Aug 3, 2015
Steve Preminger is leaving Working Partnerships USA, where he served as the Director of Union Community Resources for nearly two decades, to continue a career in public service as Special Assistant to Santa Clara County Executive Jeff Smith. “Over the years Steve has helped countless families through difficult times with genuine compassion and understanding” said Ben Field, Executive Officer of…
Jul 20, 2015
It’s a light week with most municipalities on summer recess, so we’re padding Policy Watch with some Neil deGrasse Tyson. If you wish to write a blog post from scratch, first you must make the universe. Sunnyvale Public Hearing on regulating short-term rental units The Sunnyvale Housing & Human Services Commission is holding a public hearing on regulating short-term residential…
Jul 13, 2015
Sunnyvale Affordable Housing Impact Fees The Sunnyvale City Council will introduce an ordinance and potentially adopt two resolutions to approve two new affordable housing impact fees: one for Nonresidential Development and one for Rental Housing. Tweet
Jul 6, 2015
San Jose Manh Nguyen found to have multiple campaign law violations Agenda Item Name: Hearing on Complaint filed by Tom Cochran on June 5, 2015 against Manh Nguyen and Manh Nguyen for City Council D4 alleging violations of the San Jose Municipal Code Tweet
Jun 29, 2015
Happy almost 4th of July readers. City of Santa Clara Public surveys on proposed Minimum Wage Ordinance The steady roll out of municipal minimum wage ordinances continues in Santa Clara with outreach for public opinion on their recent prioritization of a local wage ordinance. The ordinance includes increasing the minimum wage to $11 on January 1, 2016 and linking…
Jun 25, 2015
Something strange happened at El Camino Hospital last week. The publicly elected board that oversees the hospital appointed 36-year-old Lanhee Chen to the corporate board of directors for the hospital. The appointment raised some eyebrows because, unlike other applicants for the job, Mr. Chen has almost no experience in healthcare and hospitals. Two unsuccessful candidates for the board position had…
Jun 24, 2015
In a move designed to address the problem of abysmally low voter turnout, yesterday the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to pay postage for vote-by-mail ballots. The change will go into effect in the November 2015 elections, at a cost of $31,000. For the two elections scheduled in 2016 the estimated cost to the County is $198,000, about…
Jun 24, 2015
Here are some big takeaways from Manh Nguyen’s victory over Tim Orozco in yesterday’s San Jose City Council election: Tweet
Jun 22, 2015
Santa Clara County Adopting resolution to apply Living Wage to County employees Agenda Item Name: Adopt Board Policy Resolution adding Board of Supervisors’ Policy Manual Section 4.21 relating to the applicability of the Living Wage standards to County employees, and direct the Clerk of the Board to include Policy in Board of Supervisors’ Policy Manual. Tweet
Jun 15, 2015
Santa Clara County Inventory & evaluation of County-owned lands & opportunities to purchase other public lands, incl. former RDA properties Date/time/location item will be heard: June 18, 2015, 10 am, Santa Clara County Housing, Land Use, Environment & Transportation Cmte Tweet