On a Sunday evening late last month a Milpitas employee working at City Hall saw something very unusual and eerie: several people wearing dark robes, walking through the building while chanting, burning candles and possibly sage. To the worker’s surprise, one of the people participating in what appeared to be a religious after-hours ceremony was...
End of an era: San Jose antique shops could disappear
Walking past the palm trees that line San Carlos Street, it’s hard to miss the string of antique shops that have survived in an area once known as “Antiques Row.” These nostalgic shops may become a distant memory after the San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to annex a portion of West San Carlos...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County commits to millions in child care services
Santa Clara County is making a historic investment in child care services and workforce development in an effort to stave off an ongoing crisis. The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to spend $20 million to help fund three programs run by FIRST 5 and establish a grant program to help reopen day care...
What’s next for the former Fry’s HQ in San Jose?
A plan to build a massive office campus in North San Jose over the next decade is moving forward after winning approval from the San Jose City Council Tuesday evening. Campbell-based Bay West Development plans to build nearly two million square feet of office space across seven buildings on the site of the shuttered Fry’s...
San Jose housed more than 2,500 people — but still falls short
San Jose reportedly had one of its most significant years in housing the homeless, but advocates said the efforts are barely making a dent. In the past year, San Jose helped nearly 2,600 homeless people get off the streets, with 71% of them moving into permanent housing, according to a city report published this month. The...
Proposed tax law threatens billions in San Jose funding
The San Jose City Council will decide whether to oppose a state ballot initiative Tuesday, which officials say would hobble the city’s ability to provide basic services. The initiative, dubbed the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act, would make it more difficult for state and local governments to pass new taxes and fees. If passed, local governments...
San Jose officials call for street vendor protections
San Jose officials have a message for street vendors: report any attacks, because the city is listening. San Jose’s Latino councilmembers and a coalition of a dozen local advocates gathered Thursday to reassert their commitment to protect street vendors and highlighted services available to them following recent attacks on two vendors near downtown. “Street vendors...
Milpitas axes third city manager in six years
Frustrated Milpitas residents and councilmembers are calling for a reversal on the sudden decision to let go of City Manager Steve McHarris. McHarris is the third city manager to be let go in Milpitas since 2017, and is yet another loss in leadership that has shocked residents and left them wondering when the tumultuous string...
Coalition calls on San Jose to build park along Coyote Creek
A 50-acre piece of land along Coyote Creek sits deserted and is frequently home to encampments and blight, yet the city still hesitates to support a coalition’s pursuit to turn it into a park for community benefit. Coyote Meadows Coalition, a group comprised of more than a dozen local groups and hundreds of volunteers, has spent the...
Former San Jose official reflects on the childhood that changed him
Chappie Jones, former vice mayor of San Jose, grew up on a redlined street in Sacramento, a street informally designated for Black residents, while the remaining streets in the area were not. Today the homes on his childhood street are valued lower than homes on other streets nearby. This basic inequality, rooted in racism, gave Jones profound...