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A San Jose mayoral candidate is campaigning against a controversial state law to alter zoning in single-family neighborhoods. Councilmember Dev Davis has repeatedly hammered SB 9 on social media and in a recent op-ed for opening residential neighborhoods to higher-density development. She became the first person in the state to sign an initiative for a 2022...
How San Jose plans to be carbon neutral in nine years
San Jose pledged to go carbon neutral by 2030, but the feasibility of this ambitious goal is still up in the air. The City Council voted unanimously to approve the pledge on Nov. 9. To be carbon neutral, the city needs to either offset all carbon emissions to reach a net-zero, or eliminate carbon emissions...
Silicon Valley lawmaker’s committee removal sparks outrage
An Asian American lawmaker from the South Bay has been booted from a key California committee, and LGBTQ and Asian American advocacy groups are crying foul. Speaker Anthony Rendon stripped Assemblymember Evan Low of his chairmanship and membership on the Business and Professions Committee this week without explanation. Rendon appointed Assemblymember Marc Berman of Palo...
San Jose settles flood claims, but Valley Water litigation continues
San Jose residents affected by a devastating flood in 2017 are finally getting a settlement from the city, but litigation over the natural catastrophe isn’t over. The San Jose City Council approved a $750,000 settlement Tuesday for more than 250 plaintiffs suing the city for allegedly failing to warn them about flood dangers following heavy rainfall...
San Jose lawmaker’s social media pages kept separate, she says
San Jose Councilmember Dev Davis drew the ire of campaign watchdogs and local residents regarding her Facebook page in September. But the District 6 rep has since wised up when it comes to social media. Davis was co-mingling her official Facebook page with her mayoral campaign page, San José Spotlight learned. Davis’ campaign team put “Councilwoman...
San Jose commission votes on affordable housing, police and climate reform
A San Jose commission responsible for tweaking city rules suggests studying a policy that allows nonprofits first dibs on buying housing properties, as well as creating commissions on police reform and climate change. The San Jose Charter Review Commission Thursday voted to recommend a series of police and climate change reforms. It recommended establishing a...
VTA committee recommends Measure B funds for Silicon Valley highways
VTA is poised to distribute nearly $200 million for projects to reduce highway congestion following a critical committee vote. The Congestion Management Program and Planning Committee is recommending VTA’s board of directors approve funding for a list of 13 highway projects in cities across Santa Clara County. The funding comes from Measure B, a sales...
San Jose’s tourism arm reports zero dollars in revenue
Team San Jose, a nonprofit that manages the city’s arts and cultural centers and tourism, reported zero dollars in revenue this past year, demonstrating the COVID-19 pandemic’s tremendous impact on the local economy. “We were closed by county mandate for the majority of the year,” spokesperson Frances Wong told San José Spotlight. “With a closed convention center and closed...
Santa Clara County group offers free legal services for undocumented residents
East San Jose’s Mexican Heritage Plaza has played host to cultural performances, rallies and a mass vaccination site. This week, a group of nonprofits will bring together its resources for another critical use in the Latino community: free legal and rental assistance for immigrants. The Rapid Response Network of Santa Clara County, a group of...
Former San Jose council candidate forms shadowy political nonprofit
A new local advocacy group is rallying against San Jose’s policies on gun control and homelessness, but the organization doesn’t want the public to know who is behind it—or who is funding it. The political nonprofit, called Silicon Valley Public Accountability Foundation, promotes a stance against gun control and the “housing first” approach to solve homelessness—all while...