With a financial boost from Santa Clara County, a blighted, mostly vacant block of stores in East San Jose will be transformed into a performing arts space, cafe and sorely needed mental health clinic. On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors approved a $250,000 grant for the School of Arts and Culture, which wants to expand...
San Jose council candidate denies decades-old abuse allegations
San Jose Planning Commissioner and City Council candidate Rolando Bonilla is disputing allegations that have recently resurfaced regarding domestic violence and child support. About 20 years ago, Bonilla’s ex-wife accused him of physical abuse during a custody battle for their son and claimed he failed to pay child support on different occasions, according to media...
UPDATE: Golf course leases could be a hole-in-one for San Jose
San Jose is looking to make more green off its golf courses. On Tuesday, the City Council voted unanimously to find a third party to operate the three city-owned golf courses in an effort to maintain stable income and operations. The city hopes to open bids in the spring and award a contract by the...
East San Jose residents irked by lawmaker’s second office in library
A San Jose lawmaker failed to read the room when she set up a branch office in a local library, upsetting some residents who felt blindsided by the move. East side residents fumed on social media after learning Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco, who represents District 5, is setting up a second office at the Dr. Roberto...
Alum Rock school trustee running for East San Jose council seat
The race for a City Council seat in East San Jose is shaping up to be a stacked contest. The latest political heavyweight to declare for the seat is educator Andres Quintero. The Alum Rock Union School District trustee is the latest candidate running for the open District 5 seat, having filed papers this week....
Danny Sanchez wants to change the lives of East San Jose youth
East San Jose native Danny Sanchez grew up surrounded by violence, absent parents and broken dreams. He spent his adolescence and young adult years in and out of prison, tangling up in gang activities and staring down a path of self-destruction. At age 29, on the verge of death in his mom’s bathroom after taking...
UPDATE: East San Jose community farm receives 25-year extension
Residents relying on fresh food from an East San Jose community farm won’t have to worry about produce anytime soon thanks to a 25-year extension from the city. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved a 25-year contract Tuesday with Veggielution, a local nonprofit that runs an urban garden at Emma Prusch Farm Park. Veggielution...
New affordable housing project coming to East San Jose
The overly-concentrated affordable housing market in East San Jose could be getting more than 150 additional units. New plans recommended Wednesday by a city panel call for an estimated 164 low-income apartments spanning a 1.3-acre site in Alum Rock, a neighborhood in East San Jose’s District 5. As part of the project, a vacant 8,200...
Nora Campos is back: East San Jose leader running for council
More than two dozen supporters cheered Wednesday as veteran San Jose politician Nora Campos launched a run for her former East San Jose council seat. Campos, 56, jumped back into the political fray standing in front of a small Mexican bakery against the backdrop of impending rain. She hasn’t been in elected office since leaving...
Affordable housing at East San Jose airport? Experts say it’s in the soil
Eighty-two years after Reid-Hillview Airport opened, Santa Clara County supervisors want to shut it down and consider converting it into affordable housing. For decades, advocates and elected officials have pushed to close the airport and rezone the property for housing. But whether that happens depends on the soil’s lead levels. A study commissioned by the...