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Jacky Morales-Ferrand never thought her work in housing would span three decades, and she never imagined what that would entail coming to work for a city more than three times the size of Boulder, Colorado. Morales-Ferrand, who’s worked as the director of housing for San Jose since 2015, oversaw a paradigm shift in how the...
Santa Clara County health care workers must stay masked
Santa Clara County is requiring masks to be worn in hospitals and other high-risk settings, days after the state relaxed COVID-19 restrictions. County Executive Jeff Smith sent an email to staff Tuesday evening informing them that workers and visitors must continue to wear masks at county facilities including hospitals, clinics, long-term care homes, jails and...
A new push to move San Jose homeless from Coyote Creek
Valley Water is shelling out millions for San Jose to clear out homeless residents living along Coyote Creek. The $4.8 million contract with the city comes as the water agency prepares to build out mandated flood protection measures along a nine-mile stretch of the creek following the devastating 2017 floods. The nearly 120 to 200 homeless people living along the waterway...
Renters say San Jose policies aren’t working
San Jose tenants say the city’s rent control policy is ineffective. This bleak finding comes from a recent survey featuring more than 200 tenants and landlords who report feeling underwhelmed by ongoing city efforts to slow soaring rent costs. The survey, conducted by consulting firm RSG, is part of a larger effort to collect feedback from tenants...
What’s the former San Jose mayor teaching at Stanford?
Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo had his first day on campus this week, and he couldn’t be more excited. Liccardo, who termed out last year, started a part-time gig as a Stanford University law professor on Monday. His course explores the fiscal, legal and political struggles of policymaking to solve what he said are the...
How was San Jose police union unaware of alleged drug smuggling?
The shocking drug smuggling allegations against a longtime San Jose police union office manager are prompting critics to voice concerns about the union’s integrity and its internal oversight process. Joanne Segovia, executive director of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association (SJPOA), was charged by federal prosecutors last week with attempting to illegally import fentanyl. Segovia,...
Beloved Bay Area journalist suffers severe injury
For more than 50 years, Mike Colgan’s distinctive voice filled Bay Area airwaves—from headline-grabbing political scandals to national sporting events, Colgan was there. He retired from journalism in 2020 and moved to Arizona to enjoy a quiet life with his wife, but retirement was cut short. Colgan, a longtime fixture and icon in local journalism,...
Could Cindy Chavez say goodbye to Silicon Valley?
Longtime Silicon Valley labor leader Cindy Chavez may be leaving the Bay Area for an executive role down south—a shocking move for the local powerhouse. Chavez, who represents District 2 on the Board of Supervisors, is being considered for the San Diego County chief administrative officer position which oversees day-to-day operations of the county. The prospect of her...
Embattled eBay exec has ear of another San Jose mayor
Days after his election, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan allowed a disgraced former eBay executive linked to a vicious stalking scheme to build his transition teams, work on his schedule and broker a meeting with a tech leader. New emails obtained by San José Spotlight highlight the continued political influence of Steve Wymer, the former...
San Jose official fights small business displacement
High rents and new development have caused a number of small businesses across San Jose to close shop or to cease operations entirely. That’s why San Jose Councilmember Peter Ortiz is asking the city to draft a policy to protect small businesses from being displaced. There are about 60,000 small businesses in San Jose, roughly 7,000 of...