The Alum Rock Union School District board voted to fire longtime Superintendent Hilaria Bauer after returning from closed session. The board voted 3-2 to end her contact on Thursday night, with Trustees Linda Chavez, Minh Pham and Andres Quintero voting in favor and Corina Herrera-Loera and Andrea Flores Shelton opposing it. Bauer’s last day is...
East San Jose to get long overdue light rail extension
South Bay transit leaders have approved a major contract to get construction underway on a long-planned light rail extension project in East San Jose. The VTA board of directors on Thursday unanimously approved awarding a $437 million construction contract to a joint venture of two companies to build the Eastridge to BART Regional Connector. The...
East San Jose needs more voting centers, leaders say
East San Jose leaders say their neighborhoods face a shortage of voting locations for the March 5 primary election — a problem worsened by language and transportation barriers. There are almost twice as many places to cast your vote in San Jose’s Council District 5, which has no local race, than in District 8 where...
San Jose-raised NFL player is energizing downtown
San Jose native and NFL cornerback Chidobe Awuzie has long used his fame and influence to support children in the city where he was raised, hosting annual youth football camps at his alma mater and local stadiums since 2018. But for the past couple of years, Awuzie, who goes by the nickname Chido, has set...
East San Jose light rail extension faces critical vote
A critical light rail extension project more than two decades in the making is set to begin major construction by April, if transit leaders give it a final OK. The Eastridge to BART Regional Connector, held up as a significant piece in addressing longstanding transit inequities in the area, is desperately needed, the transit agency...
Downtown San Jose high-rise aimed at college students
Plans years in the making for a 25-story apartment tower across from San Jose State University are moving forward. The San Jose City Council on March 12 is slated to consider greenlighting developer Nelly Amas’ plans for a 210-apartment building at 439 S. Fourth St. Councilmembers have final say on the project after it received...
East San Jose district plans to close a middle school
One group of educators and parents is fighting to stop the closure of a neighborhood middle school in East San Jose. At last week’s Alum Rock Union School District board meeting, teachers, parents and students showed up to save Aptitud Community Academy at Goss, a TK-8 public school, after the district’s decision to shut down...
San Jose preps plan to rework one of its most dangerous roads
One of San Jose’s most dangerous roads is gearing up for a major upgrade. King Road, a six-mile street bounded by Berryessa Road to the north and East Capitol Expressway to the south, is slated for improvements. The city’s transportation department is finalizing a plan that targets safety and traffic flow. From 2018 to 2023, eight people, including an infant,...
East San Jose school district seeks partner to save former youth center
A blighted East San Jose youth center has received a brief reprieve from the wrecking ball as community leaders work to save it. The Alum Rock Union School District board of trustees last week voted unanimously to postpone the demolition of the former Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) building for six months. This is...
Sarina Soriano reps East San Jose on Super Bowl Sunday
When the San Francisco 49ers take the field on Sunday for Super Bowl 58, Sarina Soriano will be nearby catching the action with a camera. Soriano, 29, is the first female senior producer for the 49ers and one of the first Latina cinematographers in the NFL. At 49ers Studios she creates content for its website...