This year marks the third year since Juneteenth became a federal U.S. holiday, but one Silicon Valley group has been recognizing it for decades. San Jose’s SoFa District was home to the 42nd annual Santa Clara County Juneteenth in the Streets Festival last Saturday. The event, hosted by the African American Community Services Agency, averages...
San Jose realtors say housing advocates ‘terrorized’ their office
Tensions between local housing advocates and realtors have boiled into threats and ugly confrontations. A coalition of homeless and housing advocates protested at the office of the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors on June 7, six days before the San Jose City Council approved the annual budget. They yelled chants like, “Realtors you can’t hide,...
Long before Vegas, A’s struck out in San Jose
As thousands of scorned A’s fans lament what appears to be the imminent end of the team’s playing days in Oakland, the organization’s many past dalliances with relocation have come under a renewed spotlight. All signs now point to Las Vegas, but more than a decade ago the team and its then-managing partner, San Jose...
South San Jose motel may become a Marriott
Plans to build a five-story hotel to replace the Casa Linda Motel in San Jose are moving forward, following a favorable decision from the San Jose Planning Commission. Planning commissioners voted Wednesday to recommend the demolition of the small budget motel, located at 1669 Monterey Road on the city’s south side. The move will clear...
San Jose schools accused of ignoring LGBTQ+ students
Months after a petition was created to protect LGBTQ+ students in the San Jose Unified School District, the community is still frustrated with the district’s lack of response, claiming it has ignored their requests for a more inclusive environment. Holding signs saying “Protect LGBTQIA+ students” and “You Are Seen,” families and supporters gathered in front...
‘Recipe for failure’: Santa Clara County called on to end youth incarceration
Raymond Goins spent four years as a teenager inside Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall, where he said he faced conditions that were damaging to his well-being. Goins, along with more than 50 others, rallied in front of that same juvenile hall on Thursday demanding the center no longer be used to incarcerate youth. Organizers at...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County workers prepared to strike over staffing vacancies
Thousands of Santa Clara County union workers voted to authorize their bargaining team to call for a strike as their contract is set to expire later this month and the county grapples with a budget deficit. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 521 members are upset over the shortage of workers and vacant positions that...
On DACA’s 11th anniversary, San Jose recipients want acceptance
Immigrant rights advocates rallied in downtown San Jose on DACA’s 11th anniversary, calling for the program’s continuation as its future remains in limbo. Advocates with Amigos de Guadalupe, an immigration nonprofit, carried posters bearing phrases like “¡Actua ahora!” and chanted “Si Se Puede” outside the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on Second Street today. They want the...
San Jose hospital to cut acute psychiatric care
The pending closure of an inpatient psychiatric facility has the potential to worsen an ongoing mental health crisis in Santa Clara County, which has a severe shortage of behavioral health beds and services. Good Samaritan Hospital plans to close it’s 18-bed inpatient psychiatric facility at its Mission Oaks Hospital location in Los Gatos. It’s parent...
San Jose’s Berryessa neighborhood to see hundreds more homes
A San Jose developer’s plan to build up to 850 homes and a large commercial space near Berryessa BART received the green light from city officials. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved the project on Tuesday, though not before it touched off a debate about whether the city should be stricter with density and affordable...