Second Harvest of Silicon Valley could be close to breaking ground on its new headquarters in Alviso, but the nonprofit food bank must clear one more hurdle. Plans for the massive, 250,000 square-foot warehouse—which will serve as a food handling facility with 31 loading docks, operations offices and a volunteer center—received approval from San Jose’s...
Politics
Politics
San Jose offers homeless services before final sweep
San Jose is connecting homeless residents with resources days before it sweeps them from a sprawling encampment near Columbus Park. Dozens of unhoused residents strolled down Spring Street Thursday afternoon for food and services, ranging from legal help, youth and veteran services and health care. The city partnered with Santa Clara County and groups such...
Ousted Santa Clara commissioner ‘lied’ about residency
A Santa Clara planning commissioner has been fired after officials discovered he does not live in Santa Clara and falsely claimed to be a registered voter in the city. Ron Patrick served in one June meeting of the Santa Clara Planning Commission when his eligibility for the position was called into question. Councilmember Andrew Becker,...
Santa Clara County schools help stamp out hunger
Any San Jose student could receive a free school meal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now California is making sure that doesn’t stop with the start of this school year. California is the first state in the country to pass the Universal Meals Program, which requires schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to students regardless of...
Fact check: San Jose police staffing at center of mayor’s race
In San Jose politics, history has a way of repeating itself. Eight years ago when Mayor Sam Liccardo sought the city’s top political job, the biggest issue on the campaign trail was police staffing levels. That comes as no surprise—Liccardo as a councilmember strongly backed Measure B, a 2012 initiative championed by his predecessor Chuck...
Election 2022: Santa Clara County cities see several contests
Residents across the South Bay will elect some new representatives this November, as a number of seats are up for grabs. Local races were expensive and competitive in the June primary election, with many incumbents seeking reelection and new candidates jumping in to shake up the status quo. Candidates vying for council seats in smaller...
Los Gatos faces multi-million dollar budget shortfall
Multiple tax increases may be required in the town of Los Gatos as a budget deficit looms in the near future. While the Los Gatos Town Council voted last week to put a measure before voters in November to raise about $1 million annually by sharply increasing business license taxes, that may not be enough...
San Jose councilmember eyes next political move
San Jose Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco looks to be heading down a new political path— vying for a seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Education. Carrasco, who represents District 5 on the city council, terms out of office at the end of the year. She filed papers to run for trustee area 6 on the county education...
San Jose fire station is 15th busiest in the nation
A San Jose fire station ranked nationally for responding to thousands of service calls, but that notoriety speaks to a larger problem. Fire Station 26 received more than 5,800 service calls in 2021, ranking 15th in the nation. But the station is just one of 34 firehouses in the San Jose Fire Department, which is...
Santa Clara mayor, school district may have skirted state labor laws
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor’s property management company and a local school district appear to have violated state labor laws by failing to pay prevailing wages to contractors at an affordable housing site for teachers, a San José Spotlight investigation has found. Casa Del Maestro, located at 3455 Lochinvar Ave., was a first-of-its-kind effort in the...