As San Jose braces for budget deficits in the coming year, the city broke its record in employee compensation last year with 63 employees earning an annual salary of more than $400,000. Of the top 100 highest-paid city employees, 93 work in public safety—69 in the police department and 24 in the fire department. The only...
San Jose leaders are delivering resources directly to residents’ front doors to help close the digital divide. Mayor Matt Mahan and Congressman Jimmy Panetta canvassed around Edenvale in South San Jose today, where a third of residents could qualify for a federal program that subsidizes Wi-Fi bills by $30 a month. There are 30,000 households in...
Toxins from a fuel spill eight years ago at an abandoned East San Jose building continue to pollute the soil, and city leaders are pushing to expedite cleanup efforts before another environmental disaster. Councilmember Peter Ortiz is rallying support from colleagues to form an intergovernmental committee to create a timeline for removing the contamination at...
Newly obtained information reveals how Live Nation, a large live entertainment company, attempted to take over a key entertainment venue in San Jose in 2021. Emails withheld by the city and released to San José Spotlight after a judge’s ruling show Live Nation approached Team San Jose, a nonprofit that manages the city’s arts and...
The San Jose City Council is holding off on creating a new, city-run power utility until officials are better informed to make a decision. Councilmembers unanimously voted today to defer a decision to Oct. 3 that would amend city code to establish “San Jose Power” — a city-run electricity utility to capitalize on two new...
The largest planned strike in decades by San Jose city workers is over before it starts. The city’s two largest unions representing 4,500 workers – IFPTE Local 21 and AFSCME Local 101 – officially called off their strike today, avoiding what could have been a shutdown of several critical services. San Jose City Council voted...
Newly obtained data shows how much San Jose’s historic flea market has contributed annually to city coffers and how it has faltered over time. Emails withheld by the city and released to San José Spotlight after a judge’s ruling show the financial decline of the San Jose Berryessa Flea Market, which has seen a roughly 50%...
San Jose leaders are moving toward a resolution with union leaders in an attempt to stop the biggest planned strike of city workers in recent history. Two of the city’s largest unions may reach a deal by Monday morning — 24 hours before the three-day strike is set to begin on Aug. 15. Staff Up...
Swiftie or not, pop star Taylor Swift is undeniably a money magnet — and new financial figures show a massive boost for Silicon Valley’s economy from the artist’s two-day stop at Levi’s Stadium. Dan Rascher, president of Sports Economics, LLC, who analyzes the business of sporting events and concerts, told San José Spotlight that 60,000...
San Jose is off to a slow start staffing up the police department since Mayor Matt Mahan took office in January. Filling dozens of empty vacancies at the San Jose Police Department has been a long term goal for Mahan dating back to his time on the campaign trail. But so far it’s been an uphill...
