Santa Clara lawmakers have decided to meet in private to discuss $448,000 in unspent Convention Center allocations and $114,000 in disallowed credit card charges. The decision came Tuesday night following a presentation by Denise Callahan of TAP International, the auditor the City of Santa Clara hired to review the contract closeout. That audit revealed that … Read more
An amendment to Santa Clara’s charter is likely on the horizon. At its Tuesday night meeting, the Santa Clara City Council gave direction to flesh out details on Charter Review Committee recommendations in a 4-3 vote. The Council narrowly managed to approve having a ballot measure to allow three districts. The three-district solution would also … Read more
The Council upheld the appeal from the owner of a home that operated her property as an Airbnb, fostering bad blood among neighbors. Council Member Teresa O’Niell had to recuse herself from the discussion and vote. Although the City has no regulations against operating an Airbnb — aka a short-term rental — out of a … Read more
Single-family neighborhoods are supposed to be quiet places. It is a concept that homeowners buy into when they purchase their home. With skyrocketing real estate costs, the expectation is that the exorbitant price tag in a single-family neighborhood also buys a certain atmosphere. It is part of what you are paying for. However, on Santa … Read more
The Santa Clara City Council will allow the developer of a Tasman East project to offer fewer below-market-rate apartments in exchange for lowering the rents on the reduced number of apartments. Located at 2310 Calle Del Mundo, the housing complex will now offer 30 apartments at “very low” income rates, i.e., 50 percent area median … Read more
Santa Clara is closer than it has ever been to having a new downtown. At its Tuesday night meeting, the Santa Clara City Council awarded the contract for a Downtown Precise Plan to Philadelphia-based consultant Wallace, Roberts & Todd (WRT). The $578,346 contract runs for three years with an option for City Manager Deanna Santana … Read more
After enacting rules aimed to quash prostitution, the Santa Clara City Council is dialing back these regulations to help restore massage parlors in the City. In the months leading to Super Bowl 50, which was held at Levi’s Stadium, the Council began having concerns that brothels in the City would masquerade as massage parlors. Consequently, … Read more
The Santa Clara Stadium Authority Board will bar the Forty-Niners Management Company (ManCo) from executing non-NFL contracts. Santa Clara City Manager and Stadium Authority Executive Director Deanna Santana denied the action was about stripping ManCo of its authority, saying it was instead about “compliance, accountability and transparency.” However, stripping ManCo’s authority is exactly what the … Read more
The Santa Clara City Council wanted to see more specificity in an overarching plan that aims to bring citywide cohesion to a multitude of area specific plans. Andrew Crabtree, Director of Community Development, presented to the Council Tuesday night on what he sees as the main topics in need of addressing in the plan, deemed … Read more
Recommendations in a Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report calling for major overhauls to the Valley Transit Authority (VTA) Board will require “further analysis.” The report, issued in June, made three recommendations for Santa Clara: that the City submit a report to VTA and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors detailing its views … Read more