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The chancellor of San Jose-Evergreen Community College District is leaving his post for a new job in Southern California. Dr. Byron D. Clift Breland announced his resignation in a district-wide email Monday evening. He said he is taking a position as chancellor of the North Orange County Community College District. “I am proud of the...
San Jose sidewalk construction causes pedestrian safety concerns
Prolonged construction on a busy Santana Row intersection has frustrated some locals who say it poses a threat to pedestrian safety. Resident Benjamin Reed told San José Spotlight he contacted the city months ago about construction on the corner of Winchester Boulevard and Olsen Street, as well as Santana Row and Stevens Creek Boulevard. He...
Residents feel stuck at massive San Jose homeless camp
The clearing of a major homeless encampment near San Jose’s Columbus Park has forced scores of unhoused residents to live together in squalid, cramped conditions. Over the last two months, the city has cleared about two-thirds of a 40-acre plot of city-owned land near Columbus Park. About 150 unhoused people, 200 vehicles—of which 53 are...
Santa Clara County student homelessness fluctuated during COVID
The number of homeless students dropped in Santa Clara County during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some districts are seeing an uptick in the number of students struggling with housing this school year. The number of homeless students in the county declined by 13% between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, according to a report published...
San Jose VTA backed off promise to hire diverse firms, activists say
Civil rights groups claim VTA backpedaled on a pledge to give substantial contract work to local minority-owned businesses on a major infrastructure project. The leader of the San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP sent a letter to VTA CEO Carolyn Gonot on Oct. 28 complaining the agency assured the NAACP, the Asian Law Alliance and La Raza...
Coordinated campaign kills interim housing proposal in Santa Clara
A coordinated effort by hundreds of Santa Clara residents successfully killed a proposal to build interim housing for unhoused families. In a unanimous vote, the Santa Clara City Council rejected a proposal to build 60 units of transitional housing at 2035 White Oak Lane. Councilmembers directed city employees to search for alternative sites. The proposal...
Digital food hall could be economic boon for downtown San Jose
San Jose business leaders have high hopes for a digital food hall to spice up the heart of downtown. City Storage Systems, a real estate company owned by former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, is constructing a new location for several delivery-oriented restaurants in downtown San Jose. The historic building at East Santa Clara and South Third...
Proposed mine near Gilroy a human rights issue, says commission
A Santa Clara County commission wants to halt plans to build a mine near Gilroy, calling it a critical human rights issue. The Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission voted unanimously last week to support the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band in its opposition to a proposed sand and gravel mine on land they consider sacred. The commission—a volunteer...
Santa Clara County sergeant steps into sheriff’s race
Sean Allen has been fighting for change in the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office for years, and he’s about to take that fight to the county’s top cop. Allen told San José Spotlight on Friday he intends to file papers to run for sheriff in 2022. Allen is a sergeant who’s worked for the department...
San Jose entrepreneur pushes city to allow cannabis events
A San Jose entrepreneur wants the city to expand its horizons and allow special events at museums, concerts and comedy clubs where adults can smoke, drink or eat cannabis products. Fernando Alvarez, founder of VaporTent Lounges, said the city is missing out on an economic policy he’s helped other California cities craft. One that allows organizers...
