Despite the economic tumble following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic more than a year ago, San Jose homeowners are still forking over hundreds of thousands of dollars to build backyard homes. Some people build backyard cottages for rental income, while others reserve them for housing older relatives. The small units are art studios and work-from-home offices. Whatever the...
Former Santa Clara County nonprofit leader accused of bullying staff
Katherine Harasz won praise from Silicon Valley’s biggest politicos for her work, but some current and former employees characterize her as a leader who created a hostile environment during her time as executive director of the Santa Clara County Housing Authority. Some of the complaints about Harasz’s leadership are outlined in a 140-page document filed...
San Jose City Council adds encampments, COVID recovery to its priority list
The San Jose City Council picked its new priorities Monday—deciding what topics to focus staff time on from many proposals delayed by the pandemic, including items to regulate the use of surveillance technologies to allowing marijuana dispensaries in retail centers. Two items rose to the top: implementing a plan to help deal with the city’s...
What Santa Clara County renters, landlords should know about evictions
Renters affected by the pandemic likely took a sigh of relief when, early this year, California lawmakers extended the statewide ban on evictions for those facing financial hardships until the end of June. The law also created a rental assistance program to help lift lower-income renters out of rental debt. The program started taking applications...
Wage theft, hazardous conditions claimed at San Jose homeless site praised by Newsom, Liccardo
A homeless housing project praised by state and local leaders during the pandemic is the site of wage theft and hazardous conditions, according to interviews and documents obtained by San José Spotlight. “This was by far the worst I’ve ever seen in regards to violations from A to Z,” said Mauricio Velarde, director of compliance...
San Jose fact-check: Opportunity Housing and single-family homes
Planning Commissioner Pierluigi Oliverio is talking a lot about San Jose’s proposal to densify its single-family neighborhoods, but some residents say he isn’t educating the public as much as spreading misinformation. Faced with a housing crisis, San Jose leaders are devising a plan to allow more density in signature suburban neighborhoods. So-called Opportunity Housing allows...
Seniors empty San Jose mobile home park after years of debate
Six years after a developer revealed plans to replace a San Jose mobile home park that housed seniors with luxury condos, some residents found themselves surprised they don’t qualify for the replacement housing that was promised. While most residents seem to be happy with the agreement that allowed owners of the mobile homes in the park to either...
San Jose school district denies improper lobbying charges
Officials with San Jose’s biggest school district denied charges they improperly hired lobbying firms to push a teacher housing proposal—saying that at least one of the firms never lobbied for them at all, despite meeting with officials who would approve the plans. The allegations stem from a Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report released...
Santa Clara County should adopt technology to help homeless, audit says
Across the country groups that work with unhoused populations have ditched paper records for new technologies, but not in Silicon Valley. According to a report released last month by State Auditor Elaine Howle, the coalition of groups that work with homeless residents in Santa Clara County rely on outdated methods to track the people they...
Tiny home inspires San Jose mom to support fellow homeless people
Cindy Trinh keeps a busy schedule: The first two times San José Spotlight reached out to her, she said she couldn’t talk—she was driving to an encampment to hand out food to the homeless. One of her three children could be heard crying in the background. “Being a single mom with three kids is very...