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San Jose is the largest city in California to ban flavored tobacco products in an effort to curb nicotine addiction among children. The City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-juices and menthol cigarettes. It will not make it a crime for individuals to possess such products....
Santa Clara County breakthrough COVID hospitalizations remain low
The hospitalization rate for unvaccinated Santa Clara County residents is 23 times higher than those immunized against COVID-19, new county data shows. Between July 29 and Sept. 3, 464 people were hospitalized in the county due to COVID-19. This includes both county-run and private hospitals. County officials told San José Spotlight 360 patients either were not fully...
Silicon Valley lawyer jumps into San Jose council race
Elizabeth Chien-Hale is a lawyer, educator and president of one of the largest neighborhood associations in downtown San Jose. Now, she wants to add elected official to her resume. Chien-Hale is running for the coveted San Jose City Council District 3 seat to replace Councilmember Raul Peralez, who terms out next year and is running for...
San Jose releases Liccardo’s private emails: What we learned
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo routinely uses his private email account to discuss city matters, communicate with local nonprofits and strategize with lobbyists, a San José Spotlight analysis of his recent emails found. One email thread also shows how Liccardo potentially mixes city resources with his nonprofit Solutions San Jose— an advocacy organization formed earlier...
Santa Clara County could spend $25 million on prefab homeless shelters
Building more housing is the key to fighting the growing homelessness crisis in Santa Clara County. Two officials want to give a local nonprofit $25 million to do so. Supervisors Joe Simitian and Otto Lee announced a proposal Thursday to grant LifeMoves, the region’s largest temporary housing provider, a multi-million dollar contract to help it...
San Jose unveils new goals to solve homelessness
San Jose aims to cut its homeless population by 20% by the end of next year through a new initiative to provide more housing and job stability. Mayor Sam Liccardo, joined by Councilmembers Sergio Jimenez, Dev Davis and Pam Foley, announced a plan called “Compassionate and Clean San Jose” Wednesday that would triple the number...
Los Gatos police chief resigned in advance of firing, union says
Los Gatos’ former police chief Peter Decena was ousted by the town manager amid efforts to hire more 911 dispatchers, says the president of the town’s police union. “I can tell you what he told me personally to tell the press… He resigned in lieu of being fired by the town manager,” Bryan Paul, president...
Why can’t San Jose solve its homelessness crisis?
Despite decades of robust efforts and hundreds of millions of dollars spent, San Jose’s homelessness crisis continues to grow—leaving residents, officials and advocates frustrated. For some unhoused residents in Columbus Park, the largest encampment in San Jose, the solution to their problem is simple: Give them housing. “Everybody out here wants to live in a home,” said...
Santa Clara County prepares for potential COVID boosters
Santa Clara County is ready to offer all eligible residents COVID-19 booster shots within 24 hours of federal approval, but whether the plan is needed—and to what extent—remains unknown. After intense debate Friday, vaccine advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected Pfizer’s request to add a third shot to its two-doses regimen for the general...
South San Jose liquor store shut down after 36 years
Faisal Gowani still can’t believe his family business has shut down. Owned by Gowani’s parents, Southgate Liquors was a fixture in South San Jose that provided one of the largest selections of craft beer and liquor in the area for the last 36 years. The shop went out of business on Labor Day after being...