South Bay news from Bay Area Brief: local stories summarized with links to the original reporting.
Measure B on Gilroy's Nov. 3 ballot would raise the city's transient occupancy (hotel) tax from 9% to a maximum of 13%, with an initial rate of 11% starting Jan. 1, 2027. The ballot question estimates about $700,000 a year from hotel and short-term rental guests. It needs a simple majority.
Measure G on Sunnyvale's Nov. 3 ballot would rewrite City Charter Section 1309 so the City Council can authorize alternative public works contracting methods already allowed under California law, including design-build and construction manager-at-risk. It needs a simple majority and does not raise taxes.
San Jose police say Kelvin Chiu, a 31-year-old Fremont man who worked as an athletic trainer at Archbishop Mitty High School, sexually battered a 16-year-old student while treating her sports injury on Oct. 8 and recorded it on his phone. Detectives believe there may be more victims.
San Jose officials showed off the city's Emergency Operations Center on Wednesday as they prepare for what could be a record-breaking El Niño storm season. Residents can join a free Zoom workshop on Oct. 21, and Valley Water's free sandbag sites open Nov. 1.
Santa Clara County prosecutors charged Gabrielle Hanson, 32, and Jacob Randolph, 39, with felony child neglect after 8-year-old Aurora Williams died in May following an asthma attack at the family's roach-infested Lancelot Lane home. The county child welfare agency had 12 reports on the household since 2022.
Six candidates are running to succeed termed-out Mayor Lisa Gillmor on Nov. 3. The 49ers are spending $1.8 million backing Gary Ferraris and opposing Kathy Watanabe and David Kertes, part of more than $2.6 million the team has put into Santa Clara races this year.
The San Francisco food-truck park's second location opened Oct. 9 at 140 S. Montgomery Blvd., near SAP Center and Diridon Station, with 12 permanent vendors, rotating trucks, a full bar, an 18-hole putt-putt course and a kids' Clubhouse. Mayor Matt Mahan says it will support well over 100 jobs.
The New York Japanese supermarket chain drew about 1,700 shoppers to its first West Coast store, in a former Sprouts at Stevens Creek and De Anza boulevards. It is open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and has bought Marina Grocery stores in Milpitas, San Mateo and Union City.
UPDATED Tuesday: San Jose police named Ted Lieu, 69, as the landlord killed Sunday on Locke Drive. SJPD says he fired at least once from a shed; officers returned fire. Chief Paul Joseph said Lieu had prior firearm conflicts and an active warrant.
Two of five San Jose Unified board seats are on the Nov. 3 ballot, months after a 3-2 vote to close five elementary schools. Magaña, who voted yes, faces teacher Tomara Hall and parent Carson Dance in Area 2. Retired teacher Mary Grunthaner and former trustee Michael Melillo want Brian Wheatley's open Area 4 seat.
Mayor Mark Turner is seeking Morgan Hill's first four-year mayoral term against retired nurse Deborah Africa and carpenter Kristopher Clayton. Councilmembers Yvonne Martinez Beltran in District B and Marilyn Librers in District D each face one challenger on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Measure F on the Nov. 3 ballot would let Mountain View raise its transient occupancy tax on hotel and short-term rental guests from 10% up to 15%, potentially adding about $5.2 million a year to the general fund. It needs a simple majority.
Measure K on Milpitas's Nov. 3 ballot would swap a 50-year-old employee-based business license tax for flat fees plus 0.025% to 0.035% of gross receipts for larger firms. The city pegs it at about $3 million a year. It needs a simple majority.
Roy Anthony Lopez, 37, appeared in Santa Clara County court Wednesday without entering a plea; prosecutors say he drove Jasmyne Garcia to a San Jose hospital and told staff he had killed her.
After a long Tuesday night meeting, the City Council told staff to prioritize stricter water-use and air-quality standards for new facilities, on a faster track than a broader policy rewrite that could run into late 2027.
A Santa Clara County judge ruled that police searches of San Jose's roughly 500-camera Flock network without a warrant don't violate the state constitution. The civil liberties groups behind the suit may appeal, and a separate federal case is still pending.
The City Council voted unanimously to open three years of exclusive talks with Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco to take over the 90-room Homekey site on The Alameda. Nothing gets built yet, and the city hasn't said where current residents will go during renovation.
The City Council voted unanimously for a temporary ban on new detention facilities anywhere in Gilroy, which can be stretched to two years, while a federal court has already paused construction of an ICE center east of the city.
Lighthouse Food Rescue & Distribution, which says it feeds more than 1,000 people a day, was cited for zoning and sidewalk violations. Mayor Matt Mahan says the city may help move it.
Mail ballots for the Nov. 3 election are reaching Santa Clara County voters this week. The Registrar of Voters is urging people to use drop boxes or mail ballots at least a week ahead, citing possible postal delays.
Suds Jain says two $500 contributions exceeded the city's $380 cap. Kathy Watanabe says the couple who gave were refunded and the filings have been amended.
Parks commissioners blended two survey finalists into one name. The City Council will make the final call on the downtown plaza later.
The agreements with MEF and IFPTE include 3% raises in each of three years, a 1% one-time payment and protections around artificial intelligence. Members vote the week of Oct. 12.
Alta Housing's six-story building on land donated by Public Storage will serve households earning 30% to 80% of area median income and is due to open in 2028.
Measure E would raise an estimated $27 million a year for the county's general fund starting in 2027, with supervisors prioritizing emergency care, clinics, food aid and mental health services.
The City Council unanimously adopted a plan built on prevention, temporary housing and outreach. The full plan could cost more than $40 million, and a $715,000 RV permit program goes to the council in November.
Jeffrey Choy fired twice at an officer at close range after a stop near Villa and Hope streets. The officer recovered and is back at work, and Mountain View's police chief called the case a wake-up call about releasing armed felons.
Santa Clara County Fire says Wednesday's blaze on Rose Court started accidentally in the kitchen, and that working alarms might have given the couple time to get out.
The City Council voted 4-1 to keep its contract with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office rather than opt out and hand policing to the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department in 2027.
Police used caution tape to separate pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators Wednesday night; an anti-Islam sign and a car driven onto the sidewalk drew criticism, and the DA will decide on any charges.
VTA, Caltrain and Capitol Corridor are adjusting service for the Saturday and Sunday concerts in Santa Clara, including late trains after the shows.
With no incumbents on the ballot and a legal settlement expiring, council candidates split on whether to crack down on oversized vehicles.
SFF Realty Partners paid about $197 a square foot for The Almaden, down from roughly $360 when KBS bought it in 2015. It's still San Jose's priciest office sale since the pandemic.
A new Mobile Care Unit of specially trained paramedics is connecting residents downtown with medical, mental health, addiction and housing help through March.
The pre-dawn wreck north of the Tully Road exit closed every southbound lane until about 9 a.m. Saturday. CHP is investigating.
The council voted unanimously Oct. 5 to pause applications through Nov. 19, with possible extensions up to two years. The planned federal facility sits just outside city limits.
