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A contentious affordable housing policy coming to the San Jose City Council appears to be dead on arrival. The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, or COPA, is coming to the city council in late April, but it seems the long-debated policy will not have enough votes to pass. Councilmember Peter Ortiz tried and failed to defer the policy...
San Jose breaks ground on prefab homeless housing
San Jose is breaking ground on a unique transitional housing site that will support hundreds of homeless residents when complete. Preparation is underway for a three-story, prefabricated modular project on Branham Lane and Monterey Road in the south part of the city. Planning for the site in District 2 began in 2021. It will open in April 2024 with...
Meet San Jose’s new downtown manager
Nathan Donato-Weinstein built his career in downtown San Jose—and now his job is to build the area into the vibrant city center he knows it can be. Donato-Weinstein is San Jose’s new downtown manager—a position focused on the downtown core’s economic development. The business journalist turned business development expert in City Hall has been in his...
San Jose mayor proposes homeless ban in parts of city
San Jose’s mayor has faced criticism for his plan to ban homeless residents from setting up camp in certain parts of the city, but he believes it’s only because people don’t fully understand it. As part of his March budget message, Mayor Matt Mahan asked the city to explore enacting no encampment zones, which would prohibit homeless camps in...
UPDATE: San Jose council strengthens wage theft policy
San Jose wanted to loosen wage theft requirements to allow more contractors to work for the city, but councilmembers pushed back. City staff recommended scaling back the city’s wage theft policy for public contacts, but the City Council voted unanimously to strengthen it at a Tuesday meeting. Councilmember Dev Davis was absent. Wage theft occurs...
A new push to move San Jose homeless from Coyote Creek
Valley Water is shelling out millions for San Jose to clear out homeless residents living along Coyote Creek. The $4.8 million contract with the city comes as the water agency prepares to build out mandated flood protection measures along a nine-mile stretch of the creek following the devastating 2017 floods. The nearly 120 to 200 homeless people living along the waterway...
What’s the former San Jose mayor teaching at Stanford?
Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo had his first day on campus this week, and he couldn’t be more excited. Liccardo, who termed out last year, started a part-time gig as a Stanford University law professor on Monday. His course explores the fiscal, legal and political struggles of policymaking to solve what he said are the...
Could Cindy Chavez say goodbye to Silicon Valley?
Longtime Silicon Valley labor leader Cindy Chavez may be leaving the Bay Area for an executive role down south—a shocking move for the local powerhouse. Chavez, who represents District 2 on the Board of Supervisors, is being considered for the San Diego County chief administrative officer position which oversees day-to-day operations of the county. The prospect of her...
Embattled eBay exec has ear of another San Jose mayor
Days after his election, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan allowed a disgraced former eBay executive linked to a vicious stalking scheme to build his transition teams, work on his schedule and broker a meeting with a tech leader. New emails obtained by San José Spotlight highlight the continued political influence of Steve Wymer, the former...
San Jose won’t meet homeless housing goal
One of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s main goals is to finish his predecessor’s promise and complete 1,000 interim homes for the unhoused by the end of this year—but city staff said that’s impossible. Interim homes are quick-build temporary shelters designed to be a fast and cheap solution to getting homeless residents off the streets and on the path to permanent...