The Silicon Valley Voice is dedicated to the independent community news of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara. Community news, public news in Santa Clara.
“When I became a mom, a community support group changed my outlook on parenting from being lonely and confused to feeling connected, supported and more confident,” said Bay Area native Caren Hespeler, founder of The Nesting Spot for Birth & Beyond in San Jose. “As a group of new moms, we were there for each … Read more
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Friday rejected State Farm’s request for “emergency” rate increases, setting up what could be a highly consequential showdown with the state’s biggest insurer — and going against the recommendation of his staff experts. Lara, who has been urging insurance companies to write policies in the state again despite increasing … Read more
Santa Clara police have busted two men for burglarizing storage units at a local apartment complex. The arrest comes after a months-long investigation stretching back to October last year. The Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) announced the arrest Feb. 5 on its public alert system, Nixle. Capt. Mike Crescini, with the Santa Clara Police Department, … Read more
A student-led protest marched through the streets of Santa Clara on Feb. 10 as a few hundred teens from Wilcox High School spoke out against the deportation of immigrants. Led by sophomore Dayarely Amaya, the students walked off the campus during fifth period and raised their voices with chants of “Sí, se puede.” For Amaya, … Read more
The plight of children in war zones is a natural cause for John Pietrzyk. Born in Germany right after WWII, his parents and grandparents were refugees, first in Poland and then in the United States. Many years later, that experience was the impetus for a UNICEF benefit concert featuring a newly composed choral work on … Read more
Long after high school corridors are silent and doors locked, certain home garages around Silicon Valley are buzzing like bee hives. Forgetting time (and occasionally homework), teenage robotics enthusiasts crowd inside them. Members of high school and community robotics teams, they have been engrossed since last fall in the time-consuming challenge of designing, building, and … Read more
Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, which supplies about one-third of California’s water needs, was far lower than average for the end of January at one of the state’s measurement points Jan. 31. The results from Phillips Station in El Dorado County were presented at a press conference where the director of the Department of Water … Read more
Many Santa Clara swimmers are still irate that the George F. Haines International Swim Center (ISC) is closed. The pool being out of commission has been a sore spot for swimmers since hazardous conditions forced the city to close it last year. Since then, aquatics enthusiasts have regularly turned out in droves to the council … Read more
As a gubernatorial candidate in 2018, Gov. Gavin Newsom made a pledge to create 500,000 new apprenticeships in the decade after taking office, part of his broader strategy to boost the state’s job programs. He’s on track to reach that goal — with about 200,000 apprenticeships so far — according to a press release last … Read more
A long vacant lot in Santa Clara will finally be turned into housing and in an area that desperately needs it. On Dec. 16, the developer, Kapital Partners, was joined by community leaders to break ground at 2655 The Alameda, located across the street from Santa Clara University (SCU). The oddly shaped triangular lot has … Read more