Dolores Huerta, the pioneering labor organizer who co-founded the United Farm Workers and spent decades fighting for farmworkers’ rights, has died at 96, leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape San Jose and the South Bay. Huerta’s influence in the region lives on through generations of organizers who fought alongside her, community groups inspired...
San Jose’s oldest plaza gets new name
San Jose has a new name for its downtown plaza after months of community engagement, following allegations of sexual abuse against the late civil rights leader César Chávez for whom the space was named. The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved renaming the 3.4-acre public space Plaza de San Jose, following a city-led process that...
Residents renew calls to close East San Jose airport after recent crashes
Two recent airplane crashes stemming from an East San Jose airport are prompting residents and elected officials to renew efforts to close it. Residents living in the proximity of Reid-Hillview Airport shared their concerns during a Friday news conference at Hillview Park organized by community advocacy group SOMOS Mayfair. They pointed to a crash from a...
Attack ad row escalates in San Jose’s District 7 race
With less than two weeks until Election Day, the challenger in San Jose’s District 7 City Council race is accusing incumbent Bien Doan of an all-out effort to stifle her voice in the campaign. Doan is calling it a manufactured controversy. Community advocate Van Le, a trustee for the East Side Union High School District,...
South Bay ICE concerns won’t stop Día de los Muertos events
Dozens of altars honoring loved ones who have died will return to Mexican Heritage Plaza in East San Jose for Avenida de Altares, with an eye on safety for people celebrating. Organizers are moving forward with Día de los Muertos celebrations across the South Bay while taking steps to prepare for potential U.S. Immigration and...
East San Jose navigation center is a one-stop resource facility
A homeless man wandered into a navigation center in East San Jose last month. He was injured, walking unsteadily with an open wound on his leg. “I’ve been walking for 10 days, not knowing where to go, and I just landed here,” he said to a worker. He had tried getting help in various places...
San Jose could combine two options to rename downtown plaza
A nearly 250-year-old gathering place in downtown San Jose could soon have a new name, combining two of the top-ranked choices from the city’s monthslong renaming process. The San Jose Parks and Recreation Commission voted Wednesday to recommend renaming Plaza de César Chávez to Plaza del Pueblo de San Jose, a name proposed by Commissioner...
San Jose increases parking garage rates, but not meters
It took three attempts for the San Jose City Council to reach a compromise Tuesday on contentious parking rate changes, with officials approving higher garage rates and special event fees while putting off plans for downtown meter rate increases and extended evening meter hours. The final proposal passed 7-3 — with Councilmembers Peter Ortiz, Bien...
San Jose parking official raises alarms about rate hike plan
A San Jose parking official is calling for the city to pause discussions on a controversial plan to hike parking rates, arguing it must first address longstanding concerns over the management of revenue from parking fees. In an open letter sent Friday to councilmembers and city administrators, Downtown Parking Board Vice Chair Tamiko Rast leveled...
San Jose attempts phased increase for downtown parking rates
San Jose officials are preparing to roll out a revised proposal to increase downtown parking rates, after the original plan met opposition from the city’s business community. The new plan — set to go before the City Council on Tuesday — seeks to soften the financial blow to businesses and workers. It does this in part...