A vacant former youth center in East San Jose has been demolished more than a month after a fire halted plans for its restoration. Excavators knocked down what remained of the Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) building Saturday, breaking the hearts of community advocates who fought to save it. Trustees with the Alum Rock...
East San Jose community development nets multimillion-dollar grant
Millions of dollars will turn a mostly vacant East San Jose building into a cultural gem. Local advocates describe it as a vital investment to support neighborhoods where some of the city’s most vulnerable residents live. The School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza recently received $6 million from the Knight Foundation, a historic...
San Jose ICE arrest prompts calls for better immigrant protections
San Jose officials are calling for stronger protections to immigrant communities after a federal agent in plain clothes arrested a man at an employment center. Rose Amador, retiring CEO of nonprofit ConXión to Community which runs the employment center, said a U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agent walked in Tuesday and identified himself as...
Former East San Jose councilmember seeks her old seat
A former state lawmaker with East San Jose roots plans to run for her previous post on the City Council. Former Assemblymember and District 5 Councilmember Nora Campos announced her campaign Tuesday to retake the council seat in next year’s citywide elections. Campos served on the council from 2001 to 2010 — and was succeeded...
East San Jose women can deliver babies closer to home
A profit-driven decision five years ago is about to be reversed — enabling women to once more give birth at their neighborhood hospital in East San Jose. Regional Medical Center plans to restore labor and delivery care around October 20 after joining Santa Clara County’s massive public hospital system six months ago. The obstetrics department...
East San Jose school district buys campus amid deficit
One East San Jose school district is purchasing a vacant school after closing six campuses this year due to a multimillion-dollar deficit. Alum Rock Union School District is using $5 million from Measure S funds, a bond passed by voters in 2022 for school improvements, to purchase the former Downtown College Prep Alum Rock Charter...
East San Jose school district mismanages health insurance payments
The board vice president of an East San Jose school district will give back thousands of dollars in health care premiums after the district overpaid him, due to an administrative error. Andres Quintero, board vice president of the Alum Rock Union School District, will be required to reimburse the district $4,527.90 in insurance premiums. The...
Future of East San Jose youth center uncertain after fire
A devastating fire that recently gutted a vacant youth center in East San Jose hasn’t diminished the community’s desire to restore it for future use. The former Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) building burned down Friday, breaking the hearts of Eastside advocates who want to revitalize and reuse the space. The Alum Rock Union...
NBC Bay Area: Fire scorches vacant MACSA building in San Jose
A three-alarm fire destroyed the vacant former MACSA youth center in San Jose early Friday. At about 1 a.m., San Jose firefighters responded to a large fire at the vacant building at 600 Sinclair Drive in the city’s Mayfair district, officials said. Fire officials told NBC Bay Area the building was fully involved when they...
San Jose group targets small businesses to uplift neighborhood
As East San Jose’s Mayfair neighborhood struggles with poverty, gentrification and divestment, one group is creating a plan to uplift people economically. Last year, workers with nonprofit Amigos de Guadalupe knocked on doors in Mayfair to learn about what residents need most. Residents said they want a way to make more income and have more...