Environment

In October 2004, when inspectors tested the water in front of the Hillview Cleaners dry cleaner in downtown Saratoga, they discovered serious contamination. They found the groundwater coursing with 5,400 µg/L (micrograms per liter) of PCE, a key component in degreasing and scouring fabric for...

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has settled a consumer protection lawsuit against popular sunscreen company Sun Bum for advertising claims that misstated its actual impact on the ocean. The judgment is the first obtained by any prosecutor against a major sunscreen manufacturer for...

As part of the Sanborn and Upper Stevens Creek Forest Health Plan, adopted in August 2023 by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Santa Clara County Parks is closing a few hiking trails. The closures are necessary, officials say, in order to put vital...

A new state law allowed Santa Clara County businesses to donate almost 5 million pounds of food during the first half of 2022, according to a press release from the county.  SB 1383 took effect this year. It requires grocery stores and other businesses to...

A state nonprofit that aims to reduce and eliminate the use of dangerous pesticides on agricultural fields in California plans to sue the agency tasked with regulating them. The announcement came Nov. 18 during a press conference convened in Watsonville by Californians for Pesticide Reform. Mark...

Pam Hansen, of Los Gatos, and Don Vu, of Saratoga, were honored last month for the incredible photographs they took while out in nature, winning a Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District contest that was decided by social media voting. Each year Midpen hosts a photography...