A decision by Bay Area air regulators to delay a controversial ban on gas water heaters has divided South Bay advocates and leaders — with supporters of the pending mandate glad it’s still moving forward and opponents vowing to continue fighting it. The Bay Area Air District board voted Wednesday to delay the measure —...
Will San Jose protect 500+ acres around former IBM site?
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is pushing for permanent environmental protections for more than 500 acres of open space around a former tech research center being purchased by a data center developer. At an Oct. 16 Santa Teresa Foothills Neighborhood Association meeting, Mahan said he is working with District 10 Councilmember George Casey to protect...
Decades-old urban garden in San Jose is being evicted
After 27 years, a San Jose urban garden is facing imminent eviction. Plant & Soul California, a beloved urban garden at 76 Race St., has been ordered to vacate its property following a real estate sale. The business is hoping residents, a foundation or angel investor will step up to help it make a counteroffer...
San Jose leaders zero in on flood risks amid strong El Niño
As a strong El Niño season heightens flood risks throughout California, some in San Jose are raising the alarm that shaky coordination between South Bay government agencies could hamstring emergency preparation efforts. During a Tuesday joint meeting between the Valley Water board of directors and San Jose City Council, a chorus of officials and residents warned that...
Silicon Valley water agency selects new CEO
Santa Clara County’s largest water supplier is turning to a longtime employee to lead the agency into its next chapter after a tumultuous split with the last CEO. The Valley Water board of directors voted 5-2 Tuesday to appoint Aaron Baker as its next CEO. Baker, chief operating officer of water utility, takes over Jan....
Rezoning of San Jose IBM site raises environmental concerns
Residents are voicing concern about the rezoning of the former 35-acre IBM Almaden Research Center nestled in the rolling hills of South San Jose. They fear it will attract more data centers to the region. The San Jose City Council sees it differently and voted 9-2 to approve the industrial park rezoning on Aug. 18....
Kayak tours highlight San Jose river’s restoration
Years of neglect and festering pollution problems have left San Jose’s Guadalupe River with a toxic reputation among locals. But one former councilmember says the best days are still to come for the long-benighted waterway — and he’s leading by example. Local entrepreneur Carl Salas has been waging a quiet crusade over the past half-decade...
San Jose’s Circle of Palms is losing its iconic trees
Ice skating in downtown San Jose won’t be the same this holiday season, after losing its iconic namesake. Crews began removing all 32 palm trees from the Circle of Palms on Thursday, after a city arborist found none of them were healthy enough to keep. Work is expected to continue for the next several days....
San Jose wants to stop its shrinking tree canopy
San Jose’s tree canopy is disappearing. The city is working to reverse the trend, but advocates say in order to meet its goals, more investments are needed in low-income neighborhoods where coverage is sparsest. San Jose has one of the thinnest tree canopies in the Bay Area, with about 13.2% of coverage across the city as...
Demolition begins at controversial Santa Clara County cement plant
Demolition has started at the Permanente Cement Plant near Cupertino, a massive manufacturing site that repeatedly ran afoul of environmental regulations before it officially closed three years ago. Heidelberg Materials North America, a multinational corporation that owns the cement plant, recently announced that it secured the necessary permits and a contractor to move forward with demolition. The plan is...