One East San Jose school district is receiving millions in state funding for the arts, but nearly 72% of it will go to staff salaries and benefits. The East Side Union High School District expects to receive $13.2 million in state funds but will use $9.5 million of it for “operational costs” which includes paying for retirement...
San Jose tees up massive golf course development
The San Jose City Council has opened the door for a developer who wants to build thousands of homes on a massive former golf course on the East Side. In a unanimous decision this week, the council voted to loosen traffic impact policies and pave a path for possible development on large parcels of private recreation...
UPDATE: Silicon Valley Latinas rally for fair compensation
Latinas in Silicon Valley get paid 33 cents for every dollar a white man earns—and local leaders say that needs to change. Dozens of people gathered Thursday morning in Santa Clara for a joint rally in honor of Latina Equal Pay Day, hosted by the Santa Clara County Office of Women’s Policy and Latina Coalition...
VTA to push out San Jose property owners for BART extension
The Valley Transit Authority will move forward with its plan to force out the owners and tenants of two buildings in downtown San Jose to make room for the future BART extension. In a meeting this week, VTA’s board of directors voted to allow the agency to assume ownership of the buildings on East Santa...
UPDATE: San Jose nonprofit raises six figures for proposed landmark
Three years after unveiling an ambitious proposal to build a world-class landmark in Silicon Valley, organizers on Tuesday raised $170,000 to bring the plan one step closer to reality. Leaders from Urban Confluence Silicon Valley, the nonprofit behind the project, also announced this week the proposed landmark in downtown San Jose will now include a...
Downtown San Jose loses another major retailer
The closing of a neighborhood drugstore means the loss of much needed services for residents and business owners in downtown San Jose. The CVS on The Alameda, which closed about two weeks ago, offered a convenient one-stop shop for groceries, basic goods and pharmaceutical needs, but it also became a “magnet” for homeless residents who...
Policy change paves way for San Jose golf course redevelopment
San Jose officials are considering changing an obscure policy that could kick open the door for development of a massive plot of land on the city’s east side. The 114-acre former Pleasant Hills Golf Course has been closed for nearly two decades, and can’t be permitted for development without a special exception under current city rules. But a...
The Biz Beat: Cajun eats and live music define Mama Kin’s success
The first thing you’re likely to notice as you enter Mama Kin in downtown San Jose is the live band onstage, or the line of hopefuls with guitars signed up for the open mic if it’s Tuesday. Music is essential to Mama Kin’s atmosphere—appropriate for a venue named after an Aerosmith song—as is the selection of Cajun...
World Cup a win for downtown San Jose
The United States soccer team may have tied England at the World Cup’s Friday match, but the game was a win for San Jose regardless of the results. World Cup watch parties—organized by the San Jose Earthquakes soccer team, local businesses and the San Jose Downtown Association—have activated San Pedro Square in a way the...
Why East San Jose students are missing school
One East San Jose school district is looking at how post-pandemic challenges are contributing to students skipping school, as chronic absenteeism rises in the local education system. One out of five students in the East Side Union High School District were chronically absent in the 2021-22 school year, missing class as families struggled with financial...