San Jose has opened its first ever retail storefront for cannabis in the heart of downtown. For years the city had strict rules on where dispensaries could operate, relegating them to industrial areas. Last year the City Council revised regulations on where dispensaries rent space and allowing one operator to have more than one location. Mark Ritchie, president...
San Jose food hall has rocky start
People driving by San Jose’s Downtown Food Hall might be forgiven for thinking it’s closed. The dark interior seems to be housing abandoned equipment. Next to a locked door directly under the building’s marquee, an “open” sign is turned off. The real entrance is three windows down, under an incongruous green and white striped awning....
Santa Clara County recognizes need for Latino health center
Santa Clara County leaders are moving forward with the idea of building a Latino health and wellness center. After an emotional budget debate on Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved having county employees come back in June with options for how to proceed with a facility and whether there should be multiple locations. Supervisors...
East San Jose teachers demand raises to meet cost of living
Teachers in one San Jose high school district are calling for higher wages to keep up with the increasing cost of living — as the district struggles with an anticipated multimillion-dollar budget deficit. The East Side Union High School District, which serves more than 24,000 students, is offering its teachers a 1.1% raise for the...
Here’s what’s replacing San Jose’s beloved Flames Eatery
A new restaurant is opening in downtown San Jose at the site of a former meeting hotspot for local politicos. Home Eat, a Chinese restaurant chain with locations in Cupertino, Sunnyvale and Fremont, is slated to open sometime next week under a five-year lease with the city. The restaurant will fill the vacant site on...
The Biz Beat: San Jose drive-thru serves authentic Mexican food
Who among us has not had a late evening or early morning craving for great Mexican food? Happily, San Jose’s Jalisco Taqueria is there to serve, with a drive-thru open until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays with a wide selection of authentic dishes cooked fresh daily. “I don’t know a lot of places where...
Downtown San Jose property owner neglects blighted building
It’s been three years since a fire raged through the Lawrence Hotel building in downtown San Jose, but it looks like the fire happened just a couple of days ago. Since the four-alarm fire on Jan. 7, 2021, the historic building on San Fernando and Third streets has been in disrepair with burn marks on...
San Jose park maintenance has multimillion-dollar backlog
A multimillion-dollar work backlog in San Jose is leaving empty spaces where playground equipment used to be, basketball courts eroded and turf riddled with holes from squirrels and gophers. San Jose’s parks department has a more than $554 million infrastructure backlog, according to a 2024 city status report — with many East Side parks in disrepair. Most of...
East San Jose trauma center closure could break county hospital system
The closure of East San Jose’s only trauma center puts the entire Santa Clara County public hospital system in jeopardy and threatens the survival of east side residents suffering a heart attack, stroke or other catastrophic medical event. That was the unequivocal warning from county doctors at an emergency hearing on Wednesday. The hearing before...
Fearing for safety, San Jose official gets restraining order
San Jose Councilmember Bien Doan has installed metal gates and security cameras at his house, and looks over his shoulder when he leaves city meetings at night — worried one man may get too close. That’s according to a March 14 restraining order the District 7 official has filed against prominent Vietnamese leader Hai Quang Huynh, known for his...