Santa Clara County Community Service & Support Digest

State audits of the University of California and the California State University found both systems have failed to comply with decades-old state and federal laws mandating the return of Native ancestral remains and cultural artifacts. Only UCLA and Cal State Long Beach have returned a majority of their collections.

For the past 25 years, Siobhan Kenney headed up food drives and gotten up on chilly Thanksgiving mornings to lead the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot. But in early 2024, she’ll be retiring from her position at Applied Materials.

The financial aid application for undocumented students is cumbersome and confusing, and many students aren’t completing the forms. A new law streamlines the process.

A Palo Alto family has made another $100,000 donation to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund, its 13th year of supporting the campaign, which provides grants to local non-profits serving kids and families in need.

Federal funding for domestic violence shelters and housing programs is declining. Advocates want the state to step in, but with a record projected deficit new spending is unlikely.

It was a couple of years ago that Marvin Serber and his family had moved from New York to Milpitas. In September, after a New York trip, Serber showed up at a Milpitas City Council meeting to speak in favor of a menorah lighting celebration for the community.

Despite a few improvements, results show students are still struggling on several fronts.

All but two California counties are delaying their implementation of a new law that makes it easier for a court to place someone in involuntary confinement if they can’t care for their own medical needs or personal safety.

Peninsula College Fund received a $10,000 grant from this publication's Holiday Fund campaign, which it used to bolster its services providing support for Bay Area high schoolers who are the first in their families to attend college.

Low-income seniors finally have a seat at the indoor table after La Comida's senior nutrition program and First United Methodist Church in downtown Palo Alto established a new partnership.

The California Faculty Association is seeking a 12 percent pay increase, while university officials counter with 5 percent in each of the next three years.

In 2020, the state agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit that claimed too many students were not learning to read. As part of that agreement, the state spent over $50 million on 75 schools with the lowest reading scores.

San Diego-area nonprofits and faith organizations struggle to provide for tens of thousands of migrants border agents have released on San Diego streets.

Most undocumented college students in California are not eligible for DACA anymore, creating new dilemmas for students and colleges around employment, financial aid and the threat of deportation.

Residents in the West San Jose Starbird neighborhood are wondering why parties with loud music and strobe lights aren't shut down.

Palo Alto Renters' Association, a non-profit that formed in 2020 to support local tenants, will soon be no more. It is being absorbed by Palo Alto Forward, another housing-focused non-profit, leaders of the both organizations said.

Mountain View's Ristorante Don Giovanni served up plates of turkey, stuffing and sweet potatoes on Thursday, much to the delight of patrons who lined up outside the front door to celebrate the annual tradition.

Joining a national effort to develop a cure for Type 1 diabetes, a group of five teenagers in Palo Alto has helped raise nearly $140,000 to fund research on the disease.

The traditional Veterans Day service unfolded at Santa Clara’s Veterans Memorial in Central Park, and Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor and City Council members raised the flag.

Residents of Planada and Pajaro want state aid to help alleviate debt incurred from rebuilding after January floods. Local officials want some money to go elsewhere.

Millions of people across the state struggle to pay electric bills as California regulators decide on proposed rate increases. PG&E wants a rate hike to bolster the safety and reliability of its services.

With war raging in the Middle East, the Silicon Valley chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community hosted an event called “The Israel-Palestine Crisis: Call For Peace” at the Baitul Baseer Mosque as “a live discussion on the heartbreaking situation unfolding between Israel and Palestine."

For nearly 40 years, the SETI Institute, a non-profit research organization in Mountain View, has been searching for intelligent life forms beyond Earth. A philanthropic gift of $200 million is bringing this quest closer to reality.

BeautifySJ, the city’s program tasked with tackling blight from illegal dumping, graffiti, trash and homeless encampments, saw a rise in blight eradication and volunteer participation in 2022-23, according to a report coming before the San Jose City Council.

The Milpitas Library is now the site of a pilot program launched by the Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD) called "The Library of Things," which offers borrowers a chance to bring home items other than books.

A vigil is set to take place in King Plaza, where community members will mourn those who have died in the conflict between Israel and Hamas and stand with those who are facing hatred.

Michael Love was hired, housed and fired by HomeFirst — one of five ex-employees who alleges the non-profit targeted them because they are Black.

“All that money that’s tied up in a vacant house is money that’s lost opportunity for us to do good in the community,” says PACE’s executive director.

For seniors, the upcoming holiday season can be fraught with the tension of conflicting emotions. Palo Alto's Avenidas recognizes the array of feelings and makes sure it offers activities for everyone, Director Tracy McCloud said.

The group UnXeptable is organizing a rally that has 44 people listed as attending and 80 people listed as interested on Facebook.

At the Santa Clara Children’s Business Fair, shoppers of all ages came out to support local youth entrepreneurs.

As students at Stanford University reach the two-week mark of a sit-in on campus calling for the university to condemn Israel’s siege on Gaza and further support Palestinian students, they’re showing no signs of stopping.