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Higher water bills could hit San Jose residents by summer, but water policy reps say it’s for a good cause: Preventing disaster amid the state’s second drought in four years. The Santa Clara Valley Water District, or Valley Water, presented its plans to the City Council Tuesday for rate hikes and an expansion to the region’s...
Survey shows San Jose residents oppose billboards amid city-led plans
Residents aren’t happy about the prospect of San Jose turning into Times Square with flashy billboards and bright lights, according to a new citywide survey. The poll, which surveyed 2,000 residents, found 91% of respondents were either “strongly opposed” or “somewhat opposed” to new digital billboards in the city, regardless if they are built on public or...
Alum Rock schools face lingering encampments amid reopening
Alum Rock Union Elementary School District trustees set a tentative reopening date of Monday for its campuses across East San Jose. However, there remains no concrete solution for addressing the homeless encampments growing along some of the district’s schools. “With less eyes from the community and schools having been shut down, all of a sudden...
How VTA is diversifying its contractors for BART project
With planning in the works for BART’s PHASE II Program, a $6.5 billion downtown San Jose/Santa Clara extension, one VTA official is pushing to ensure minority-owned businesses get their fair share of contracts. “It’s the right thing to do and with my position, I have the ability to make changes,” said John White, the transit...
San Jose driver shot six times sues SJPD for $5 million
A man who was shot six times by San Jose police is suing the department, along with former chief Eddie Garcia and officer Eric Mosunic – the officer who fired the bullets. The lawsuit filed by Yuridia Ochoa alleges multiple claims, including excessive force and unreasonable medical care after only four of the six bullets...
Proposal to build housing on San Jose ranch property sparks controversy
The owners of a large horse ranch property in south San Jose want to start building houses on their land—and neighbors are livid. Hero Ranch owner Angelo Heropoulos asked county supervisors last week to change the land’s open space designation to residential, allowing up to eight homes to be built on the property. The ranch...
First 100 days: Has San Jose Councilmember David Cohen kept his campaign promises?
San Jose Councilmember David Cohen came out on top of a tight four-way primary in March 2020 and became the only candidate last year to unseat an incumbent. By ousting former Councilmember Lan Diep, Cohen’s victory shifted the City Council in favor of labor-aligned candidates. On the campaign trail, Cohen promised to build more affordable...
Homeless residents in San Jose cited, face arrest over tent encampments
Darlene Gladwell spent months cultivating a blooming garden of colorful plants and flowers outside the tent she calls home in San Jose’s Watson Park. A cluster of at least half a dozen other small homeless encampments surround her along Coyote Creek. But now Gladwell could go to jail, according to a citation she received, for...
Los Gatos Vice Mayor Rob Rennie jumps into supervisorial race
Los Gatos Vice Mayor Rob Rennie is officially jumping into the race to replace Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman who terms out in 2022. Rennie is running for District 1, which includes parts of San Jose, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and county unincorporated areas. An engineer for 25 years, Rennie has served...
Despite San Jose’s diversity, it’s only had two mayors of color
Look around San Jose, and you’ll be reminded of the groups of communities that live in the city: Places like the Mexican Heritage Plaza and Little Saigon speak to the city’s diversity. Leadership, however, depending on who you ask, hasn’t been so diverse. Since the city began electing mayors instead of appointing them in 1967, the...