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Kyra Kazantzis, a senior policy advisor to Mayor Sam Liccardo and a longtime attorney, is the new CEO of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits following Patricia Gardner’s retirement, officials announced Tuesday. “I am thrilled to be joining Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits and am ready to hit the ground running as CEO of this...
Iola Williams, first African-American councilwoman in San Jose, dies
Iola Williams, the first African-American to serve on the San Jose City Council, died Thursday night surrounded by her family in Texas. Williams, who lost a battle with Parkinson’s disease, was 83 years old. In 1979, Williams became the first African-American lawmaker appointed to the City Council after serving on the Franklin-McKinley School Board. Williams served...
San Jose to tackle noisy trains and gas leaf blowers
Noisy leaf blowers and blaring late-night trains. San Jose legislators will take them both on during a meeting this week. A San Jose City Council committee on Wednesday will accept a report from city officials about funding a buy-back program for gasoline-powered lawn equipment, which environmentalists say create air pollution and health risks. The council twice...
Ash Kalra proposes law to put vote centers on college campuses
A new bill from San Jose Assemblyman Ash Kalra would prioritize putting vote centers on college campuses, a push to improve youth voter turnout and eliminate barriers to voting. Kalra’s Assembly Bill 59 would amend California Voter’s Choice Act to require college campuses with 10,000 or more students be considered for vote centers. The proposed legislation includes...
Should San Jose waive wage theft policy for Chase bank?
San Jose on Tuesday will grapple with waiving its wage theft policy to award a major banking contract to Chase — which has disclosed prior wage theft violations — or to create its own public bank. The city’s current banking agreement with Wells Fargo is set to expire on June 30. City officials put the...
Crockett: Rename Burnett Middle School after Major Pico
The San José Unified School District is presently looking to rename Burnett Middle School after a local historical figure more relevant to our present age. Last Friday, I submitted a proposal to rename the middle school “Major José Ramón Pico International Baccalaureate Academy,” honoring our local-born, multi-lingual, multi-racial, Hispanic American Civil War hero and community...
San Jose says goodbye to longtime city auditor
Sharon Erickson, the city leader tasked with keeping local government honest through independent audits, announced she’s retiring next month. Erickson served as the city auditor for more than a decade, probing into controversial topics such as the city’s billing systems, lack of oversight in environmental services, rent control, taxi regulations and towing services. Her office...
Santa Clara Valley Water District unveils new logo, branding
One of Silicon Valley’s most iconic logos is getting a facelift. The Santa Clara Valley Water District on Friday unveiled a new logo, tagline and shortened moniker — Valley Water. After using the same logo for 40 years, the water district’s Board of Directors in December approved a new modernized name and visual brand. The...
David Low leaving Sam Liccardo’s office for homeless nonprofit
Mayor Sam Liccardo’s top spokesman is leaving City Hall after nearly four years on the job to work at the nonprofit Destination: Home. “I’d like to thank each and every one of you for your partnership, support and friendship during my time here at City Hall,” Low said in an email to his colleagues Monday....
San Jose seeks input on rebuilding PAL program
The first step in overhauling the struggling San Jose Police Activities League begins tonight, seven months after a scathing city audit revealed serious mismanagement, financial problems and no checks and balances over money. The PAL program, which began in 1968, offers youth athletic programs and mentorship from police officers for hundreds of kids. But an...