RVs that used to be ubiquitous on San Jose’s streets have dropped by more than half since the city began upping the pressure on people living in vehicles. While officials say this has created cleaner and safer neighborhoods, those vulnerable say these policies are pushing them over the edge. Since last January when San Jose...
San Jose residents to help rename Plaza de César Chávez
As San Jose considers a new identity for one of its oldest public spaces, residents are beginning to weigh what — and who — the city’s downtown plaza should represent for generations to come. Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services officials held a Wednesday meeting to kick off plans to rename Plaza de César Chávez, inviting residents...
Downtown parking fee hike riles local businesses
San Jose has delayed a decision on whether to increase downtown parking prices after widespread pushback from local businesses and workers. The measure would have increased rates for hundreds of parking meters in the downtown core from $2 an hour to a maximum of $4 an hour, and also extended the machine’s operating hours further...
San Jose kicks ranked choice voting down the road
The San Jose City Council has punted on a proposal that could have introduced ranked choice voting to certain city elections. Councilmembers on Tuesday voted 8-2 — with Vice Mayor Pam Foley and District 10 Councilmember George Casey voting against, and District 5 Councilmember Peter Ortiz absent — to advance a ballot measure that would...
A San Jose artist who chose to serve artists
When Erin Salazar walked into a Knight Foundation networking event back in 2012 wearing paint-covered work coveralls, she wasn’t expecting to launch a nonprofit. At the time, Salazar was a working artist in San Jose with a simple idea: The city had plenty of talented artists and plenty of blank walls. What it lacked were...
San Jose’s budget lands with wins, losses, work to do
Budget season in San Jose is over, but the months-long negotiations have set the stage for new political fights that are only beginning to take shape. The City Council on Tuesday put the final seal of approval on the $5.5 billion budget that will see San Jose through the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1. Facing down a...
Community-focused San Jose center serves older adults
As Santa Clara County’s population ages, health and community service nonprofits are growing to meet their needs. On Lok, a community-focused care provider for older adults, held a Wednesday grand opening for its 20,348-square-foot PACE center in South San Jose. The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) expands access to comprehensive care, providing...
San Jose scores poor ranking over lack of park investment
San Jose has slipped eight spots in a national ranking of city parks, with one of its weakest scores highlighting a challenge local leaders have struggled to solve for years: finding enough money to maintain and improve neighborhood parks. The Trust for Public Land’s 2026 ParkScore report ranks San Jose No. 49 among the nation’s 100 largest...
San Jose nonprofit buys property to help homeless people
A San Jose home that was part of a national Catholic movement to provide a “house of hospitality” to the marginalized is transferring hands, though its mission to help homeless people will remain. Catholic Worker San Jose is selling its seven-bedroom home on North Sixth Street, known as Casa de Clara, to nonprofit Amigos de Guadalupe...
Water and garbage rates increase for San Jose residents
While utility hikes are a regular occurrence for San Jose residents, an especially sharp jump in garbage disposal fees and water rates have led to pushback amid growing concern over rising living costs. Under new fee schedules set to take effect July 1, the start of fiscal year 2026-27, San Jose’s garbage disposal service fee...