Behind the colorful booths, lively music and tantalizing smells of local Mexican foods at the San Jose Flea Market are tears and heartache. Vendors greet patrons with a smile, but mask a world of pain and anxiety many are feeling regarding future development. A 2021 San Jose City Council vote allowed flea market operators to...
Signia by Hilton San Jose pumps new energy in the downtown
The doors are open again at the South Bay’s largest hotel. The Signia by Hilton San Jose, which opened this week, replaces the iconic 805-room Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose that went bankrupt in 2020 due to the pandemic. The 34-year old hotel’s closure was a blow to the heart of downtown, the city’s...
The Biz Beat: Fox Tale Fermentation Project brings unique brews to San Jose
Having spent the past five years homebrewing in their garage, San Jose residents and domestic partners Wendy Neff and Felipe Bravo have approached every beer as a learning opportunity. Adding unorthodox ingredients and changing the brewing process slightly to see how it came out, their passion project quickly outgrew the space. Now, in an exciting...
A tale of two East San Jose council candidates
The local Democratic party condemned one San Jose City Council candidate for his alleged past, but has completely ignored the criminal history of another candidate. Over the last few weeks, three local Democratic clubs in the South Bay denounced District 5 candidate and San Jose Planning Commission chair Rolando Bonilla because 20-year old allegations of domestic abuse. But...
Earth Day protesters want San Jose to do more for the planet
With a severe drought and the potential for early wildfires affecting Santa Clara County, Earth Day has protesters rallying to change the way people interact with the planet. Shouting “Carbon change is not a lie, do not let our planet die,” members of Sunrise Movement Silicon Valley marched from San Jose City Hall to rally...
San Jose may close San Pedro Square, Post Street to traffic
Traffic in San Pedro Square may become a distant memory. On Wednesday, San Jose’s Rules and Open Government Committee unanimously voted to move forward with plans to close off streets from cars permanently in San Pedro Square and temporarily on Post Street. The City Council is expected to consider the closures next week. The San Pedro and...
San Jose’s St. James Park gets closer to revitalization
San Jose and proponents of a downtown pavilion have been in a battle with a men’s social club over St. James Park. Now it may be coming to an end. On April 4, the Superior Court of Santa Clara County upheld an environmental impact report and historic preservation permit for St. James Park, denying a petition...
Downtown San Jose special property district up for renewal
A special district that provides extra cleaning and security to downtown San Jose property owners may be extended for another decade. San Jose’s downtown property-based improvement district (PBID) tax, which expires in December, has renewal support from more than 50% of the residents and businesses who pay for these services, according to Chloe Shipp, director...
San Jose makes slow progress on most dangerous streets
Joe Herrera was waiting for his friend, Maria, to return from a 7-Eleven at the intersection of Tully and Senter roads last May. She never made it back. Maria, an unhoused person living on Quinn Avenue, was hit by a car crossing Senter Road around 11 p.m. last year. Herrera, another unhoused person, said by...
Silicon Valley officials share solutions to growing homelessness
Downtown San Jose residents and business owners are growing frustrated and concerned at what they see as an increase of homeless people who need immediate crisis intervention and mental health help. The issue came to a boiling point this week after an unhoused person assaulted a San Jose Downtown Association worker while cleaning graffiti. “Our groundwork staff...