County, partners take steps to save remaining working farms and ranches Cherry grower Chris Borello’s extended family has been farming in Coyote Valley and other parts of southern Santa Clara Valley for generations. But the clan is also among the South County landowners who have cashed in over the years on the sky-high price of…
Welcome to the twilight zone “Birds really eat a tremendous lot. But — I … I — I don’t really know anything about birds. My hobby is stuffing things. You know — taxidermy.” Norman Bates, perfectly normal proprietor of the Bats Bates Motel, in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” In a clearing deep in the woods stands…
LGBTQ cultural competency: County unveils unique workplace tool County workers sign in to view a demonstration of a cultural competency tool designed to help employees learn how to treat LGBTQ co-workers and residents with respect. (Jordan Henderson/Newsbeat) The County of Santa Clara has launched a groundbreaking training program aimed at improving the government workforce’s LGBTQ cultural…
Goals for New Santa Clara County Fire Chief Tony Bowden Healthy workforce, strong infrastructure and ‘servant leadership’ Santa Clara County’s new fire chief assumed his post recently. One of the main things on Tony Bowden’s mind is reducing the cancer rate among current and former firefighters. By having dozens of firefighters agree to be closely…
Saratogans check out local library branch’s all-electric ‘Go Go Biblio’ Santa Clara County Library District recently rolled out a fleet of four miniature bookmobiles that you’ll soon see at various schools and community events. The idea of the all-electric souped-up golf carts is to bring the library to the people and not require everyone to come to…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvxkKlBlDcs Election officers go extra mile for democracy as paid volunteers The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters on Friday issued an urgent call for volunteers to work as election officers on Nov. 6. “This is a remarkable opportunity for Santa Clara County residents to observe, promote and facilitate one of our most important civil…
County, partners break affordable housing barriers It practically takes a fistful of permits to open a lemonade stand in Santa Clara County today, let alone build affordable housing for the homeless. Most people probably want to help. But they almost invariably resist affordable housing complexes in their own neighborhood. Undaunted, the County of Santa Clara,…
Public health data now at fingertips of researchers The County of Santa Clara recently released a powerful new tool that allows anyone to easily dig into public health data and slice it up in countless illuminating ways. At the unveiling of the Department of Public Health’s open data portal on Sept. 4, Deputy Director…
Nonprofit Ethics: Valley Medical Center Foundation earns Seal of Excellence The public’s faith in institutions of all sorts may be crumbling. But one Santa Clara County-related organization fortified its reputation for strong nonprofit ethics: the Valley Medical Center Foundation. The foundation is the nonprofit fundraising arm of the County-run Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. It…
Elders in tune Every one of us is gradually moving toward old age, and more and more of us seem likely to live right up to the century mark. In a youth-oriented culture, the prospect of age-related decline is uncomfortable to contemplate. Yet while we must indeed adjust to the inevitable changes, old age need…
