**Getting yourTrinity Audio player ready...** --- With a federal immigration enforcement facility planned just beyond city borders, Gilroy officials are following the path taken by other Bay Area cities in attempting to restrict more projects from being built. The Gilroy City Council on Monday unanimously approved a temporary, 45-day ban on new detention facilities on public- or private-owned property, with the option to extend it for a total of two years. The moratorium is in line with the city’s opposition to the planned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Holsclaw Road. San Jose officials approved a similar moratorium last month. Gilroy’s moratorium gives city staff time to review, study and propose a more permanent change to the city zoning regarding similar facilities. Gilroy Mayor Greg Bozzo said the City Council has made its opposition to the proposed ICE facility clear from the start. Photo by Giovanni Albanese Jr. The movement against the ICE facility proposed just east of Gilroy has been picking up steam, with Santa Clara County and state officials filing a June lawsuit to stop it. A federal judge in September granted a preliminary injunction blocking construction on the facility as the larger legal battle plays out. Mayor Greg Bozzo said the proposed facility has raised significant concern in the community for months. “While the legal outcome remains uncertain, questions from residents about whether a similar facility could be proposed within our city limits made one thing absolutely clear: Gilroy needed decisive action,” Bozzo told San José Spotlight. “This is a bold, proactive step intended to safeguard our community’s values and future, and reflects our commitment to protecting our residents and community.” ### Related Stories September 14, 2026 #### Judge orders pause on work at South County ICE facility August 5, 2026 #### Silicon Valley lawmaker’s playbook aims to block ICE facilities October 22, 2025 #### San Jose looks to ban ICE from using city-owned properties Detention space in the planned ICE facility would be large enough to hold more than 100 people, according to county officials who have reviewed the federal government’s plans. Revelations about the facility, first reported by San José Spotlight in May, have stoked fears that President Donald Trump’s administration is laying the groundwork for more expansive immigration enforcement operations in the Bay Area. As originally written, the moratorium would have carved out detention facilities from other law enforcement agencies. Councilmember Terence Fugazzi amended it to strike that carve out, which the council approved. “This strengthens the legality by reducing the chance that this could be seen as unfairly discriminatory should ICE choose to legally oppose,” Fugazzi told San José Spotlight. The council stopped short of prohibiting the use of city-owned and city-controlled property as a staging area, processing location or operations base for immigration enforcement activity, with councilmembers saying it was merely a symbolic move. Police Chief Brandon Sanchez said whether staging areas are prohibited or not, the Gilroy Police Department will seek cooperation with federal agents. “If someone calls the police, we’re going to go out there and we’re going to assess it,” Sanchez said at the meeting, adding that the department’s goal is to ensure residents feel safe. “If we know it’s related to immigration enforcement, we’re going to send a representative out there, try to assess what they’re doing and try to ask for their cooperation.” Dozens of residents attended the meeting, with the majority of speakers in public comment urging the council to pass the moratorium. Among the residents speaking at the meeting was Youth Alliance founder and CEO Diane Ortiz, who said she, along with concerned parents, young people, educators and many others continue to be worried about what an aggressive federal immigration presence could mean to the community. “We ask you to build on (the June 1 resolution) by taking concrete action and providing these protections for the community,” Ortiz said at the meeting. “Use all legal authority and responsibility to protect the public health, safety and welfare of its people.” Conversely, Gilroy resident and former Councilmember Cat Tucker said in a letter issued to council that she thought the staff analysis stating the imminent arrival of ICE into the city limits was misleading, claiming there is no tangible evidence to substantiate that. “I disagree that there is an imminent threat to our city that warrants an urgent moratorium,” she wrote in the letter. “I view this language as fear mongering and it feels like intimidation tactics to force the council to take immediate action.” _Contact Giovanni Albanese Jr. at[email protected]._ *[September 14, 2026]: September 14, 2026 *[August 5, 2026]: August 5, 2026 *[October 22, 2025]: October 22, 2025

Felony conspiracy and vandalism charges against five pro-Palestinian Stanford University protesters will be dismissed under a pretrial diversion agreement reached Monday with the state Attorney General’s Office. A jury in the case deadlocked in February before the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office was recused for a conflict of interest. A judge ruled that District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s use of the case in campaign fundraising materials that referred to the protest as “antisemitic” and other communications represented a conflict. ### Continue reading for**FREE** **This is NOT a paywall.** We just want to make sure you’re a human. Sign in to read this story and receive the weekly roundup in your inbox. Continue with Google Or Continue Terms & Conditions Success! Your account was created and you’re signed in. Please visit My Account to manage your account.

Twelve state attorneys general sued to block Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Concessions don’t protect workers, consumers or creators. Tell the AGs to hold strong and take it to trial. SIGN THE P...

**Getting yourTrinity Audio player ready...** --- It never crossed former San Jose resident Yesenia Campos’ mind she would be detained by federal immigration agents for recording activity from a distance. On Oct. 30, 2025, Campos was notified of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity at the South San Jose field office, where immigrants periodically check-in for compliance. She immediately drove to the office to act as an observer, with her 2-year-old daughter in tow. The ensuing encounter Campos had with an agent as she recorded video on her phone triggered her past trauma as a sexual assault survivor, according to her lawsuit filed Monday in San Jose at the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California. “I was scared,” Campos, 36, told San José Spotlight. “I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, they are really about to take me’ because they had me in handcuffs.” Campos felt compelled to join the Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network, composed of volunteers who document ICE activity, as reports of agents acting with impunity mounted. When she connected with the network last summer, ICE had deployed in Los Angeles, resulting in weeks of violent clashes with protesters and the National Guard being called in to provide reinforcement. Though the scale of immigration enforcement wasn’t equivalent in Santa Clara County, Campos said it felt close to home as a Latina. She said she saw how the government tried to control the narrative of what happened during ICE deployments, which made documenting incidents more vital. Her convictions are what drove her to become active in helping monitor her community, and what led to her being detained last fall. As Campos stationed herself outside the field office to observe, an ICE van entered the parking lot. Campos began recording from the sidewalk. Supervisory Detention and Deportation Officer Douglas Plummer then came outside the field office and positioned himself in front of her, obstructing her ability to record, according to the lawsuit — which claims Campos didn’t interfere with the operations. ### Related Stories July 18, 2026 #### Santa Clara County immigrant network evolved into powerhouse June 10, 2026 #### Santa Clara County sues to stop planned ICE facility July 11, 2025 #### Santa Clara County immigrants are self-deporting The lawsuit alleges Plummer told Campos to back up, and without giving her time to respond pushed against her. He grabbed Campos’ arm that held her phone, causing it to fling out of her hand. He slammed her against her car, where another agent handcuffed her. It left her with bruises on her arms and legs, and marks on her wrist. Her 2-year-old daughter was in the car and witnessed the encounter. Campos was detained for 30 minutes before being released and told she would receive a call about her charges in the coming days. There were no calls following her release and she has yet to be charged, according to the lawsuit. Campos said she doesn’t like to stay silent when injustice occurs, which inspired her to pursue the lawsuit. “This lawsuit is not just for me, it’s for the people who stand up for those who can’t do it themselves,” Campos said. “It’s important for us as people to hold them accountable to that. It’s important for us to also advocate for justice for the community.” ICE spokesperson Jason B. Sweeny said the agency will “uphold the rule of law” and protect its officers. “The First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly, not rioting,” Sweeny told San José Spotlight. “DHS law enforcement will continue to enforce the laws of our nation, just as they do every day across the country. We will address any use of force lawsuit with the court, not the media.” Jacklyn Alonzo, a spokesperson for the Rapid Response Network, said Campos’ experience shows why ICE observers are vital. “When government agents operate without transparency or accountability, trained community witnesses help ensure that abuses cannot be hidden,” Alonzo told San José Spotlight. “Attempts to intimidate our volunteers will not deter us from protecting our neighbors, documenting injustice and standing alongside families affected by immigration enforcement.” Campos is not aware of other observers in Santa Clara County who have been detained or are pursuing legal remedies, though others in the U.S. have sued the federal administration for violating their First Amendment rights. Last year, the Los Angeles Press Club, independent journalists and a legal observer brought legal action against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after agents used tear gas and stun grenades against protesters. In July, a federal court issued an injunction blocking DHS agents from using force to obstruct journalists, observers or members of the public from documenting immigration enforcement operations. Julie Mao, senior staff attorney at Just Futures Law who is representing Campos, said they must continue to hold the government accountable. “We cannot let ICE continue to unlawfully retaliate and intimidate people who exercise their constitutional right to record and observe law enforcement,” Mao told San José Spotlight. “We thank our client for her courage to stand up to defend her and the community’s rights.” Campos said she was able to remain calm during the encounter despite being a sexual assault survivor, and felt relieved she was able to go home to her family. But the emotional toll for people taken to detention centers lingers. ICE detention facilities have been rife with alleged human rights violations, with reports of inhumane living conditions, sexual abuse, unsanitary food and inadequate medical care. “I remember this person that they loaded onto the van was a woman, and I’m like, does she have children?” Campos said. “They’re being taken from their home, and they’re being put into these facilities where they’re not getting the care that they need. They’re probably not being fed, they’re probably barely getting any water.” Campos sees a gap in the immigration system where people don’t have a place to go for services after being released from detention. She said funding should exist for social workers to follow up with people upon release and for immigrants to get health screenings. Beyond obtaining justice for her case, Campos wants to inspire others to stand up and speak out against wrongdoing. “Every change in our history is because the people did something about it,” Campos said. “We spoke up. We took to the streets. We voted. We got women’s rights. That’s how we have civil rights, (how) desegregation happened. Because the people did something about it, and so that’s what I’m hoping this encourages in the future.” _Contact Joyce Chu at[email protected] or @joyce_speaks on X. _ *[July 18, 2026]: July 18, 2026 *[June 10, 2026]: June 10, 2026 *[July 11, 2025]: July 11, 2025

**Getting yourTrinity Audio player ready...** --- A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction blocking construction at a proposed ICE facility in South County as the lawsuit against the project plays out in court. In a 23-page ruling filed Friday, Northern District of California Judge Eumi Lee said that plaintiffs are “likely to succeed” in their claim that the federal government advanced the project taking shape just east of Gilroy without conducting legally mandated environmental reviews. She further found that allowing the project to advance poses immediate risks to the surrounding environment. “Plaintiffs have also shown that irreparable environmental harms are likely to result if construction proceeds without considering the environmental risks,” Lee wrote. Under the terms of the provisional preliminary injunction, defendants — including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as ECG6, the property holding company that owns the land — must “pause construction, demolition and development activities” at the site located on unincorporated county land at 7240 Holsclaw Road. Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti said plaintiffs will continue to push for a court order that blocks the project permanently. “The bottom line here is it’s not the right place for the project. It’s not the right process,” LoPresti told San José Spotlight following a Monday news conference responding to Lee’s ruling. “And once we actually go through the process — we, the plaintiffs, start looking behind the veil here — we’re seeing how problematic this particular location is.” Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas said she’s proud the county is working to protect its immigrant community. Photo by Lorraine Gabbert. The decision marks an early victory in a legal campaign seeking to block the federal government’s plan to create an ICE facility that includes office space as well as detention areas. Lee heard arguments from both sides during a hearing held Sept. 8, but did not issue her ruling at the time. ### Related Stories September 8, 2026 #### UPDATE: Federal judge weighs temporary pause for South County ICE facility July 13, 2026 #### Work at South County ICE facility temporarily paused June 4, 2026 #### Blueprints confirm ICE involvement in South County facility Unless a court reverses Lee’s decision, the preliminary injunction is expected to remain in effect throughout the lawsuit’s trial proceedings — a process that could take years to play out, according to legal experts. No new court dates have yet been set in the lawsuit, according to LoPresti. Attorneys representing the federal government in the case did not respond to a request for comment. Representatives for ECG6, which is owned by Beverly Hills-based real estate firm Elmwood Capital Group, also did not respond to a request for comment. Lee’s ruling leaves the door open for a limited number of activities to proceed at the site, including those that “address immediate safety concerns,” such as maintenance and security work. It also allows the federal government to proceed with conducting an environmental review of the proposed facility. Such allowances could be refined further. Lee’s decision also orders both parties to meet and confer to hash out the details of a finalized preliminary injunction order by Sept. 30. County officials have indicated they would not consent to an agreement that included further construction of the proposed facility. Detention space in the planned facility would be large enough to hold more than 100 people, according to county officials who have reviewed the federal government’s plans. Revelations about the facility, first reported by San José Spotlight in May, have stoked fears that President Donald Trump’s administration is laying the groundwork for more expansive immigration enforcement operations in the Bay Area, amid a nationwide campaign of mass deportation. Lee’s Friday ruling has also sparked celebrations among the coalition of immigrant rights advocates who have banded together in recent months to organize local opposition against the planned immigration center. “I’m a little overwhelmed with the decision — really happy to hear about it,” Rebeca Armendariz, an organizer with the ICE Out of Gilroy Coalition, told San José Spotlight. “I know it’s preliminary, but nonetheless, we’ll take the win.” Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas also celebrated the victory, adding that she is proud that the county has marshaled its resources to wage this legal fight against the federal government’s plans. “I’m smiling from ear to ear because I think our community can see that their local government is actually working on their behalf and is working to protect our immigrant community,” Arenas, who represents District 1 where the ICE facility is planned, told San José Spotlight. The 25-acre parcel likely contains hazardous materials due to its history of use for agricultural research, according to the complaint outlining the state and county’s case. In laying out the rationale behind her ruling, Lee suggested that she accepts plaintiffs’ argument that the project poses serious environmental risks. Among those, construction work to create the planned facility could release hazardous materials into the environment, plaintiffs have warned. They also contend that the contemplated facility would overburden the site’s existing septic system. Federal officials have pushed back against such concerns. They argue the project should be granted a “categorical exclusion” from federal environmental review requirements because the site already houses an office building, and the proposed ICE facility will not significantly change how the land has been used. Despite the addition of detention facilities, defense attorneys said the new development will primarily resemble an office park. But Lee rejected those arguments in her ruling, noting that the creation of detention facilities marks a substantial change from the property’s prior use as a location to conduct agricultural research. Lee also rejected a request from ECG6 to impose a $790,308 bond on the plaintiffs to compensate the firm for lost revenue, including foregone rent, should the state and county’s lawsuit fail. Instead, Lee ordered plaintiffs to post a “nominal” bond of $1,000 with the court. “It is unfortunate for ECG6 that the Federal Defendants did not take greater care in evaluating environmental consequences before breaking ground, but their failure is no reason to require Plaintiffs to post a bond,” Lee wrote. _Contact Keith Menconi at[email protected] or @KeithMenconi on X. Contact Lorraine Gabbert at [email protected]._ *[September 8, 2026]: September 8, 2026 *[July 13, 2026]: July 13, 2026 *[June 4, 2026]: June 4, 2026

MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Jamie Gulley, the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board Chair, about the pay increase and why it’s significant.

**Getting yourTrinity Audio player ready...** --- From artificial intelligence to algorithmic surveillance, recent tech advances are rapidly reshaping the workplace. South Bay labor leaders are alarmed — and drawing together an industry-spanning coalition intended to give workers more say in how these technologies are deployed. Dozens of workers gathered in front of San Jose City Hall on Tuesday to unveil the People’s Tech Coalition, which includes an array of South Bay unions, community-based organizations, nonprofits, youth groups and residents. Organizers said the group — which will advocate for legal protections at the state and local level — is a response to growing worker fears over displacement, as well as other workplace disruptions that have resulted from the haphazard rollout of high-tech tools. “We must be the ones who decide how technology is used in our workplaces, our schools, our hospitals, in our street — not corporations, not CEOs,” Maria Noel Fernandez, executive director of San Jose advocacy group Working Partnerships USA, said at the rally. “We believe that by coming together, we can decide how technology makes our lives better, not worse.” The coalition is demanding more control over workers’ personal data, stronger guardrails around AI tools in the workplace and guarantees that workers will have input into decisions around new technologies. Maria Noel Fernandez, executive director of the South Bay chapter of Working Partnerships USA, said workers should have a greater say in how companies and public agencies deploy technology. Photo by Keith Menconi. As one of its first campaigns, the coalition is supporting state bills that aim to set guardrails around the use of AI management tools, Fernandez said. For example, Senate Bill 947, the “No Robo Bosses Act,” prohibits the use of AI systems to make discipline or termination decisions without human oversight. ### Related Stories April 23, 2026 #### Residents push back against San Jose’s data center plans March 27, 2026 #### San Jose workers want safeguards from AI March 24, 2026 #### UPDATE: Santa Clara County workers want guardrails for AI Over the course of the rally, a series of workers described other uses of new high-tech tools that they said are already changing their jobs for the worse. Security officer Tajinder Singh, who serves on the board of SEIU-USWW, said security companies track guards throughout their shifts using mobile apps as well as cameras installed in their cars. “We have no privacy. If you have a conversation in the car, they can listen to it,” Singh said during the rally. “They can have such surveillance on us, it feels unsafe for the driver. They feel scared when driving. This is not freedom. It feels like being in jail. My officers need to feel safe, so we can focus on the safety of others. That’s our job.” Organizers said the coalition will also aim its advocacy work at technology concerns raised outside of the workplace. They pointed to data collection tools used to set rental prices, as well as the use of automated license plate readers to surveil drivers, a controversial practice that has pitted law enforcement authorities against privacy rights advocates. “Everyday people are incredibly worried about the impact of AI and technology on their everyday lives,” Fernandez told San José Spotlight. “They just don’t know what to do about it. So the tech coalition is about talking to people, having conversations in our communities, in our workplaces, and then moving to action and actually demonstrating to our elected officials that they need to act now.” As protracted contract negotiations drag on between San Jose administrators and several of the city’s public unions, a key sticking point has been workers’ demands that the city offer guarantees that new AI tools will not be used to downsize the workforce. Meanwhile, under pressure from labor groups, Santa Clara County is conducting a comprehensive study of AI usage across its departments. The findings will guide administrators as they draw up new rules governing the technology’s deployment. Richard Barnes, a Safeway worker and member of UFCW5, said the chief focus for grocery store employees has been concerns linked to the rapid expansion of automated self-checkout kiosks. But he said Tuesday’s rally has opened his eyes to the plight of workers in other industries who are facing their own struggles with automation. “This is a wake-up call, not just for the unions, but for our communities,” Barnes told San José Spotlight. “We need those guardrails put up. We should have been way ahead of this, and now we’re playing catch up.” _Contact Keith Menconi at[email protected] or @KeithMenconi on X._ *[April 23, 2026]: April 23, 2026 *[March 27, 2026]: March 27, 2026 *[March 24, 2026]: March 24, 2026

Exposing Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy

Our politics are not the politics that have detached this country from reality, or normalized increasingly inhuman policies.

“We can have billionaires or we can have democracy. We cannot have both,” says Gil Durán.

OAKLAND — Co-leading a multistate coalition alongside the attorneys general of Massachusetts and New Jersey, California Attorney General Rob Bonta yesterday secured a major victory after the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down a key provision of a Trump Administration final rule that would have excluded coverage of certain types of gender-affirming care as essential health benefits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Essential health benefits are subject to the ACA’s financial protections, including limits on out-of-pocket costs.

Journalist Gil Durán argues that a small circle of Silicon Valley billionaires and venture capitalists have concluded that democracy is in their way — and that they should be governing in its place.