The two candidates running for San Jose mayor are clamoring for support from the city’s vast Vietnamese population—a longtime formidable voting bloc. San Jose boasts the largest Vietnamese American population in the nation. With nearly 180,000 residents, the community accounts for roughly 10% of the city’s electorate. General elections in San Jose typically see 50% voter...
Event highlights East San Jose streetwear
A movement to elevate streetwear and promote local artists is bringing cultural pride to East San Jose. Rap artists, hip hop dancers and live painters entertained crowds at KixCon, an inaugural event held at the Eastridge Center mall last weekend. Featuring brands born from hip hop culture, the goal of the event was to uplift...
Housing vs. transit: Why VTA opposes San Jose tower
A major residential development being eyed for downtown San Jose has been given the green light from the city, but the project may never be built due to a property dispute with a transit agency. The 26-story Eterna Tower project, which Roygbiv Real Estate Development is hoping to build at 17-31 E. Santa Clara St.,...
The Biz Beat: San Jose wine and cheese restaurant simply ‘Devine’
When having some wine and aged cheddar cheese, you might not think of pairing it with caramel corn—but it’s part of Liana Ryan’s culinary genius. The mix of sharpness and sweetness creates a surprisingly balanced, harmonious depth of flavor. “My first thing, when you are pairing cheese and wine or wine and food, is that everything is subjective,”...
San Jose home hit by cars 23 times
Ray Minter was drifting off to sleep when a loud boom shook his East San Jose home. A moment of panic set in as he shuffled out of bed to understand what jolted his house like an earthquake. He knew it was too short to be an earthquake and too intense to be something heavy falling off a shelf....
East San Jose council candidates speak on homelessness, police
Candidates vying to represent San Jose’s East and Central districts gathered downtown to sound off on their priorities at a recent forum. The Friday morning forum, hosted by the San Jose Downtown Association, featured District 5 city council candidates Nora Campos, a former state assemblymember, and Santa Clara County Board of Education President Peter Ortiz, as...
East San Jose receives millions for road safety
East San Jose streets are on track to becoming safer for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists alike. Assemblymember Ash Kalra handed a $10 million check to San Jose leaders today for the installation of more street lights, bike lanes and other protective measures around Senter Road. The state funding qualifies the city to compete for additional grants. The...
Night market invigorates East San Jose
An idea for an open air pop up market on Tully Road is reinvigorating an East San Jose community. The Tully Night Market, located by the Tully Road Ballfields and community library, has become a local food, art and music destination for residents on Wednesday nights. Councilmember Maya Esparza pushed for the idea as a way...
Downtown San Jose coffee shop workers start to unionize
Changes are brewing at a downtown San Jose coffee shop as workers form a union—with the owners’ blessing. Employees at Nirvana Soul, a Black-owned coffee shop that opened in the SoFA district during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced plans to unionize Thursday during the cafe’s weekly open mic event to more than 100 people. Workers told...
A San Jose airport had 11 crashes in 10 years. How does it compare statewide?
A recent plane crash at Reid-Hillview Airport is renewing calls for its closure, even though federal data shows the number of crashes at the East San Jose facility aren’t higher than other busy airports in the state. An analysis by San José Spotlight found Reid-Hillview Airport, one of the busiest non-primary airports in California that...