Public Safety · Santa Clara County
Valley Water has declared an El Niño emergency in Santa Clara County to accelerate preparations for potential winter storms and flooding. The declaration, following a statewide proclamation by Governor Gavin Newsom, grants the agency additional authority to quickly secure equipment and materials needed for storm response. Valley Water has already delivered 24,000 sandbags to five locations where residents can obtain them for free to protect their homes. The agency is also continuing its stream maintenance program, having completed approximately 150 creek-clearing projects in the county since June.
Local Politics · San Francisco, CA
Lawyers for San Francisco, Santa Clara, voting rights groups and a labor union told a federal judge in Oakland on Monday that immigration investigators should be barred from using allegedly flawed lists to question noncitizens about voter registration. The hearing comes as federal authorities charged 28 lawful permanent residents in California with illegal voting or improper registration, and the Trump administration sued the state over refusing to segregate ballots of roughly 20,000 individuals flagged as possible noncitizens. Plaintiffs allege violations of the Administrative Procedures Act and Voting Rights Act, while the government argues its investigations do not constitute a new policy requiring rulemaking. Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin pressed both sides on legal standing and specificity of claims, then took the matter under submission with a decision expected in coming days.
Public Safety · San Jose, CA
San Jose has begun installing 33 automated speed enforcement cameras citywide as part of a five-year pilot program authorized under state law AB 645. Two cameras are already in place on Saratoga Avenue near the site of a recent fatal motorcycle crash. Citations are expected to begin in February, with fines ranging from $50 to $500 depending on the driver's speed. City leaders cite 41 traffic fatalities this year as motivation for the program. Camera locations were selected based on crash history and areas needing greater pedestrian protection, with one camera placed in every City Council district.
