Local

Local

San Jose homeless advocates say sweeps solve nothing

San Jose says its multi-prong plan to manage homeless camps will improve the quality of life for both the unhoused population and general public. But advocates and lawyers say nothing in the plan will bring meaningful results as the city continues to displace people through sweeps. “The treatment of people living outside has always been terrible,”...

San Jose city workers must wear masks once again

With concerns about COVID-19 infections on the rise once more, San Jose city workers are required to wear masks for the next two weeks. The temporary measure is in place from Friday until May 20 and only affects workers at city facilities. The decision comes one month after the City Council voted to rescind the...

San Jose business tourism takes major hit

Business travel is down across the United States due to COVID-19, but San Jose is suffering worse than other major cities. Business leaders laid out the city’s rough situation at a news conference held at the San Jose Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. According to a report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), revenue from...

San Jose throws a lifeline to struggling small businesses

San Jose launched a new grant program this week to help small business owners with their back rent as a commercial eviction ban winds down over the summer. About $2.6 million in federal funds will be allocated to provide up to $15,000 in grants to small businesses or companies still reeling from the economic impacts...

After jail, Santa Clara County reentry program can change lives

By providing job training, college education and counseling, Santa Clara County has found a way to help people from getting caught in the revolving door of incarceration. With county departments on site and partnerships with community organizations, the Santa Clara County Reentry Resource Center provides a critical service in addressing recidivism. The resource center offers...

San Jose warming center closures worry homeless advocates

With the closing of San Jose’s warming centers for homeless individuals, advocates worry about the loss of services. The two centers, which opened last December, closed over the weekend and provided hot meals and shelter along with information and resources to assist homeless people with housing. San Jose Housing Department spokesperson Jeff Scott said both...

San Jose May Day marchers upset by city’s conflicting schedule

Labor organizers upset with San Jose for scheduling an event that conflicted with a May Day celebration want guarantees from the city it won’t happen again. On Sunday, labor advocates and workers gathered in San Jose to celebrate May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day. The holiday is celebrated every May 1, and over...

Santa Clara County funds abortion services as law is threatened

Santa Clara County officials will invest millions into local Planned Parenthood facilities to expand services, as the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to overturn abortion rights. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to give Planned Parenthood Mar Monte $3 million to expand services, renovate its clinics and create a telehealth behavioral health program—anticipating an...

UPDATE: Santa Clara County expands its home kitchen industry

Santa Clara County residents running food businesses out of their kitchens will be able to come out of the shadows, following a Tuesday Board of Supervisors vote. The board authorized a three-year pilot program for microenterprise home kitchen operations that will apply to all 15 cities and unincorporated areas within the county. California established a...

Silicon Valley mourns legend Norm Mineta

Norman Yoshio Mineta, a Japanese internment camp survivor, San Jose’s first Asian American mayor and U.S. secretary of transportation during 9/11, died in his Maryland home on Tuesday at age 90. Mineta is a local legend known for his advocacy during the September 11, 2001 attacks. As the secretary of transportation, he swiftly directed planes to fly...