San Jose leaders are raising the maximum daily fines for absentee landowners whose properties attract blight and crime — an aggressive signal that one official says makes the city’s penalties some of the highest in the state. The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved raising daily penalties from $2,500 to a maximum of $20,000 for...
San Jose low-income families get a shot at home ownership
Four low-income families in San Jose will soon be able to purchase a home of their own. Habitat for Humanity has been renovating the historic Pallesen Apartments building, now located at the corner of Fourth and Reed streets, and will sell the condominiums to first-time buyers when the rehabilitation is complete in August. The 115-year-old...
San Jose business owner gets temporary reprieve from VTA
A San Jose business owner won’t have to scramble to make way for a transit project and lose millions of dollars in inventory after entering discussions with VTA. Sridhar Kollareddy, owner of Silicon Valley Granite, has more time to move thousands of heavy granite slabs out of his shop after talking with VTA Tuesday about...
Why Cupertino renters might lose their homes to student housing
Rosemary Biswas has lived with her two children at McClellan Terrace Apartments in Cupertino since 2023. The aging building comes with lower rent, a godsend in a region considered one of the most expensive in the nation. The single mom and 93 other families will likely be forced to move by June 2026, so Foothill-De...
San Jose business owner loses property for BART expansion
Sridhar Kollareddy walks between thousands of imported marbled granite slabs, slated to become countertops or gravestones. His business, Silicon Valley Granite, has sold the slabs across the Bay Area for 20 years from his San Jose facility. But now, he’s being forced to vacate the property in less than 72 hours to make way for...
San Jose lawmaker withdraws bill to lower state rent caps
Politically-active landlords are coordinating a campaign to stop a proposal from California lawmakers to slash yearly rent control caps — and it appears to have worked. While Assemblymember Ash Kalra successfully advocated for his “Affordable Rent Act” proposal Thursday at the state Housing and Community Development Committee, further discussions with the Judiciary Committee led Kalra...
San Jose veterans worried about future housing
Veterans living in a substandard housing complex in East San Jose have been moved to a hotel while the property continues to be renovated. About nine veterans were relocated from 10 Kirk Ave. in February to a hotel in Milpitas while Santa Clara County works on interior renovations in two buildings. Some of the relocated...
Campbell quick to approve backyard homes
Campbell homeowners applying for a tiny home could get city approval in days. Campbell launched an express backyard home permit process this month that shortens approval time to a week or less — the fastest in Santa Clara County where approvals can average between two to three months. The city is accepting two qualifying applications...
San Jose gives more equity to first-time homebuyers
Hundreds of first-time San Jose homeowners who took out loans with the city to make down payments are set to get back tens of thousands of dollars in home equity. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously April 8 to restore home equity shares for residents who bought homes under the city’s defunct First-Time Homebuyer...
San Jose landlords want help instead of fines
South San Jose property owners want code enforcement to spend more time working with them on potential violations rather than punishing them. District 10 Councilmember George Casey arranged for landlords and San Jose Planning, Building and Code Enforcement officials to tour a neighborhood on Feb. 28 between Blossom Hill Road and Almaden Expressway. Landlords want...