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The demand for COVID-19 vaccines is dropping in Silicon Valley, and county officials are urging youth and Latino residents to get the jab. While more than two-thirds of Santa Clara County residents over the age of 16 have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, the county has seen a recent drop in...
East San Jose housing group looks to hold developers accountable
As a prolific housing developer unveils plans in East San Jose, a new coalition is holding it accountable for maintaining acceptable living conditions. Peter Ortiz, a community organizer and policy advisor for the Alum Rock Santa Clara Street Business Association, founded the East San Jose Tenants Coalition in early April after a San José Spotlight...
Amid anti-Asian violence, San Jose’s Vietnamese residents embrace COVID-19 vaccines
Despite a fear of anti-Asian violence hanging over their heads, some Vietnamese residents lined up as early as 4 a.m. to get a COVID-19 vaccine at a new mobile clinic this week — a chance to defend themselves against a virus that’s disproportionately infecting them. “We initially expected around 700 people but now there’s about 1,000,” said Asian...
‘Nasty as hell’: Affordable housing site in East San Jose has mildew, drugs, tenants say
While the lobby of Renascent Place, a 160-unit affordable housing complex in San Jose is white-glove clean, a few steps inside residents’ living quarters the smell of mildew becomes almost overpowering. “It’s nasty as hell,” said Jina Monarch, a resident at Renascent Place. She’s lived at the complex since it opened in February 2020. By her estimate,...
City commissioner urges Liccardo to make $6.5M investment in East San Jose
Felipa Zuñiga, who owns Zuñiga’s Restaurant and Cakery in East San Jose, had to let go of all her staff because of COVID-19. For now, she’s the only employee left, and she’s had to dip into her life savings to keep her doors open. “I’m so nervous about everything that’s happening,” Zuñiga said in Spanish...
What happens to major East San Jose project after developer is charged with fraud?
When Jesús Flores first heard about the drama with SiliconSage — the upstart developer being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly defrauding investors — he said he felt dismayed. “We’re worried about what’s going to happen,” said Flores, president of Latino Business Foundation Silicon Valley. “This is very sad and frustrating for...
‘People are hurting’: San Jose’s largest Vietnamese mall hanging by a thread
Every day at 10 a.m., Nancy steps under the white arches of Grand Century Mall and pushes open the glass doors of her store, Lac’s Skincare & Cosmetics. Sometimes she’ll watch an Asian drama on her laptop. Other times, she’ll sit and people watch behind a countertop brimming with unopened skin care products. There’s the rare...
New Alum Rock district bilingual program helps students learn Vietnamese
Thu-Hong Tran ended a recent Zoom class by asking 14 kindergartners to count to 100 in celebration of 100 days of school. “In Vietnamese please,” she said. In East San Jose, Ben Painter Elementary is the first school in Alum Rock Union School District to launch a Vietnamese dual immersion program, allowing students to learn both English...
Election creates void on San Jose City Council for Vietnamese community
From the sensory delights of Little Saigon to colorful celebrations at Lion Square, the influence of the Vietnamese community is seeped in San Jose — except on the City Council. Following November’s election, San Jose — where more than 1 in 10 residents is Vietnamese — no longer has a councilmember representing the community, leaving...