Milpitas, CA|News|
Milpitas Fire Dept. Avoids Layoffs; Utilizes Federal Grant to Increase Firefighters
The decision to increase the size of the Fire Dept. from 53 to 59 was made at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

As the associate local editor for the Silicon Valley region of Patch, I am enthusiastic about covering and editing content for an undoubtedly diverse area: 11 cities stretching from Mountain View to Watsonville. A Bay Area native and Columbia Journalism School graduate, I have reported largely for online and print outlets in the South Bay, San Francisco, and New York City.
An avid world traveler and international news junkie, I have also covered stories in locales such as Buenos Aires and Helsinki, Finland. I was a Fulbright travel grantee in Berlin and Hamburg, Germany in 2011 and a journalism fellow in Finland through the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2010.
I have covered everything from local start-ups to deaf rappers who perform through sign language.
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The decision to increase the size of the Fire Dept. from 53 to 59 was made at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Eric Mertl, 51, died when his motorcycle collided with a car. He was laid to rest at a funeral mass in Millbrae.
More than 29,000 people are employed as a result of operations at SFO.
The following arrest information was supplied by the Watsonville Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction.
John Neuer, 63, was booked into County Jail on suspicion of murder in the death of a Hollister man in his home.
The deadline to apply for the voluntary positions is February 26.
Low-income people in the county spend over 33 percent of their income on transit, the group conducting the study found.
Tonight at 7 p.m. the Fire Dept. Budget Task Force will examine how to bridge its budget, and avoid laying of four Milpitas firefighters.
Starting Tuesday, the Burlingame-based airline offers flights from San Jose to Los Angeles starting at $49.
Information is provided by the Capitola Police Department and Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office. Arrests do not indicate convictions.
The Team program, based at Tamiscal High School in Larkspur, faces being disbanded.
Delays are affecting passengers traveling south from Daly City and San Francisco stations.
Marc Anthony Nichols, who remains out of custody on $200,000 bail, will go to trial on Feb. 25.
The fire was one of two in San Jose last week that exposed pot growing operations.
Kayleigh Booten was killed early Saturday in a single-vehicle accident.
There is a large metal sheet blocking the third lane, according to the CHP.
Last Wednesday's dinner honored volunteers who have contributed exceptional service to the American Red Cross Santa Cruz County chapter.
One of the winners, Chris Maffia, won the 2013 Special Recognition for Exceptional Volunteer award.
Two people were ejected from a motorcycle at 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Projects include folding bikes for bus riders, and Aptos Village transport modifications.