Thousands of San Jose city workers are going on strike — and making history as the city’s largest worker walk out in recent history. As many as 4,500 city workers will strike starting Aug. 15 after months of failed salary negotiations between the city and two of its largest unions — IFPTE Local 21 and...
San Jose
San Jose
The Biz Beat: San Jose restaurant unlocks beauty and depth of Venezuelan cuisine
Joanna Torres is on a mission to popularize Venezuelan food with her Willow Glen restaurant, Arepas. And if her recent catering job of serving 1,400 arepa sandwiches for Intuit is any indication, she is succeeding. Founded less than two years ago, Arepas in San Jose has a loyal customer base that stretches to Modesto. The...
San Jose grants few former employees lobbying exemptions
In San Jose, when you leave a job working for the city you are barred from lobbying anyone at City Hall for at least two years—but a handful of ex-employees are exceptions to the rule. The latest example is Allie Hughes, a former staffer for San Jose Councilmember David Cohen. She recently left the city to...
San Jose VTA mass shooting lawsuit moves forward
A lawsuit filed by the family of a VTA rail yard shooting victim is moving forward, after a judge ruled against the transit agency Thursday. A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge rejected VTA’s request to dismiss the lawsuit from the family of Lars Kepler “Kep” Lane, attorneys for the family said. The lawsuit was...
‘Your own employees are struggling,’ homeless San Jose worker says
San Jose city zookeeper Amanda Maulding never thought securing her dream job would lead to her being homeless, but within two years of starting her job it became clear she was never going to make enough to pay rent. Now Maulding, 43, who has worked for the city since 2018, is living in a van...
When it comes to drugs, is San Jose the next San Francisco?
When it comes to drug use and dealing, San Jose is no San Francisco—though some residents and leaders are projecting that it’s heading that way. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan recently stood at a busy downtown intersection with one message: if you are caught dealing in San Jose, you will be swiftly arrested and prosecuted....
More developers eye North San Jose manufacturing hub
A North San Jose parcel previously planned for a hotel is being eyed for a large manufacturing space. The San Jose City Council will consider approving a plan on Aug. 8 to build a 208,000-square-foot manufacturing and light assembly facility at 350 W. Trimble Road, amid a tech manufacturing and industrial hub in the area. Irvine-based...
San Jose native enters crowded District 2 council race
Pamela Campos grew up in a San Jose home shared by four families until hers could afford their own house. Now, Campos is entering the District 2 San Jose City Council race to tackle that same problem of overcrowding head on. Campos is the third candidate—and first lifelong San Jose resident—to join the District 2...
San Jose commission split over who should lead it
A powerful San Jose commission that in recent years faced criticism over its lack of diversity is beginning to look more like the city it serves. But one member is bemoaning the choice of another man to lead the majority-male panel. “It was a missed opportunity,” Planning Commissioner Pierluigi Oliverio told San José Spotlight. Oliverio,...
San Jose worker strike would shut down city services
Libraries may close, summer youth programs could be canceled and flights at San Jose Mineta International Airport could be delayed if city employees vote to strike this week over failed contract negotiations. It would be the largest strike San Jose has seen in the last 40 years, with potentially 4,500 city employees staying home. This decision to...