This winter, businesses, commercial property owners and multi-family residences in San Jose can apply for steep discounts on electric vehicle charging stations as a result of an energy partnership’s efforts to bolster green infrastructure in the city. San Jose Clean Energy (SJCE) and the California Energy Commission’s California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP) committed $14...
San Jose makes dent in low-income housing shortage with grants, developments
San Jose made progress this week in securing housing for low-income, senior and homeless residents. Gov. Gavin Newsom awarded $14.5 million to the city on Sept. 16 to purchase property to house the homeless. Earlier this week the San Jose City Council approved three more affordable housing projects. The city also greelit a revamp of...
San Jose City Council supports restoring voting rights to parolees
The San Jose City Council voted to endorse a measure slated for the November ballot that would restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated individuals. The 10-0-1 vote did not include Councilmember Johnny Khamis who was absent due to illness. If Proposition 17 is passed by voters, California will follow in the footsteps of 19 other...
Update: San Jose offers amnesty for parking tickets
No one likes a parking ticket — especially during a pandemic. And if left unpaid, that pesky piece of paper can quickly double in price. People with outstanding tickets, however, are getting a break. San Jose lawmakers Sept. 15 unanimously approved temporarily forgiving late fees on citations issued on or before March 19. “While late...
Update: San Jose police can continue to use rubber bullets for violent protesters
San Jose police can continue to use rubber bullets for crowd control if people are being violent, despite Mayor Sam Liccardo’s push to ban them in crowds altogether after protesters suffered serious injuries during demonstrations against the police killing of George Floyd in May. Liccardo was the lone dissenter in the City Council’s 10-1 decision,...
Update: Spend $3 million more to pick up San Jose trash, officials recommend
The mayor and three councilmembers are recommending San Jose dump another $3 million to help clean up the city’s trash problem. Mayor Sam Liccardo and councilmembers Lan Diep, Dev Davis and Sergio Jimenez announced the idea Sept. 14 amid mounting complaints about the city wide trash buildup. “There’s no shortage of San Jose property that...
Staffing shortage at San Jose fire department causes inspection backlog
San Jose’s fire department is short staffed, leading to a backlog in fire inspections for new buildings, a recent audit found. Vacancies in engineering and inspection positions, which are key to getting buildings up to fire code, have increased since 2015. According to the report, the city at one point had 20 vacant engineering positions...
San Jose police release body cam videos from protests
After pressure from the San Jose City Council, the city’s police department late Friday, released body-worn camera footage of recent protests over the police killing of George Floyd. “Body-worn camera video is an essential component in investigations and in maintaining the public trust,” Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in a statement. “Coming up with a...
Years of neglect take toll on San Jose’s declining parks, audit finds
Parks have assumed a heftier role during the pandemic, becoming food distribution sites, gathering spots and operating spaces for local businesses. But according to city staff, the quality of many San Jose parks is on the decline and has been for the past few years. A recent report released by the city auditor found 72%...
Santa Clara County joins legal effort to oppose postal service changes
Following President Donald Trump’s denunciation of voting by mail, Santa Clara County led a nationwide coalition of 32 municipalities in joining a legal challenge opposing changes to the United States Postal Service. The coalition, which includes the nonprofit watchdog group Public Rights Project, filed two amicus briefs Sept. 4 in cases challenging changes that might...
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