Editor’s Note: Backbone of Silicon Valley is a first-of-its-kind video storytelling project. Our reporters spent a year documenting the plight of six essential workers in Silicon Valley—the unsung heroes who clean your house, pack your groceries and prescriptions, cook your food, work in hospitals and deliver your meals. San José Spotlight teamed up with filmmakers...
Author: Lloyd Alaban (Lloyd Alaban)
Backbone of Silicon Valley: Daryush Khodadadi-Mobarakeh
Editor’s Note: Backbone of Silicon Valley is a first-of-its-kind video storytelling project. Our reporters spent a year documenting the plight of six essential workers in Silicon Valley—the unsung heroes who clean your house, pack your groceries and prescriptions, cook your food, work in hospitals and deliver your meals. San José Spotlight teamed up with filmmakers...
Alum Rock school trustee running for East San Jose council seat
The race for a City Council seat in East San Jose is shaping up to be a stacked contest. The latest political heavyweight to declare for the seat is educator Andres Quintero. The Alum Rock Union School District trustee is the latest candidate running for the open District 5 seat, having filed papers this week....
Santa Clara County reports first COVID omicron infection
The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been found in Santa Clara County, prompting health officials to urge residents to get their booster shots. According to the county, the infected individual showed symptoms on Nov. 30 and got tested Dec. 1. The person, who traveled to Florida, is fully vaccinated, but did not receive a...
San Jose police remain on campuses under new SJUSD agreement
Despite activists’ best efforts, San Jose police officers will be hired to patrol campuses of the city’s largest school district for special events. The San Jose Unified School District Board of Education unanimously approved an agreement Thursday with the San Jose Police Department that outlines how cops will be used on campuses as security for...
A look at the latest San Jose candidates running for office in 2022
In less than six months, San Joseans will go to the ballot box to pick their next councilmembers and mayor. Numerous candidates have already pulled papers, including well-known politicians Raul Peralez and Cindy Chavez, who are vying to become San Jose’s next mayor. Here’s a roundup of the candidates who have declared so far in...
San Jose’s Calle Willow protected from residential development
Small business owners in San Jose’s Calle Willow district can breathe easy, as fears of displacement from residential development won’t become a reality—for now. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to remove the Willow Street business district, known to residents as Calle Willow, from a city plan to increase building height limits and...
Backbone of Silicon Valley: Rena Zagala
Editor’s Note: Backbone of Silicon Valley is a first-of-its-kind video storytelling project. Our reporters spent a year documenting the plight of six essential workers in Silicon Valley—the unsung heroes who clean your house, pack your groceries and prescriptions, cook your food, work in hospitals and deliver your meals. San José Spotlight teamed up with filmmakers...
Food delivery fees remain uncapped in San Jose
A San Jose measure to limit fees DoorDash and other delivery companies charge businesses expired six months ago—and it’s not coming back, officials say. San Jose capped delivery fees at 15% in December 2020 to help alleviate costs for local businesses, but it expired in June. The city has no immediate plans to reinstate a...
UPDATE: San Jose extends outdoor dining program through 2022
San Jose residents will be able to dine outdoors at their favorite restaurants through next year. With pre-pandemic indoor dining not expected to return anytime soon, the San Jose City Council unanimously extended its popular Al Fresco outdoor dining and business program on Tuesday, as the region deals with another COVID variant. The extension allows...