As the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority prepares to bring BART through downtown San Jose, some property owners claim the agency is refusing to negotiate terms. The second phase of the BART extension to San Jose brings the Bay Area rail line through downtown along Santa Clara Street, a stretch that will displace a number...
Author: Sonya Herrera (Sonya Herrera)
San Jose small businesses can still apply for COVID rent relief
San Jose has opened its next wave of grants for small businesses to pay off their rent debts accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic. Small business owners can now apply for grants of up to $15,000 to help pay off the back rent they owe to commercial landlords. San Jose opened applications for the grants last week,...
The last inhabitants of San Jose’s former ‘Jungle’ encampment
When Jose Pantín surveys the area of land formerly known as the Jungle—a wide embankment off of Story and Senter roads next to Coyote Creek—he finds it hard to picture a park in its place. The 70-year-old man moved to the former site of the Jungle about five years ago after living in the streets...
Out of work: Beloved San Jose reverend faces uphill climb
Just one year after leaving San Jose, a beloved civil rights leader is back—but he finds himself separated from family, ousted from a job where he reported inappropriate conduct and is now struggling to find work. The story of struggle is not unique to Rev. Jeff Moore II, the leader of Silicon Valley’s NAACP chapter....
End of an era: San Jose antique shops could disappear
Walking past the palm trees that line San Carlos Street, it’s hard to miss the string of antique shops that have survived in an area once known as “Antiques Row.” These nostalgic shops may become a distant memory after the San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to annex a portion of West San Carlos...
Proposed tax law threatens billions in San Jose funding
The San Jose City Council will decide whether to oppose a state ballot initiative Tuesday, which officials say would hobble the city’s ability to provide basic services. The initiative, dubbed the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act, would make it more difficult for state and local governments to pass new taxes and fees. If passed, local governments...
Former San Jose official reflects on the childhood that changed him
Chappie Jones, former vice mayor of San Jose, grew up on a redlined street in Sacramento, a street informally designated for Black residents, while the remaining streets in the area were not. Today the homes on his childhood street are valued lower than homes on other streets nearby. This basic inequality, rooted in racism, gave Jones profound...
Google could delay millions in San Jose community funds
Time is money, and in Silicon Valley, that saying is exceedingly true. So when news got out that Google could postpone construction on its highly-anticipated San Jose megacampus, it raised eyebrows and concerns. At stake is roughly 25,000 jobs and $155 million for a community fund that will be used to pay for education, job...
San Jose’s low-budget airline could boost tourism
San Jose Mineta International Airport is adding Spirit Airlines to its carriers—and some say that’s not necessarily the best news. “I’ve flown on Spirit a couple times, and it wasn’t a good experience,” said Christian Hoang, a San Jose resident going to school out of state. “If you’re looking for the best price, they have...
How Google’s downtown campus will transform San Jose’s art landscape
This article was produced in a joint partnership between San José Spotlight and Content Magazine, a nonprofit print publication featuring the innovative and creative people of Silicon Valley. When Alexa Arena commutes to San Jose from her home in San Francisco, she often takes Caltrain. “The good news is when you’re sitting on a train,...