Larry Stone, who has been assessor for 30 years, decided to step down now rather than at the end of his term a year from now. Had he waited for the end of his term, the office of assessor would have appeared on next year's ballot along with many other races. Instead, by leaving now, he's creating a single-office, small turnout race, with the person he endorsed having a head start over outside candidates.
Silver, a 55-year-old North County resident, said he was appreciative of the support from county leadership, adding that his appointment preserves vital continuity in the office that will help them maximize their mission to help vulnerable and indigent people disproportionately ensnared in the criminal court system. The office has a long tradition of being very client-centered and focusing all decisions through the lens of what's best for the community and the specific clients we serve, Silver said in an interview.
"Whatever their circumstances are, we welcome them. We opened it to families as well because they too are entitled to benefits, and sadly most of them are caregivers," Escalante told San José Spotlight. "The Stand Down ... is a way of providing that support that so many veterans need when they transition from service to the civilian world. ... We have never forgotten the sacrifice they've made. We are here to support them."
Martha's Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides millions of cooked meals every year for people in need, has moved into a 31,900-square-foot building on 749 Story Road in San Jose. But it's paying off a $7.5 million loan for the facilities, and needs an additional $3 million to $5 million to construct a commercial kitchen. In addition, Martha's Kitchen is getting fewer food donations to make meals, causing it to dig deeper into its own pocket.
SAN JOSE - South Bay law enforcement officials announced they have arrested a half-dozen people and recovered more than $1 million in merchandise stolen from major regional retailers, including Home Depot and Target, as part of an organized theft outfit that trafficked the goods online. In addition to finding houses in the area filled to the brim with pilfered items including power tools and various housewares, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and District Attorney's Office say they uncovered an accompanying phone and internet scam
It's the first wave of what is expected to be several rocky years financially for a county that operates four public hospitals and 15 clinics in the wake of Republicans' decision to slash $1 trillion from the federal Medicaid program over the next decade. In Santa Clara County, one in four residents rely on the publicly funded health insurance program for low-income and disabled individuals, which is known as Medi-Cal in California.
The sound of newborns crying along with the chimes of a lullaby announcing their arrival into the world will ring through the halls of Regional Medical Center starting next week as the East San Jose hospital reopens its long-closed labor and delivery ward. The restoration comes six months after Santa Clara County purchased the hospital from HCA Healthcare, one of the largest for-profit hospital chains in the nation,
A startling trend has hit Santa Clara County over the past two years - more people have fallen into homeless for the first time and can't find a way out. Santa Clara County's 2025 point-in-time count found 4,650 people have been homeless for a year or longer, known as chronic homelessness. That's a 21% increase from 2023, when there were 3,833 chronically homeless residents county-wide.
Developers are attempting to use a legal escape hatch to push new housing into South County open space. But county leaders have found a loophole of their own. The Santa Clara County Planning Commission on Thursday voted 5-2 against appeals for two different projects under the same developer. To push the projects through, the developer has tried to invoke a state law known as builder's remedy - which allows developments to ignore restrictions on building height and density when local governments lack state approval for their housing plans. The county missed its original deadline two years ago, which opened the door, until receiving state approval in January. But county planners have rejected the plans based on technicalities of missed application deadlines and incomplete information.
Two prominent gun-rights groups and a handful of Santa Clara County residents have sued the sheriff's office in federal court over its methods for issuing concealed-carry weapons permits, saying high fees along with required psychological exams and political contribution disclosures are violations of the Second Amendment. The lawsuit, filed with the Northern District of California on Monday, represents the California Rifle & Pistol Association, the Second Amendment Foundation based in Washington State,
SANTA CLARA COUNTY A small plane reportedly crashed Friday afternoon about 10 miles northeast of Mount Hamilton in Santa Clara County, according to authorities. The crash was initially reported around 2:30 p.m. seven miles east of Mount Hamilton, but Cal Fire crews later discovered the site was actually in the Arroyo del Valle area, Division Chief Ed Orre said. As of 4 p.m., crews were still figuring out how to access the site, according to Orrey.
