Google executives joined elected officials in San Jose Thursday to announce a $500,000 grant to aid homeless services and help build a new African American cultural center. The grant will be split evenly between nonprofit People Assisting The Homeless (PATH), and a service and cultural center project for the city’s African American community, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren...
San Jose Democrats want candidate to end City Council campaign
Local Democratic groups are calling on San Jose Planning Commission Chair Rolando Bonilla to end his campaign for City Council amid decades-old domestic abuse allegations. Last week, the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee voted 36-7-6 to ask Bonilla to stop his bid for San Jose’s District 5 council seat and step down from the...
Santa Clara County opens Vietnamese-speaking health clinic
After years of planning and months of delay, the service center dedicated to the Vietnamese community has opened its clinic to help address the health care gap among the underserved population in the South Bay. The 37,000-square-foot, three-story building at 2410 Senter Rd. in San Jose aims to serve as a one-stop shop in providing...
East San Jose school district to repurpose elementary campus
Students from a neighborhood elementary school in Alum Rock Union School District may have to relocate. The Alum Rock Union School District board of trustees will vote on April 14 whether to turn Cesar Chavez Elementary School into the Cesar Chavez Early Learning Center for children in preschool through kindergarten. Students in grades 1-5 would...
Landmark status for San Jose church is not that simple
Downtown San Jose’s nearly century-old Grace Baptist Church may receive historical landmark recognition, but not everyone in the church is onboard. Grace Baptist, located at 484 E. San Fernando St., is one of the few religious centers still standing from the early 1900s—and its claims for landmark status have merit, historical landmark commissioners said at their Wednesday meeting....
Photos: San Jose Buddhist temple hosts sand mandala ceremony
Two visiting monks of the Sera Jey Foundation spent the last week teaching Buddhist philosophy and creating a sand mandala at a San Jose Vietnamese temple. The sand mandala is an ancient Buddhist tradition that can only be created by a few selected monks. The ceremony, steeped in symbolism and ritual, is believed to represent a cosmic...
San Jose mandala ceremony offers universal lesson in change
As chanting filled the main hall of a local Buddhist temple Sunday afternoon, San Jose resident Trang Huynh joined with about 50 people in praying and celebrating a sand mandala dissolution ceremony. “I prayed for my family, our community and the world,” Huynh, a devoted Buddhist for the last four years, told San José Spotlight....
Santa Clara County grant will transform section of East San Jose
With a financial boost from Santa Clara County, a blighted, mostly vacant block of stores in East San Jose will be transformed into a performing arts space, cafe and sorely needed mental health clinic. On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors approved a $250,000 grant for the School of Arts and Culture, which wants to expand...
Election 2022: The race for San Jose City Council District 3
The race is on for the open City Council seat in downtown San Jose. With District 3 Councilmember Raul Peralez terming out and seeking higher office, five candidates with various political backgrounds and experiences are vying for votes. District 3 encompasses neighborhoods from Vendome and Naglee Park to Japantown and Spartan Keyes. It’s also home to San...
San Jose mayor makes first 2022 election endorsement
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo has made his first City Council endorsement—Joanna Rauh for District 3. “Joanna Rauh has the common sense, passion, intelligence, listening skills and collaborative temperament needed to be a great city councilmember,” Liccardo told San José Spotlight. “Nobody juggles more than a working mom and she has proven she can master...