After getting a bit of rest, former San Jose Councilmember Johnny Khamis is back at work. Not at San Jose City Hall. He just accepted a job as a part-time public relations consultant for the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors (SCCAOR). SCCAOR provides educational and networking opportunities to more than 6,000 Realtors across the county....
Supervisors seek to protect Coyote Valley from development
Santa Clara County lawmakers this week moved to preserve open space, flood plains and wildlife corridors in the Coyote Valley but stopped short of adopting a development ban, despite pleas by environmentalists. Although more than 1,000 acres are protected from development in North Coyote Valley, the middle and southern sections remain threatened. Based on a...
Homeless would get COVID-19 vaccine priority, legal camp in latest San Jose proposal
Downtown San Jose Councilmember Raul Peralez was headed for dinner with his wife and son this past weekend when a homeless man threatened to “kick his ass.” “And this is (in front of) my 2-year-old kid,” he said. It’s the latest incident amid recent backlash from residents about the growth of homeless encampments in San...
Silicon Valley lawmakers approve plans for distributing rent relief funds
Renters make up nearly half of the Bay Area’s largest city, and many face an eviction time bomb after eviction bans end and back rent is due, prompting Silicon Valley lawmakers Tuesday to take steps to protect the most vulnerable tenants. Lawmakers at the city and county level approved a “hybrid” plan to distribute millions...
Top questions about Opportunity Housing in San Jose answered
Opportunity Housing is the city’s latest strategy for solving San Jose’s housing crisis — but critics fear the policy may plummet property values, increase traffic congestion and destroy single-family neighborhoods. Supporters, however, say densifying those neighborhoods will boost San Jose’s affordable housing stock — which is much-needed in a city where the median cost of a single-family home...
Rent relief on its way to Silicon Valley — eventually and for select few
San Jose and Santa Clara County are preparing to decide how to spend more than $117 million in federal rent subsidies. That’s probably not enough to cover everything tenants owe their landlords since the beginning of the pandemic. And it hasn’t been decided exactly who will be allowed to collect their fair share of the...
Homeless families get keys to new tiny houses in Santa Clara County
For most, a 100-square-foot room would be barely enough space for a closet or a knick-knack storage room. For others, it now means getting off the street. “My daughters are very excited to have their own tiny home and are grateful to be here,” said Arely in Spanish through a translator. She did not want...
Survey finds opposition to high-density zoning in San Jose but critics say poll is flawed
Roughly half of San Jose residents surveyed in a new poll oppose an initiative to boost the number of homes allowed in single-family neighborhoods. According to initial survey results, 48% of San Jose residents are opposed to Opportunity Housing, while 24% of residents support the initiative. Roughly a quarter of residents polled said they need...
San Jose lawmaker proposes revolutionary social housing policy
Housing advocates say an ambitious bill brought to the table this week in the state Legislature seeking to establish “social housing” is the right approach to California’s crisis, but it faces plenty of obstacles, too. Assemblymember Alex Lee, whose district includes part of San Jose, on Tuesday introduced a bill asking the state to begin...
San Jose could face a lawsuit over its rent freeze
San Jose’s recent ban on rent increases could possibly land the city in court. Douglas Dennington — a land-use attorney with Rutan & Tucker LLP, representing landlords across San Jose — submitted a letter to city leaders Feb. 1 stating that landlords adamantly oppose the rent freeze and warning the city may “wish to limit...