San Jose officials and homeless advocates celebrated Wednesday as the city broke ground on a new temporary housing project in a San Jose Police Department parking lot. The City Council unanimously approved the prefabricated housing project last October. Officials hope residents will be able to move in by the fall. “It’s not a secret to anyone that...
After two years, San Jose celebrates Lunar New Year in person
Hundreds of people flocked to San Jose’s History Park Saturday morning to ring in the Year of the Tiger at one of largest Lunar New Year festivals in the South Bay after two years of virtual celebration. “It’s a blessing to be able to gather and celebrate the new year again with the community,” Ai Duong...
San Jose’s Vietnamese community pushes to reopen The Dragon Mountain
Vietnamese leaders and residents are rallying for Santa Clara County to reopen a privately-owned park in Milpitas that was shut down in 2019 over land use and permit violations. A group of more than 20 people gathered in front of Grand Century Mall in San Jose on Friday to voice support for the shuttered park called The Dragon Mountain....
The Biz Beat: CamBinh Nguyen keeps Vovinam martial arts alive in San Jose
On a chilly January evening, a group of students stood in formation and practiced their routine in Master CamBinh Nguyen’s backyard. She looked out from a gazebo surrounded by medals and trophies and recalled the many years she’s spent teaching generations of San Jose students the principles of Vietnamese martial arts, Vovinam. “It’s not easy—this job requires your heart, your...
San Jose monument to honor Vietnam War soldiers makes slow headway
A proposed monument to honor soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War will finally move forward after years of planning and delays—but what it will look like and when it might be finished is unknown. The Vietnamese community in San Jose, one of the largest Vietnamese enclaves in the nation, has long advocated for the project....
San Jose Vietnamese residents celebrate new community garden
Although plans to resume construction at the Viet Heritage Garden remain on hold, residents can now enjoy farming vegetables and herbs at a community garden at the corner of the vacant land. Roughly 50 residents joined Councilmember Maya Esparza in celebrating the opening of the community garden Saturday morning. “Happy New Year, and thank you...
San Jose shop owners hope for revival as Post Street reopens to cars
A stretch of Post Street in downtown San Jose closed for outdoor dining since 2020 will reopen to traffic by the end of this week, while other streets in the Al Fresco program will remain closed. On Thursday early afternoon, the one-way street between First Street and Lightston Alley sat almost empty, as barrels used as...
San Jose Vietnamese community at center of Philip Nguyen’s advocacy work
The Vietnamese American Roundtable is becoming a household name in the South Bay, and at the core of the transformative effort is its first ever executive director, Philip Nguyen. Nguyen, who served as a part-time program manager starting in 2020, took on the leadership role last summer, marking a pivotal point for the growing organization....
San Jose Flea Market payment opens door to vendors’ future
San Jose has recently received funds from the landowner of the Berryessa Flea Market to help transition vendors following last year’s City Council vote to rezone the property for future development. The Bumb family, who owns the land, wired the first $500,000 installment of $5 million a few days before the Jan. 1 deadline to...
East San Jose residents irked by lawmaker’s second office in library
A San Jose lawmaker failed to read the room when she set up a branch office in a local library, upsetting some residents who felt blindsided by the move. East side residents fumed on social media after learning Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco, who represents District 5, is setting up a second office at the Dr. Roberto...