A group of San Jose Filipino residents want to ensure their contributions to the labor movement won’t be forgotten. The group is pushing to rename Paseo de San Antonio, a downtown pedestrian walkway, after labor leader Larry Itliong. Itliong was instrumental in fighting for better farmworker rights alongside Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, but isn’t as...
Meet downtown San Jose’s new City Council team
San Jose’s newest councilman has hired an office staff of fresh faces to restore trust with District 3 residents and bring downtown out of a dark chapter after his predecessor resigned in disgrace. Councilmember Anthony Tordillos has stacked his office with people across a broad range of experience to serve residents seeking help with potholes,...
The Biz Beat: San Jose German restaurant is Oktoberfest all year
Stepping into Teske’s Germania Restaurant, with its long wooden bar that stretches along half the entryway, there’s a strong sense of gemütlichkeit, an untranslatable German word meaning “warmth and good cheer.” Co-owner Cynthia Baumann likens it to a Bavarian lodge, where the food is authentic, the beer flows freely and everyone is welcome. “I think...
Silicon Valley street cleaning crew is swept away
A flagship program that employed homeless people to clean the streets of San Jose and connect them to housing is abruptly ending. Nonprofit Downtown Streets Team is ending operations Oct. 31, citing financial and political pressures that make it difficult to sustain the organization. The nonprofit formed 20 years ago in Palo Alto and expanded to 15...
Ex-San Jose councilmember sentenced to 18 years for child molestation
Disgraced former San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading ‘no contest’ to child molestation charges in April — a final turn in the shocking saga that rocked City Hall and Silicon Valley’s political scene. Torres listened, while his family looked on, as Superior Court Judge Cynthia Sevely...
High-end downtown San Jose restaurant closes
An upscale San Jose restaurant has closed less than two years after it opened, as the city grapples with attracting people to the downtown core. Rollati Ristorante, an Italian-American restaurant across from San Jose City Hall, abruptly closed Tuesday due to declining revenues. Customer foot traffic dropped 30% from last year, according to Alistair Levine,...
The Biz Beat: Downtown San Jose clothing store suitable for all occasions
For more than 105 years, Hammer & Lewis Clothiers has existed in an indefinable place in culture and time. Its two San Jose locations offer Cary Grant-worthy suits, the shiniest of dress shoes, classic flannel Pendletons and jackets flamboyant enough for Burning Man celebrants. It is de rigueur for zoot-suited pachucos and aficionados of fine...
San Jose’s newest councilmember sworn into office
San Jose’s newest elected representative took office at the City Council meeting Tuesday — marking a new chapter for District 3 whose prior leader is behind bars. Councilmember Anthony Tordillos took the oath of office — and his seat on the dais alongside his 10 colleagues — following applause from an audience celebrating the former...
San Jose mayor teams with county supervisor to improve public safety
Two Silicon Valley officials are teaming up in an effort to help homeless and drug addicted residents who they said are scaring and attacking people living in downtown San Jose. At a town hall meeting Friday, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Santa Clara County District 2 Supervisor Betty Duong, who’s district encompasses the downtown,...
San Jose leaders aim to build pride in downtown
Pedestrians traversing one of San Jose’s busiest downtown corridors will discover a more inviting area. City officials and the San Jose Downtown Association unveiled a $795,000 beautification project Monday, where color and vibrancy are taking hold. The makeover includes 17 projects along Santa Clara Street between Market and Fourth streets, with new murals, re-painted building...