San Jose

San Jose

Silicon Valley’s outdoor dining an obstacle for disabled community

For lifelong San Jose resident Michelle Mashburn, there are parts of the city where she can never go. That includes streets like San Pedro Square or Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen, where sidewalks and parking spots have been converted for outdoor dining which isn’t wheelchair friendly. “I just avoid it altogether,” Mashburn told San José...

San Jose commuters losing time in traffic

San Jose commuters spend roughly three days a year sitting in rush-hour traffic, and local advocates worry it will get worse. Residents are seeing their daily trips between work and home extended by more than 17 minutes each day because of rush-hour traffic—nearly 7 minutes in the morning and more than 10 in the evening. That translates to an...

San Jose school districts need to foster parent involvement

San Jose school districts should encourage more parents to attend board meetings and become involved in the work they do, community advocates said. School board members are responsible for hundreds of thousands of students across Santa Clara County school districts. They’re in charge of allocating millions in funding, from federal stimulus monies to bond measure...

Here’s who San Jose’s mayor met with in his first weeks in office

Facing pressure to bring change to City Hall, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan spent his first days in office establishing his administration, meeting with elected officials amid a historic storm and powerful developers and business leaders. Mahan, who is serving a limited two-year term, hit the ground running as he took office this month. His first two...

San Jose celebrates lunar new year

San Jose’s Vietnamese community is celebrating Tết, or lunar new year, with an exuberant weekend festival. Leaders said it’s more than a celebration: it serves as a hub for community outreach. Dozens of festival-goers braved the bitter cold Friday evening to attend the first day of the festival at History Park. A live keyboardist played...

Allegations surface against San Jose council hopefuls

As the San Jose City Council prepares to fill the vacant District 8 seat on Tuesday, documents obtained by San José Spotlight are raising questions about the character and qualifications of several finalists. The candidates vying to represent Evergreen and East San Jose are Salvador Alvarez, Patricia Andrade, Sukhdev Bainiwal, Domingo Candelas and Tam Truong....

Biden excludes Santa Clara County from storm relief funds

President Joe Biden landed in Santa Clara County Thursday to assess the extent of federal aid needed following the devastating storms that pummeled the region. The president deplaned Air Force One at NASA Ames Moffett Federal Airfield around noon, following his announcement to expand federal aid to California counties impacted by severe weather conditions. Funds...

San Jose remembers fearless social justice leader

Local activist and community leader Bea Robinson Mendez, 88, died from pneumonia on Jan. 13, but her legacy lives on.  Robinson Mendez founded Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence, the first bilingual shelter in the country and second domestic violence agency in the state. The organization, which started in a San Jose garage in 1971, provides...

San Jose closes dozens of parks after storms

A historic amount of rain over a three-week period has closed 27 parks and trails throughout San Jose, and it’s unclear when they will reopen. Since Dec. 1, San Jose has received anywhere from 7.5 inches of rain in its downtown core to 16 inches near Almaden Lake, according to the National Weather Service. Rain coupled with...