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After three meetings, a new San Jose commission tasked with reshaping San Jose’s governance has not yet dug into switching to a strong mayor system — the main reason the commission was formed. The city’s Charter Review Commission is tasked with helping the San Jose City Council decide whether the mayor should have more power...
Biden’s stimulus plan would give $140M to new BART stations
BART could get a $140 million grant to begin the second phase of construction on a South Bay transit project — more than four decades in the making — from the latest COVID-19 stimulus package, if Congress passes the Biden-backed bill. The latest COVID-19 stimulus package passed the House early Saturday morning in Washington along...
San Jose police plans to expand new approach to mental health calls
Phil Watkins was 23 when he was shot to death by San Jose police after he called 911 saying he was going to kill himself and was holding children hostage. Sharon Watkins said her son was shot 10 times when he ran toward officers holding a pocket knife. Recalling the confrontation six years ago, she...
San Jose halts plans to put electronic billboards on private property
After being whittled down by fierce community opposition, San Jose lawmakers have officially paused a plan to erect digital billboards on private property. Before lawmakers stopped it, Phase 2 of the city’s signage plan involved placing electronic billboards on public buildings downtown and up to 75 digital signs on private property along freeways. The proposal...
Nearly 20 Silicon Valley education leaders tell Liccardo to stop politicizing reopening schools
Nearly 20 school board trustees from across the South Bay are demanding San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo stop politicizing school re-openings. The trustees penned a letter, signed by leaders across nine school districts, criticizing Liccardo’s new advocacy group, Solutions San Jose, which launched a campaign with a petition to quickly reopen schools in the 19 districts across...
Santa Clara County could move to red tier, allowing indoor dining to resume
If COVID-19 cases in Santa Clara County keep trending downward, the region could move to the state’s less-restrictive red tier by Wednesday. The county has been within the state’s most-restrictive purple tier since Nov. 16 —103 days as of Friday. But if cases continue their downward trend, Santa Clara County could be reclassified in the...
Top county executive rebukes San Jose mayor’s claims about homeless encampments
While Mayor Sam Liccardo was talking about trash in December, it looks like County Executive Jeff Smith was dishing it out. In a Dec. 15 letter from Smith to Liccardo obtained by this news organization, Smith accused the mayor of misrepresenting the county’s stance on clearing homeless encampments. “We are not aware of any such...
San Jose tenants and landlords in limbo as rent relief is delayed
San Jose and Santa Clara County will rely on a coalition of grassroots charity organizations led by Destination: Home and Sacred Heart Community Service to disburse $57 million in federal rent relief to landlords and tenants suffering the financial consequences of COVID-19 in Silicon Valley. But not one penny can move until the U.S. Treasury...
San Jose school district to monetize land to fund educational programs
After years of struggling to stay afloat financially, the Cambrian School District will now be able to monetize its excess land to bring in cash for education. Instead of selling the land outright, the Cambrian School District — long strapped for cash and hampered by budget cuts — opted to exchange 2.7 acres of its vacant...
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