Amid a housing shortage and skyrocketing rents in Silicon Valley, homelessness continues to be a growing and seemingly intractable problem. However, for homeless veterans in Santa Clara County, this Veterans Day marks some major successes. According to newly-released data from nonprofit Destination: Home, 1,602 homeless veterans have been housed since the launch of the “All...
Housing
Housing
Scott Wiener talks major housing, property tax issues for 2020
Three years into his role serving in the California State Senate, Scott Wiener has made a major name for himself, creating excited fans and vocal critics of his highly controversial housing bills aimed at spurring more development across the Golden State. But sometimes, the towering 49-year-old senator admits, he misses being in the middle of...
Apple promises $2.5B to curb California’s housing crisis
Apple has said it will contribute $2.5 billion in value to creating affordable homes and helping vulnerable communities in Silicon Valley, joining a growing list of local tech titans trying to help tackle the state’s housing crisis. The announcement, made Monday morning, promises a slew of new programs, including setting aside land in San Jose...
Map: San Jose is far behind on Sam Liccardo’s affordable housing goal
Amid growing outcry, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo in 2017 announced an ambitious goal to build 10,000 new affordable housing units by 2022. The mayor’s response to the housing affordability crisis that has pushed thousands of people into the streets of Silicon Valley, one of the world’s most affluent and wealthy regions, will likely define...
San Jose housing advocates stage Halloween protest to preserve Ellis Act
“Trick or treat” had a new meaning at San Jose City Hall Thursday, when protestors dressed up as Mayor Sam Liccardo and waved signs condemning the lawmaker for handing out “treats” to developers. Holding a Halloween-themed news conference, top labor leaders from the South Bay denounced making any changes to a rent control law they...
San Jose housing law divides business and labor communities
Is a 2010 law originally meant to increase affordable housing in Silicon Valley doing just the opposite? This question has split development advocates, labor leaders and some San Jose lawmakers. The law in question – the city’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO) – currently requires all market-rate developments with 20 or more units to designate 15...
Amid controversy over Tully Library, San Jose set to expand overnight warming centers
While most people can seek refuge from the bleak winter’s cold in the comfort of their own home, every year thousands of homeless people in San Jose shiver outside as they sleep in frigid conditions. That’s why city elected leaders on Tuesday will consider opening overnight warming locations at two city locations every night for...
San Jose ahead of new push to disclose housing development fees
The high expense of building new housing isn’t a novel concept to Californians, but impact fees tied to that development account for a large portion of budgets. Across the state, studies show housing development fees in the Golden State were nearly three times the national average in 2015, which accounted for up to 18 percent of...
Santa Clara County agency’s homeless creek cleanup sparks concern
Thousands of residents in Santa Clara County are unsheltered, and that number has steadily increased — a by-product of skyrocketing rents, an exponentially high cost-of-living and a shortage of affordable housing, making the Bay Area one of the most costly regions in the country. In San Jose alone, there are more than 4,000 homeless individuals...
Santa Clara County cities mull joining collaborative to meet housing goals
Santa Clara County cities don’t always see eye-to-eye, particularly when it comes to development. But the 15 municipalities in the county are now considering a fresh collaboration when it comes to housing. Representatives of the Cities Association of Santa Clara County voted earlier this month to create a new planning collaborative open to each city...









