San Jose is moving forward with tentative plans to expand the city’s police oversight powers, despite claims by the police union that the changes may violate the city charter. In a unanimous vote, the San Jose City Council agreed Tuesday to accept Mayor Sam Liccardo’s call to add an investigative branch to the Independent Police...
UPDATE: Settlement paves way for more homes in North San Jose
San Jose has cleared the last legal obstacle facing the construction of thousands of homes in the north part of the city. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a settlement with Santa Clara County, ending a decade-long legal dispute that has blocked San Jose from pursuing housing developments in the northern...
VTA couldn’t stop San Jose mass shooting, report claims
An independent investigation into whether VTA could have done more to prevent the 2021 mass shooting in San Jose has found the organization did not have enough information to prevent the attack. At a last-minute Monday news conference at VTA headquarters, VTA Chief of External Affairs Jim Lawson said a 17-month investigation conducted by San...
How San Jose’s new policymakers prepare for City Hall
The incoming San Jose mayor and councilmembers have different political leanings, but they agree on one thing: they’re only as strong as their staff. With less than a month before the newly-elected leaders fill the San Jose City Council chambers, dozens of interviews are happening to hire staff for Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and...
VTA won’t let more workers sleep at San Jose yard
Adan Miranda used to fall asleep during his long commute. The VTA bus driver lives in Elk Grove, a four-hour drive in traffic, because he can’t afford a home in San Jose. After nodding off at the wheel several times on his way home in 2003, Miranda signed up for a permit program letting VTA...
Cupertino elects first gay councilmember
Cupertino is getting its first-ever LGBTQ councilmember, and advocates say it’s only the beginning. J.R. Fruen, an attorney and third-generation Cupertino resident, won a seat on the Cupertino City Council in a crowded race against seven other candidates. Fruen came in third, securing one of three council seats and receiving 15.9% of the vote, or...
What happens to the homeless cleared from San Jose’s largest camp?
The encampment near Mineta San Jose International Airport is gone and a makeshift RV camp at Columbus Park is almost barren, but dozens of homeless residents still have no place to go as their futures remain uncertain. Dubbed by some as the “Field of Dreams,” the baseball field at the corner of Asbury and Irene...
Sunnyvale candidate wins election with a single vote
By a hair. By the skin of his teeth. By a nose. However you say it, Murali Srinivasan won the race for the open District 3 Sunnyvale City Council seat by the slimmest of margins: a single vote. Srinivasan received 2,813 out of 5,625 votes, while opponent Justin Wang received 2,812 votes, according to election...
San Jose leaders lobby for transparency in homeless spending
San Jose officials want to make it easier for residents to track how the city is spending money on its growing homelessness crisis. Mayor Sam Liccardo, Vice Mayor Chappie Jones, Mayor-elect Matt Mahan and Councilmember David Cohen want to launch a webpage showing the city’s efforts in solving homelessness. The site would include where funding comes from, which...
What’s next in San Jose’s hotly-debated council appointment process?
The pursuit to find who will fill two San Jose City Council vacancies is on, and time is short. Councilmembers are tasked with appointing two people to fill the Districts 8 and 10 seats by the end of January. Applications for the seats will open this week, and those appointed will serve until the end...