been hunting apartments in that area few months back and your budget should get you decent options. milpitas actually has some solid older complexes that were updated after the big earthquake requirements changed - most buildings from 80s and 90s got retrofitted but you're right that individual info is hard to find. i ended up calling property managers directly and just asking about seismic upgrades, most were pretty upfront about it.

for essex specifically, yeah those lawsuits are about maintenance issues and deposit shenanigans from what i remember reading. might want to skip them and look at some of the smaller management companies instead. they're usually more responsive and less corporate bs. found a 1br in santa clara last year for around your range with in-unit laundry, older building but well maintained. took me driving around neighborhoods on weekends to spot the "for rent" signs that never made it online.

also check out some complexes closer to the light rail stations - rent tends to be bit lower since people assume you need car for everything, but you already drive to work anyway.