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Amid a contentious fight to close an East San Jose airport, officials announced Monday it will switch to unleaded fuel — but the move might not quell opponents’ concerns. The announcement came Monday from the Community and Airport Partnership for Safe Operation. The organization, which has fought to keep the airport open, reportedly received the...
San Jose mayor calls for sheriff to resign
Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith is firing back after San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo called for her resignation Monday, citing severe problems in her management of the county jail. Smith told San José Spotlight exclusively that she won’t make any decisions on resigning. “When the investigations are complete and I hope they are done quickly,...
San Jose VTA records show IT supervisor had prior complaints
Complaints about the behavior of a supervisor in VTA’s information technology department started appearing just months after he began working there, according to internal records. Records obtained by San José Spotlight show that in 2019, three employees complained about a supervisor, Kenneth Blackwell, shortly after he joined the department. The complaints alleged his behavior was...
Los Gatos expands housing advisory board to include residents
As the debate over Los Gatos’ plan to densify housing continues to escalate, the town is asking the public to join the policy-making process. Los Gatos is seeking up to four residents to serve on its housing element advisory board, which will help develop strategies and policies to accommodate new housing required by state law. The...
East San Jose airport switching to unleaded fuel after years of demands
Representatives from the local aviation community will announce Monday that planes at Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose will run on unleaded fuel, marking a victory for environmental and community groups that have complained for years about the dangers of leaded fuel. Officials from the Community and Airport Partnership for Safe Operation, a nonprofit committed to...
Blood lead levels near San Jose airport are average, despite alarm
Despite Santa Clara County officials describing lead exposure from Reid-Hillview Airport as a decades-long health crisis, a county-commissioned study shows elevated blood lead levels consistent with the state average. The report, released last week, found that out of 17,000 blood samples from children ages 0-18 within 1.5 miles of the airport, only 1.7% have elevated lead levels...
UPDATE: Largest San Jose school district brings back cops as security
Six weeks after the largest school district in the city kicked cops off campus, its school board unanimously voted to bring them back for after-school events. The San Jose Unified School District renewed terms and conditions Thursday for police officers while they’re on campus. The agreement allows the district to hire SJPD officers as “private...
San Jose mayoral candidate opposes state housing legislation
San Jose Councilmember and mayoral candidate Dev Davis is taking a stance against two controversial state housing bills. “Adding density in an area of the city where infrastructure improvements are not made is a recipe for disaster,” Davis wrote in a memo. “These bills could dramatically affect our neighborhoods and our ability to deliver critical...
Santa Clara County supervisors demand investigation of sheriff’s jail oversight
Two Santa Clara County supervisors are demanding an investigation of Sheriff Laurie Smith and her office concerning a death and injuries that occurred in the county jail that cost taxpayers millions of dollars in settlements. Supervisors Joe Simitian and Otto Lee issued recommendations Wednesday night as part of the agenda for the next week’s board meeting. They’re...
Mentor program sows seeds for San Jose Vietnamese youth
Alexander Nguyen was asked at the first session of a summer mentorship program why he was there. Seven weeks later, standing in the backyard of the Viet Museum on a blazing hot Saturday, he said he finally found an answer. “For 10 years, I have shut out my community,” he told a crowd of about 20 people. “This...