Masala. California School Lunches Go Gourmet

08/09/2023

Last year California began providing free school lunches to all TK-12 students, regardless of family income. Now, with an influx of state and federal money, school districts are revamping kitchens and training staff so they can provide freshly made, healthy meals.

Knight Foundation Without San Jose Director for Nearly a Year

08/08/2023

Local nonprofit leaders are growing anxious as a national philanthropic organization that has given heavily in San Jose for nearly two decades has been without a program director in the city since September of 2022.

Santa Clara County-Based Study Shows Emergency Assistance Reduces Risk of Homelessness

08/02/2023

A new study suggests that relatively modest financial efforts to prevent homelessness have been remarkably successful. Vulnerable residents receiving emergency financial help were 81% less likely to become homeless within six months and 73% less likely within 12 months.

Medical Cannabis Paved the Way for Legalization in California. Now Patients Feel Left Behind

07/31/2023

Frustration runs deep among medical cannabis patients and advocates who say the commercial market created by Proposition 64 in 2016 isn’t meeting their needs.

Nonprofit Offering Low-Cost Therapy to Temporarily Close Clinic

07/27/2023

Community Health Awareness Council, which has offered low-cost therapy in Mountain View for 50 years, is closing its clinic because of financial struggles.

California Farmworkers Embroiled in Labor Investigations to Get Free Lawyers

07/20/2023

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will spend $4.5 million on free legal services for undocumented workers involved in state investigations of wage theft or other labor violations. The lawyers can help with their immigration cases.

East San Jose Free Food Market Targets Hunger Crisis

07/13/2023

Free food distribution is still essential for East San Jose residents, as evidenced by the line around the block of Mexican Heritage Plaza twice a month waiting for food donated by Second Harvest of Silicon Valley.

San Jose Nonprofit Code Red Fights Period Poverty, Homelessness

07/11/2023

Campbell resident Anjani Nabar and San Jose resident Sameet Das, both students at Mitty High School in Willow Glen, founded the nonprofit Code Red to support people facing both period poverty and homelessness by providing them with hygiene kits.

Palo Alto Museum ‘Breaks Ground’ as Restoration Is Set to Begin

07/05/2023

In a ceremony outside the historic Roth Building, advocates of the Palo Alto Museum celebrated their future home’s restoration, set to begin in July, by posing for a photo holding symbolic scoops of soil with golden shovels.

Philanthropist Eva Kastan Grove Dies at 87

07/03/2023

Eva Kastan Grove, a local philanthropist who co-founded the Grove Foundation with her husband, former Intel CEO Andy Grove, passed away May 31 after a short but fierce illness.

Troubled Nursing Home Chain Owner Gets New Licenses Before Reforms Take Effect

06/29/2023

California health officials say granting the licenses prevents the eviction of hundreds of residents from their homes and provides oversight provisions, including a two-year monitoring period.

Newsom Proposes Boost in Mental Health Funds. Children’s Advocates are Worried

06/20/2023

The spending change would prioritize housing for homeless people, which children's mental health advocates fear will cut their funding.

Bill Wilson Center Celebrates 50 Years of Helping Youths

06/11/2023

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.

Unpermitted Vendors Put San Jose’s Christmas in the Park at Risk

06/11/2023

Christmas in the Park could lose some of its magic this year due to unpermitted vendors crowding the streets and sidewalks—but the groups that host the downtown San Jose celebration aren’t ready to give up just yet.

Rainbow Flags Stolen in San Jose

06/05/2023

More than 75 rainbow flags have been stolen as National Pride Month kicks off. It's become a reoccurring issue for real estate agent Holly Barr, who buys and places the flags on Willow Glen's main street, Lincoln Avenue.

With 600 Miles to Go, Solar Cyclists Hope for Sun

06/05/2023

A group of eight cyclists is pedaling toward Los Angeles to raise awareness of solar-powered bikes and sustainable transportation.

CHAC to Potentially Partner With County

05/23/2023

The Community Health Awareness Council, which is based in Mountain View, has been dealing with financial distress since COVID-19. It now might find relief in a partnership with the county.

Mountain View Public Safety Foundation Helps Local Seniors in Need

05/16/2023

Resident Bakary Diame comes to the Mountain View Senior Center almost every day to enjoy a meal and socialize with his friends, and he relies on a careful combination of biking and public transit to get there.

San Jose Youth Corps Lacks Hazard Training, Audit Shows

04/28/2023

Since 1987, the San Jose Conservation Corps has enlisted thousands of young adults in job training programs, but nothing prepared them for what they uncovered while cleaning up parks and trails. A recent city audit found that some of young adults weren't trained to handle used needles, broken glass and other dangerous materials.

More Churches Step Up to Provide ‘Safe Parking’

04/26/2023

When Palo Alto rolled out in 2020 a new program that allowed local congregations to host vehicle dwellers on their lots, the Highway Community Bible Church was the first to step up to the plate. Now, it's the first to seek renewal.

CSA Gets New Building Lease

04/25/2023

Los Altos Community Services Agency, which has expanded several times over the past few decades, has retained its same space. Now, after making a deal with the school district, the agency will get a bigger, better building to continue providing essential services to the city.

Los Altos Habitat Restored

04/25/2023

Members of various nature groups, including Grassroots Ecology, the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the city of Los Altos, worked together to restore Manresa Trail at Redwood Grove Nature Preserve in Los Altos.

Willow Glen Kickstarts Home Tour

04/24/2023

A Lifestyles Home Tour in Willow Glen will once again be offered, this time on May 6-7. All proceeds will benefit the San Jose Day Nursery. This is the 39th year of the tour, with five grand homes on display.