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by State Auditor Elaine Howle, the coalition of groups that work with homeless residents in Santa Clara County rely on outdated methods to track the people they...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...
Where should San Jose build affordable housing?
Most San Jose residents support affordable housing—but there’s less agreement on where to put it. Almost every precinct in the city backed Measure A in 2016, allowing Santa Clara County to borrow $950 million by issuing bonds to fund affordable housing. But when it comes to the details, even advocates disagree—should affordable housing be built in...
San Jose leaders to give housing developers a break on park fees
Desperate to see more housing built in San Jose, lawmakers voted unanimously Tuesday to give developers a break on fees at the expense of local parks. Housing developers are required to either add parks and community centers into their project plans or pay a fee to the city that will go toward supporting parks in...
San Jose tenants and landlords in limbo as rent relief is delayed
San Jose and Santa Clara County will rely on a coalition of grassroots charity organizations led by Destination: Home and Sacred Heart Community Service to disburse $57 million in federal rent relief to landlords and tenants suffering the financial consequences of COVID-19 in Silicon Valley. But not one penny can move until the U.S. Treasury...
Some San Jose leaders ready to discuss sanctioned encampments
With homelessness on the rise, some city leaders in San Jose say it’s time to explore new ways to support those living on the streets. In a recent newsletter to his District 10 constituents, Councilmember Matt Mahan announced plans to develop a comprehensive homeless encampment management strategy. “We’ve gone far too long without actively managing...
What happens to major East San Jose project after developer is charged with fraud?
When Jesús Flores first heard about the drama with SiliconSage — the upstart developer being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly defrauding investors — he said he felt dismayed. “We’re worried about what’s going to happen,” said Flores, president of Latino Business Foundation Silicon Valley. “This is very sad and frustrating for...
San Jose seeks to squeeze more affordable housing out of developers
San Jose lawmakers Tuesday unanimously approved updates to a housing policy that requires developers to integrate affordable housing into new projects — but the plan had some South Bay builders riled up. “The city of San Jose’s ability to produce housing is clearly broken and the costs are too high,” Silicon Valley development company KT...
Santa Clara County set to approve another $100 million for affordable housing
Santa Clara County supervisors have approved spending more than $100 million to build five housing complexes for low-income residents. The funds will come from the Measure A housing bond, passed by a majority of voters in 2016. The bond will eventually raise just under $1 billion for affordable housing projects and incentives across the county....