As concerns about immigration enforcement spread through Santa Clara County and California, community advocates are working to reassure residents that they can safely participate in Tuesday’s election. Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment organized a get-out-the-vote rally Monday outside Mexican Heritage Plaza in East San Jose, bringing together elected officials, community leaders and...
Dolores Huerta’s legacy will forever shape Silicon Valley
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...
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...
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 residents make art for upcoming theater show
For Sandy Del Rio, making an alebrije has felt a little like returning to her family’s kitchen table. Del Rio, who was born and raised in San Jose, is one of about 20 residents who participated in a free four-part workshop by Teatro Vision, where participants learned about alebrijes and created their own papier-mâché creatures....
ICE observer sues after being handcuffed in San Jose
It never crossed former San Jose resident Yesenia Campos’ mind she would be detained by federal immigration agents for recording activity from a distance. On Oct. 30, 2025, Campos was notified of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity at the South San Jose field office, where immigrants periodically check-in for compliance. She immediately drove...
San Jose conference highlights digital divide facing Latinos
As artificial intelligence reshapes Silicon Valley, Latino leaders are pushing for a bigger role in deciding who benefits from the technology and who might get left behind. That question was at the center of a two-day conference in San Jose, hosted by the New York-based Hispanic Federation, which brought together nonprofit leaders and community advocates...
Fourth annual Lowrider Day returns to downtown San Jose
Lowriders will cruise into downtown San Jose this weekend, bringing a piece of East San Jose’s Chicano culture to City Hall for an afternoon of custom cars, music and celebration. San Jose Lowrider Day returns Sunday for its fourth year, marking the anniversary of the City Council’s decision to repeal a decades-old cruising ban. The celebration...
San Jose event celebrates Chicano identity and history
For some Mexican Americans, identifying as Chicano means carrying the history of a civil rights movement that challenged war, discrimination and police brutality. For others, it is a way to reconnect with Indigenous roots, honor family histories and build solidarity with their communities. Multiple generations of San Jose residents reflected on what the identity means...