One year after a consultant said San Jose should expand the powers of the city’s police watchdog, city leaders have shot down the recommendation. The San Jose City Council rejected a proposal 8-2 Tuesday to give the Independent Police Auditor’s (IPA) office increased authority, including the right to directly investigate some alleged police misconduct cases....
Author: Joseph Geha (Joseph Geha)
Sunnyvale considers eight homes on major thoroughfare
Sunnyvale leaders are considering opening the door for a developer to build eight, two-story homes where one currently stands. Forrest Mozart, a Palo Alto developer, wants to demolish a single-story home built in 1965 at 781 S. Wolfe Road. In its place, he plans to put up eight homes between 2,000 to 2,400 square feet each on...
Willow Glen investor seeks District 6 San Jose council seat
A prominent Willow Glen real estate investor who previously ran for mayor now wants to represent District 6 on the San Jose City Council. Michael Mulcahy, a San Jose native, is tossing his hat into the race for the District 6 seat, which encompasses Willow Glen, Santana Row, The Alameda and parts of downtown. Already...
South San Jose industrial warehouse projects on hot streak
A Houston-based developer is planning three massive warehouses across nearly 45 acres of land in South San Jose — adding to swath of industrial buildings already in that area. Hines Interests Limited Partnership is seeking approval for a 234,000-square-foot industrial building on nearly 16 acres of vacant land at 644-675 Piercy Road, near the corner...
San Jose leaders clear path for new homes in Willow Glen
San Jose leaders pushed forward plans for five new homes in the city’s upscale Willow Glen neighborhood. The San Jose City Council on Nov. 7 unanimously approved a request from Los Altos developer De Anza Properties to rezone a long, narrow one-acre lot at 1655 Lincoln Ave. to allow up to five new homes in...
Santa Clara officials may release investigation into closed-door blowup
More than a year after three Santa Clara City Councilmembers had a heated verbal altercation during a closed door meeting, city leaders will consider publicly sharing more details about the investigation into the incident. The council supported a request submitted Tuesday night by Councilmember Anthony Becker to discuss at a future meeting whether it would release the full investigation...
San Jose officials criticized for approving military weapons
The San Jose Police Department will be getting more military grade equipment, including projectile launchers that have been at the center of costly lawsuits, following approval by city leaders. But some local community groups are strongly opposed to the purchases, and are raising concerns over whether San Jose is trying to avoid attention on the topic. Critics say the city...
San Jose to consider paying six figures after woman crashes scooter
A woman who suffered serious facial and oral injuries when a scooter she was riding struck a broken lamp post base in downtown San Jose is set to receive a $337,500 payout from the city. The San Jose City Council will consider approving the tentative settlement agreement with Andrea Ortega at its Nov. 14 meeting....
Google’s mega campus in San Jose hits a snag
Amid ongoing turbulence with office space vacancies, Google and an Australian development firm are ending their agreement to create four work and live districts in the South Bay worth $15 billion, including Downtown West in San Jose. The tech giant on Friday said its split with Sydney-based Lendlease is not the end of its master-planned...
California targets Apple, but Cupertino loses big
Cupertino may be forced to lay off dozens of workers, cut services and put new tax measures on the ballot to compensate for the loss of nearly $60 million likely to be ripped from its budget. California’s Department of Tax and Fee Administration is targeting tech giant Apple over how it allocates local sales taxes,...