As San Jose develops plans for sanctioned homeless encampments, Mayor Matt Mahan traveled to San Diego to see what he could glean. San Diego, at the forefront of safe sleeping sites for unhoused people in California, has two sanctioned locations that support a total of 533 insulated tents. The locations provide on-site case management and resource referrals, restrooms,...
Land trust wants to keep East San Jose apartments affordable
At a time when rising rents are forcing people out of their homes, one Santa Clara County nonprofit is offering an alternative solution to keep tenants from being displaced. The South Bay Community Land Trust is looking to acquire three apartment buildings on Virginia Avenue in East San Jose to keep rent affordable — by taking...
San Jose ADU law brings back starter homes
With San Jose recently becoming the first California city to allow the sale of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as condos, affordable housing advocates say it increases the supply of living spaces for residents once priced out. The state long restricted the sale of ADUs, also known as granny flats and backyard homes, as separate residences...
UPDATE: Bay Area $20B housing bond stripped from November ballot
A $20 billion regional housing bond that promised tens of thousands of affordable homes won’t go before voters in November. Previously known as Regional Measure 4, the bond was originally proposed and authorized by the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) and sought to fund up to 90,000 affordable homes across nine Bay Area counties....
Los Gatos hardware store could stay as part of development
Bright red flyers rallying neighbors against a proposed housing development with seven stories of homes hang from a development sign in Los Gatos, where a beloved hardware store sits. Rumors have been swirling the store will be razed and the “quaint town” will be damaged — but that might not be true. The Arya, a...
San Jose homeless advocates protest Newsom’s state order
As Gov. Gavin Newsom pushes for local governments to take swift action to clear homeless camps, local housing advocates are standing together against policies they say criminalize being unhoused. Members of Helping Hands Silicon Valley, Unhoused Response Group, CHAM Deliverance Ministry and NAACP San Jose/Silicon Valley gathered Friday at a former encampment, once known as...
Santa Clara County, cities fail to file homeless shelter reports
Tavia Jones felt so unsafe at the Sunnyvale homeless shelter that she would risk being found by her abuser on the streets to avoid living in a facility where she said she was treated as less than a human. For years, shelters in Santa Clara County have been rife with violence, theft, mistreatment of residents...
Sunnyvale developments could result in food deserts
A Sunnyvale project to create walkable, interconnected neighborhoods could come up short, with advocates worried that vital retail services will be slashed. City officials have identified seven aging shopping centers, with a variety of grocery stores and restaurants, throughout the city that are considered underutilized. The plan for these sites, called village centers, is to...
San Jose mayor opposes rent control expansion measure
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has come out against a November ballot initiative that could vastly expand rent control to cover any type of housing in California. State law has for decades barred cities from limiting rent hikes on single-family homes and apartments built after 1995. Proposition 33 would repeal that law and also let...
Cupertino housing project designed for people with disabilities
A first-of-its-kind Cupertino development could advance housing accessibility at a low cost to future residents. The project along Mary Avenue could bring about 40 affordable apartments to the city in a unique mix — 19 apartments designated for adults and families with children who have developmental disabilities and 20 for low-income residents. The two-story project...