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When Khanh Chung steps out of his barbershop, he wants to see dozens of San Jose workers and residents bustling down First Street, but instead it’s a ghost town. That’s not how he envisioned it when he opened Concept in January 2022. The pandemic was waning and people were returning to work and normalcy. But his...
San Jose mayor’s chief of staff triggers election law proposal
San Jose is looking to strengthen its election rules, with the push targeting the mayor’s right-hand man. The San Jose City Council is considering whether to prohibit elected officials and their staff from working on independent expenditure committees that raise money for local races. This move comes after residents and city leaders questioned the extracurricular political activities of...
San Jose calls for more police amid staffing shortages
San Jose is planning on funding 31 new positions in the police department despite struggling to fill more than 100 existing vacancies. The city manager proposed last week spending $2.9 million in the next fiscal year to create 31 new staff positions within San Jose Police Department, ranging from regular beat cops and community service...
San Jose Cinco de Mayo street closures seen as ‘racist’
San Jose’s 36-year ban on cruising was lifted last fall—but the closure of 10 different highway ramps over Cinco de Mayo weekend left residents wondering whether the reversal was just symbolic. San Jose police coordinated with Caltrans and California Highway Patrol beginning Friday evening through early Monday morning to close several on-and-off ramps heading into...
San Jose recycling drivers allege union busting
The construction drivers who do the cleanup on some of San Jose’s major development projects say they aren’t asking for much—they just want safe working conditions and their full wages paid. Drivers at Premier Recycling Company said their demands are not being met and that contract negotiations have stalled since September. Ramon Castillo, a union...
San Jose residents could pay more for clean energy
San Jose Clean Energy customers could see more rate changes—and will have less time to protest against it. The San Jose City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to loosen regulations for how often San Jose Clean Energy—which provides renewable power to approximately 350,000 customers—can increase rates. The city’s clean energy provider was previously capped at increasing...
Could street performers reignite downtown San Jose?
There’s something magical about walking through a city center while being serenaded to the riffs of a live guitar, then turning down an alley where the smooth sounds of a saxophone bounce off brick walls to fill the air. Spontaneous street performances have the ability to breathe life into a city. But downtown San Jose has never truly experienced that,...
UPDATE: How to participate in San Jose City Council meetings
One of the simplest ways to have your voice heard in San Jose is by keeping up and participating in the city’s council meetings. In our 2022 reader survey, San José Spotlight readers told us they want to be more civically engaged and involved in local policymaking. Many said our coverage of local government has...
San Jose budget could reallocate affordable housing funds
San Jose voters passed a property transfer tax to help fund affordable housing, but the mayor wants to reallocate more than 50% of those dollars for other uses. The city manager’s budget unreleased proposal, obtained by San José Spotlight, shows that $38 million of the $70 million in Measure E funds earmarked for affordable housing...
UPDATE: San Jose abandons affordable housing preservation proposal
After years of deliberation and analysis, hundreds of public comments and heated jabs hurled between San Jose councilmembers, a controversial housing preservation proposal is dead. The San Jose City Council voted 9-2 to reject the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, or COPA, which would’ve given qualified nonprofits the ability to make the first offer on...