A new state bill would give the Santa Clara Valley Water District expanded authority to help thousands of homeless people living along creeks, streams and other district lands find housing and services. District officials say Assembly Bill 1469 would add language to the district’s governing act specifying it can assist unsheltered people, allowing it to play a...
San Jose mayor’s chief of staff triggers election law proposal
San Jose is looking to strengthen its election rules, with the push targeting the mayor’s right-hand man. The San Jose City Council is considering whether to prohibit elected officials and their staff from working on independent expenditure committees that raise money for local races. This move comes after residents and city leaders questioned the extracurricular political activities of...
San Jose community college delays ethnic studies hire after protests
Nearly 600 community members signed an online petition within days of its launching to oppose the hiring of a non-Native instructor for Evergreen Valley College’s first full-time Native American studies teaching position. Indigenous students, faculty and residents with feathers and ceremonial drums protested at the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District meeting on Tuesday, with signs reading...
UPDATE: Hundreds of homes planned for San Jose’s Berryessa neighborhood
Efforts to transform a portion of San Jose’s Berryessa neighborhood into a walkable “urban village” are taking another step forward following preliminary approval for a major housing and commercial development. The San Jose Planning Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved rezoning a 13-acre light industrial and agricultural lot in support of a developer’s plans to eventually...
UPDATE: San Jose college students protest mayor’s homeless plans
Holding signs reading “Stop Sweeping Us Under the Rug” and “Keep People Housed,” two San Jose State University student groups protested at City Hall today against how the city is handling homelessness. Students for Fair Housing and Students Against Sweeps are demanding a more humanitarian approach to Mayor Matt Mahan’s homeless policies. They are asking...
Data centers destined for North San Jose
The San Jose City Council unanimously approved plans this week for an advanced manufacturing facility and data centers, adding to the growing hub of tech facilities and workplaces in North San Jose. Denver-based STACK Infrastructure is planning to demolish two existing industrial buildings on a nearly 10-acre lot, including a former Olympus service center, and...
San Jose calls for more police amid staffing shortages
San Jose is planning on funding 31 new positions in the police department despite struggling to fill more than 100 existing vacancies. The city manager proposed last week spending $2.9 million in the next fiscal year to create 31 new staff positions within San Jose Police Department, ranging from regular beat cops and community service...
Santa Clara County could guarantee income for formerly incarcerated people
Individuals coming out of jail have few resources to help them integrate back into society. Santa Clara County officials want to help change that. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors recently approved a potential guaranteed basic income program for former inmates. The program’s financial feasibility will be discussed at the county’s budget meeting in...
Santa Clara County leaders take action on gender inequality
Santa Clara County officials have approved landmark legislation to tackle gender inequality. The county Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) last week. CEDAW is a framework to gather data and implement gender-equitable practices in local government. Advocates said the move holds the county accountable for...
Santa Clara population ticks up as rest of region drops
All but four Santa Clara County cities lost residents over the last year amid a continuing trend of statewide population drop driven by declining birth rates, elevated deaths and people leaving the state. While San Jose, the state’s third largest city, lost a half-percent of its population, dropping to 959,256 people, Santa Clara, the county’s...