English
Spanish
Vietnamese
Santa Clara County made strides in housing its unsheltered residents during the pandemic. Now county officials want to make sure it doesn’t backslide as the region prepares for a post-pandemic future. With the help of emergency federal and state funding, the county’s Office of Supportive Housing provided shelter to more than 5,500 households over the last year. COVID-19...
San Jose lawmaker to moonlight as a realtor
San Jose Councilmember Sergio Jimenez is starting a new venture as a realtor for Abitano Group at Compass — and he’s not the only Silicon Valley lawmaker moonlighting on the side. Jimenez said he is a part-time realtor, and his “number one priority” is his work at City Hall. “I have a deep obligation I take very...
Understanding emergency rent relief in Santa Clara County
California’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium ends June 30, but rent relief is on the horizon for Santa Clara County residents. Local housing experts explained emergency rent relief programs and eviction protections serving Santa Clara County at a Wednesday panel hosted by San José Spotlight. Rent assistance includes a state and local program, with the local program...
San Jose RV dwellers find more leniency as tow companies find less profit
As Debbie Guzman got out of the hospital, she received a call from her only neighbor—police officers were trying to get into Guzman’s RV. By the time she got back to her vehicle on Will Wool Drive in San Jose, she said officers told her the vehicle would be impounded for unpaid registration, forcing Guzman...
East San Jose housing group looks to hold developers accountable
As a prolific housing developer unveils plans in East San Jose, a new coalition is holding it accountable for maintaining acceptable living conditions. Peter Ortiz, a community organizer and policy advisor for the Alum Rock Santa Clara Street Business Association, founded the East San Jose Tenants Coalition in early April after a San José Spotlight...
San Jose Sharks oppose Google development agreement
The San Jose Sharks are taking a bite out of Google’s plan to build a massive downtown campus. The NHL team voiced deep concern with the city’s development agreement with Google for its proposed campus, saying efforts to preserve parking near SAP Center are inadequate. “The city and Google are heading down a path that...
South Bay residents worry Opportunity Housing will worsen parking and traffic
South San Jose residents voiced fears about parking, traffic and development during a Monday night community meeting on Opportunity Housing, a controversial initiative to increase the number of homes that can be built in single-family neighborhoods. “I don’t care who lives in my neighborhood,” resident Christina Ferrigno said. “What I do mind is if a...
Alum Rock schools face lingering encampments amid reopening
Alum Rock Union Elementary School District trustees set a tentative reopening date of Monday for its campuses across East San Jose. However, there remains no concrete solution for addressing the homeless encampments growing along some of the district’s schools. “With less eyes from the community and schools having been shut down, all of a sudden...
Homeless residents in San Jose cited, face arrest over tent encampments
Darlene Gladwell spent months cultivating a blooming garden of colorful plants and flowers outside the tent she calls home in San Jose’s Watson Park. A cluster of at least half a dozen other small homeless encampments surround her along Coyote Creek. But now Gladwell could go to jail, according to a citation she received, for...
How to find homeless services and shelter in San Jose
The past year has been a difficult one for many people in San Jose, especially those facing homelessness and housing insecurity. Finding information about shelter and housing can be a difficult and confusing process. Here’s a guide answering some of the most commonly asked questions from readers about finding housing, as well as some resources...