An anticipated landmark in downtown San Jose isn’t going to be a breeze to install. The City Council unanimously voted last May to install an iconic landmark, dubbed “The Breeze of Innovation.” The design beat out nearly 1,000 submissions in an international competition launched in 2019 for creating a new landmark at Arena Green, where the...
Google refreshes San Jose residents on downtown plans
For the first time in roughly two years, Google held an in-person community forum for San Jose residents to learn about the tech company’s plans for a campus that will dramatically change downtown. On Saturday, residents browsed colorful poster boards and spoke with Google representatives at an event near the SAP Center. Sheela Jivan, Google’s director of...
The Biz Beat: San Jose’s Con Azucar Café serves specialty coffee
The first thing you see entering Con Azucar Café is a swing hanging from the ceiling and a neon sign reading “Siente el Pedorro” framed by artificial flowers and foliage. Don’t pay attention to Google’s translation of the phrase, warns co-owner Alejandra Gonzalez—the literal translation is different than what the slang term means: “sit your...
San Jose church sees slow process for landmark status
A group of congregants at the nearly century-old Grace Baptist Church in San Jose want to secure its status as a landmark, but the timeline is uncertain. On Wednesday, the city’s Historic Landmark Commission deferred its decision to grant the church historic landmark candidacy until a more thorough assessment is completed. The commission had been set to make...
UPDATE: San Jose extends deadline to clear its largest homeless camp
San Jose officials are asking the Federal Aviation Administration for more time to clear out the city’s largest homeless camp as a June deadline approaches. The site sits under the Mineta San Jose International Airport flight path, and the FAA has threatened to withhold millions in federal funding if it isn’t cleared by June 30....
San Jose mayoral candidates discuss future of SAP Center
San Jose’s leading mayoral candidates gathered at the SAP Center to take questions about the future of the arena amid downtown’s burgeoning developments. The Wednesday night forum featured Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez and San Jose Councilmembers Dev Davis, Matt Mahan, Raul Peralez, and Jonathan Becher, president of Sharks Sports & Entertainment. Former San Jose Police...
Signia by Hilton San Jose pumps new energy in the downtown
The doors are open again at the South Bay’s largest hotel. The Signia by Hilton San Jose, which opened this week, replaces the iconic 805-room Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose that went bankrupt in 2020 due to the pandemic. The 34-year old hotel’s closure was a blow to the heart of downtown, the city’s...
The Biz Beat: Fox Tale Fermentation Project brings unique brews to San Jose
Having spent the past five years homebrewing in their garage, San Jose residents and domestic partners Wendy Neff and Felipe Bravo have approached every beer as a learning opportunity. Adding unorthodox ingredients and changing the brewing process slightly to see how it came out, their passion project quickly outgrew the space. Now, in an exciting...
Earth Day protesters want San Jose to do more for the planet
With a severe drought and the potential for early wildfires affecting Santa Clara County, Earth Day has protesters rallying to change the way people interact with the planet. Shouting “Carbon change is not a lie, do not let our planet die,” members of Sunrise Movement Silicon Valley marched from San Jose City Hall to rally...
San Jose may close San Pedro Square, Post Street to traffic
Traffic in San Pedro Square may become a distant memory. On Wednesday, San Jose’s Rules and Open Government Committee unanimously voted to move forward with plans to close off streets from cars permanently in San Pedro Square and temporarily on Post Street. The City Council is expected to consider the closures next week. The San Pedro and...