One year ago, my husband Josh Barousse and I started San José Spotlight with a small amount of savings, a painfully slow laptop and a big dream. Two San Jose natives, sitting in Las Vegas, decided to bring a new model of community-supported journalism to our hometown. We were leaving our full-time jobs, living off...
From the editor: San Jose mayor’s office should change outdated media policy
When we launched San José Spotlight nearly a year ago, we came ready to work hard to earn — and keep — the public’s trust. This doesn’t happen overnight; it comes only with time and consistently covering important local stories in a fair, ethical and transparent way. Those are the cornerstones of good journalism, whether...
From the editor: When the housing crisis hits home
The moment felt a little surreal. After months of planning, saving and talking endlessly about it, we moved back to California and here I was on a hotter-than-usual Saturday afternoon, turning the key to our new apartment. After living in Nevada for more than a year and fielding countless inquiries about when we’re moving back,...
Introducing San José Spotlight
San José is many things to many people. For me, it’s the cramped apartment in Hoffman-Via Monte that was ripe with graffiti and gang activity, but welcomed my refugee parents who came to this country with one suitcase. It’s the old Thrifty’s (now Whole Foods) where my sister and I snuck out to buy candy....