Sand Hill Property Co. is planning a new 91-townhome development in Saratoga, but the project comes with a twist: the prominent developer is using a controversial state law to streamline city approvals. Since Senate Bill 35 took effect in 2018, the law, which speeds up the development of certain housing projects, has been used only...
Jim Beall reintroduces affordable housing bill vetoed by Newsom
California’s housing crisis dominated headlines in 2019, but one San Jose legislator’s effort to alleviate its impact left Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk without a signature. Last year’s Senate Bill 5, authored by state Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, aimed to support Newsom’s goal of building 3.5 million housing units by 2025 by establishing an Affordable...
Supreme Court action on homelessness case unlikely to affect San Jose
It seems San Jose will be largely unaffected by a recent federal court ruling prohibiting cities from criminalizing homelessness when the municipality doesn’t have adequate shelter space available to meet the needs of its homeless population. At the end of its term in December, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal to Martin...
Tombstones at San Jose City Hall remember homeless deaths
Tombstones stood in row after row at San Jose City Hall on a chilly Saturday afternoon. Each tombstone, cut out of foam, had a name painted on its surface. The years under the names all ended in 2019. The 161 tombstones represent the number of homeless deaths that occurred in Santa Clara County within the...
Santa Clara: First supportive housing project breaks ground
The first supportive housing complex in the city of Santa Clara broke ground Monday morning, the latest in a line of projects funded by a massive county tax for affordable housing. Calabazas Community Apartments – a 5-story, 145-unit building at 2904 Corvin Dr. – will reserve 80 of its studio apartments for homeless individuals, offering on-site...
2019 was the year of housing in San Jose
If the San Jose City Council’s policy work this past year could be summarized in one word it would be housing. In 2019, San Jose passed a slew of housing initiatives meant to increase the city’s housing supply, while also tweaking crucial rent control and tenant protections, which housing officials enforce and implement through the city’s Rent...
UPDATE: Lawmakers approve San Jose mayor’s spending plan for proposed tax
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo’s support for a real property transfer tax has been gaining more traction, as several community leaders, housing advocates and formerly homeless people lined up to speak next to the mayor at a news conference Tuesday to support using the funds generated from the tax toward affordable housing projects and homeless...
New state law could shepherd in an era of growth for North San Jose
Following years of frustration over the inability to approve housing projects in North San Jose, city officials say a new state law may help transform one of the city’s most critical economic hubs. San Jose city leaders and planners have long aimed to make a low-slung, industrial corner of North San Jose into a walkable...
‘Hope Cafe’ brings fine dining experience to homeless residents
Twice a month, a large room in a warehouse-like building not far from the San Jose airport is transformed into a fine dining hall — now called Hope Cafe. Tables are dressed with tablecloths and a multi-course dinner featuring decadent entrees from grilled salmon to barbecued ribs are served on nice china. Music plays lightly...
San Jose considers new changes to fines for landlords who violate rental laws
After a year of tweaking crucial San Jose tenant protections, the City Council on Tuesday could approve new penalty fees for landlords who flout the law. But once more, the stage is set for the lawmakers to argue on the merits of penalizing landlords who break the rules on laws such as just cause eviction, the Ellis...