Housing officials had originally deferred the missing middle housing debate earlier this month. Since that time, they pulled together more information about a recent homebuyer downpayment assistance proposal from Councilmember Pam Foley, as well as a backyard unit proposal from Mayor Sam Liccardo and Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco, Sylvia Arenas and Foley. Foley’s homebuyer assistance program proposal, which...
San Jose OKs three new fire stations, relocating two existing stations
San Jose is now in the market to build three new fire stations and relocate two existing ones after the City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to move forward with the search for five new sites. Emergency responses have spiked 83 percent in the last decade, according to a memo from San Jose Fire Chief...
San Jose looks to boost energy resiliency in wake of wildfire-driven blackouts
Since the California Public Utilities Commission decided to allow energy providers to unilaterally turn off the lights when the risk for wildfires is high, San Jose lawmakers want to know how it will affect the more than one million residents in the city. In a new memo, Mayor Sam Liccardo, Vice Mayor Chappie Jones and Councilmembers Sergio...
San Jose lawmakers narrowly approve budget amid inequity concerns
San Jose City Councilmembers on Tuesday narrowly voted to approve Mayor Sam Liccardo’s June budget message, despite criticism that it didn’t go far enough to address racial and economic inequities in the city. The split vote marked the first time in recent history that nearly half the City Council voted against a mayor’s fiscal budget, which is historically...
San Jose lawmakers expected to approve city budget
After months of preparation, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday is expected to approve the proposed $4.3 billion budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Since March, Mayor Sam Liccardo has released two budget messages that help shape how the city spends public dollars. The mayor’s first message focused on limiting spending to brace for a...
San Jose lawmakers fundraised nearly $3.7M last year. Here’s where it went.
Contact Grace Hase at grace@sanjosespotlight.com or follow @grace_hase on Twitter.
In split vote, San Jose lawmakers decide to study potential 2020 tax measure
Despite warnings from Councilmembers Johnny Khamis and Sergio Jimenez that San Jose residents are becoming overtaxed, a split City Council on Tuesday decided to move forward with researching a 2020 ballot measure to help build affordable housing and shelter the city’s homeless. Last month, San Jose administrators studied three potential tax measures – two of them were...
San Jose mayor focuses on equity and blight in budget message
As San Jose lawmakers prepare to approve next year’s budget, Mayor Sam Liccardo announced in his budget message Monday that he wants to distribute public dollars equitably – focusing limited funding and resources on areas with the greatest needs. “All of us should agree that across several city program areas, high-poverty neighborhoods need greater resources,” Liccardo wrote. “In some...
San Jose mayor one step closer to suing over overnight trains
In an effort to combat the blaring horns of trains that have been waking San Jose residents from slumber, Mayor Sam Liccardo, along with four of his council colleagues, have signed on to explore legal options against Union Pacific Railroad and consider designating the land along the rail line as public open space. According to...
Mason Fong breaks barriers as a South Bay councilman
At 27 years old, Councilmember Mason Fong is believed to be the youngest person elected to the Sunnyvale City Council. His captivation with politics started at a young age as his parents fostered the importance of civic engagement, taking him to rallies like the ones held against the Iraq War. The grandson of Chinese immigrants, Fong’s political voice...
