07.21.2023

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57º | Mostly sunny | 5% chance of rain | Sunrise: 7:22 a.m. | Sunset: 5:06 p.m.

❓ This or that: Local government edition

Local Government 101: The difference between city and county services

Side-by-side images of the Santa Clara County clerk's building and San Jose City Hall.

Learn about the differences in services you can get from our county vs. our city. | Photos by SJtoday + Wikimedia Commons

Class is in session, San Jose. We’re teaching SJ GOV 101, where we break down different aspects of our local government so we can become engaged citizens who create healthier (and more effective) communities.

For today’s lesson, we’re discussing the differences between city and county services — because let’s be honest, they can get muddled sometimes.

🏛️ Santa Clara County

The county of Santa Clara is one of California’s 58 counties and it encompasses San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Campbell, Cupertino, Milpitas, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Los Altos Hills, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Mountain View, Saratoga, and Palo Alto.

When it comes to countywide services, you can expect to find those related to health + welfare, social, and criminal justice programs. On the county’s website, you can:

Find — public + property records, restaurant inspection reports, tuberculosis (TB) screening locations
Request — birth and death certificates, medical marijuana ID cards, fingerprint appointments, adult immunization + travel vaccines
Apply for — child support services, financial + food assistance, landscape permits, marriage licenses
Report — child abuse, county-maintained road issues, environmental health violations, pest infestations

🏙️ City of San Jose

Within San Jose’s boundaries, our city is responsible for services like police + fire, parks, public works, water, animal control, waste, and libraries. On the city’s website, you can:

Find — city job openings, affordable housing, collection schedule, parks and rec activities + programs, adoptable pets
Learn about — rent control, emergency preparedness, what to recycle, where to access public Wi-Fi
Report — abandoned vehicles, graffiti, illegal dumping, code violations, crime
Pay — invoices for city services + fees, citations and parking tickets, library fines and late fees, development or code permits

So, how was that for a civic lesson? Let us know what other areas of our local government you’d like us to explore next.

Events

Friday, July 21

“Barbie” Viewing Party | Friday, July 21 | 1:45 p.m. | Almaden Cinalux, 2306 Almaden Rd., San Jose | Free, RSVP required | Catch the highly anticipated movie on opening day.
BNM: Spicy Food Fest | Friday, July 21 | 5-9 p.m. | Garden at the Flea, 1590 Berryessa Rd., San Jose | Free | Seeking something high on the Scoville scale? This is your stop.
Friday Night Market | Friday, July 21 | 7-11 p.m. | 260 McEvoy St., San Jose | Free | Shop from local vendors and enjoy a night of music, food, and fun.

Saturday, July 22

Farm Kitchen Pop-Up | Saturday, July 22 | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. | J&P Cosentino Family Farm, 4977 Carter Ave., San Jose | Free | Get a taste of farm-to-table dishes which include a Blenheim apricot cinnamon roll topped with vanilla bean ice cream + bourbon sauce.
Blessed Side Market | Saturday, July 22 | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | The Point Church, 3695 Rose Terrasse Cir., San Jose | Free | This family-friendly event includes 40+ local vendors, a car show, and live music.
Silicon Valley Roller Derby Season Opener | Saturday, July 22 | 6 p.m. | The Plex (Rink 1), 800 Embedded Way, San Jose | Free | Cheer on our local ladies of SVRD as they face the Sacramento Roller Derby.

Sunday, July 23

Sunday Funday - Taylor Swift Sing-A-Long Trivia | Sunday, July 23 | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. | Britannia Arms Almaden, 5027 Almaden Expy., San Jose | $8-$24 | Calling all Swifties — are you a true Taylor fanatic? Prove it.
Michael Blackson | Sunday, July 23 | 7 p.m. | San Jose Improv, 62 S. Second St., San Jose | $49-$139 | This funnyman was inspired by Eddie Murphy’s comedic appeal and has made appearances on HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam,” “Showtime at Harlem,” and “Live in Hollywood.”

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Development

The newly-renovated office tower at 2 W. Santa Clara St. may turn into some type of lodging. Developer DivcoWest has floated plans of transforming it into an apartment complex with retail, a 73-unit, co-living model, or a 147-room “micro hotel.” The proposal is in its preliminary stages and still needs city approval. (The Mercury News)

Community

A safe parking site has opened at the Santa Teresa VTA light rail station and provides 42 spaces for vehicle dwellers experiencing homelessness — with priority to Districts 2 and 10 residents. Leased by the city and LifeMoves, water, handwashing stations, port-a-potties, and mobile showers will be accessible on site. (San José Spotlight)

Open

The Bakery, a commercial kitchen that will give eight local small businesses a space to rent, opened this week at 1849 Little Orchard St. The current tenants are all female-owned small businesses serving up sweet treats.

San Josean

The host + executive producer of local CreaTV show “Valley Politics,” Terry Christensen, has stepped down after eight years of leading the show. He wants to shift focus to other projects and take time to travel. There is talk of CreaTV CEO Chad Johnston replacing Terry, but it is not confirmed. (San José Spotlight)

Fun Fact

More lucky locals — a Shell gas station at 1091 E. Capitol Expy. sold a winning Mega Millions lottery ticket that matched five of six numbers. The lucky San Josean has 180 days to claim their $287,200 prize. (The Mercury News)

Announced

Entering: “Tay” Area. With the “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” fast approaching at Levis Stadium next week, the Santa Clara City Council announced that Taylor Swift will be the honorary mayor of “Swiftie Clara” from Friday, July 28 to Saturday, July 29.

Wellness

Hear this: The world’s first hearing aids featuring dual processing — and backed by cutting-edge German technology — were just unveiled by Hear.com. Transform your hearing with a 45-day, no-risk trial and join the 385,000+ customers hearing with double the power and double the clarity.*

Try This

🔎 Gather your team and get movin’

4UNT: San Jose’s digital scavenger hunt

The promotional poster for The 4UNT next to a guy in a Sharks jersey holding a Lego house.

Will you accept the challenge? | Photos via @the.4unt

We’ve got an early Fall event pitch for you: The 4UNT.

Held from Saturday, Oct. 28 to Sunday, Nov. 5, this digital scavenger hunt takes you and a team of up to 10 players through San Jose with 200+ challenges and tasks.

🔎 How involved are the challenges?

Some are simple, others are more involved. Some prompts will have you travel to a local landmark, while others will have you get creative in your own home. The more creative you are with them, the more points you can score for the grand prize. (In 2020, the winning team got Nintendo Switch Lites — how cool is that?)

🔎 How do I get started?

Lucky you, tickets are on sale for $25 (originally $44) and The 4UNT is offering a promotion in collaboration with Native Shoes — one ticket equals one free pair of shoes. Be sure to purchase them before Friday, Sept. 15 to claim the deal.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Alyson

From the editor

There’s another hot weekend ahead. Luckily, San Jose Parks & Rec have opened up three cooling locations for today + tomorrow: Camden Community Center, Roosevelt Community Center, and Emma Prusch Farm Park. Stay cool at these spots if you don’t have AC or — if you’re like me — don’t want to run it all day long because we’re not made out of money.

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