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Amid statewide COVID-19 vaccine shortages, health officials in eight Bay Area counties are recommending that all health care systems prioritize shots for patients 65 and over. Those aged 65 and over account for the majority of COVID-19 deaths — 81% of deaths in Santa Clara County. The announcement comes as the Bay Area faces a...
San Jose approves rent freeze for apartments, mobile homes through June
Apartment-dwellers and mobile home residents struggling to pay rent in San Jose because of the pandemic are getting some relief. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Feb. 2 to immediately halt rent increases for residents living in rent-controlled mobile homes and apartments through June 30. Neither the state nor Santa Clara County have taken...
San Jose takes first step to boost pay for grocery store workers amid COVID-19
After hours of “awkward” debate that included the vice mayor and a councilmember getting booted from a meeting due to a conflict of interest, San Jose is moving forward with giving grocery store employees a pay boost during the pandemic. The San Jose City Council voted 6-3 Tuesday to draft a measure that would require large grocery...
‘Do something!’ — San Jose business owners say they are fed up with homeless
They’ve reported gun violence, had cars stolen and watched in outrage for months as trash piles up and homeless encampments grow around them. Business and property owners in downtown San Jose are demanding the city take action to end vandalism, theft and increasing illegal camping they say is destroying their livelihood. And they are not...
Santa Clara County could issue $10,000 fine for ‘interference’ in public meetings
If you try to stop someone from speaking at the county’s Board of Supervisors meeting, you might be fined $10,000. Santa Clara County supervisors are considering a plan to levy a $10,000 fine against anyone who might threaten, intimidate or use violence to prevent someone from participating in a public decision-making process. The ordinance would...
Bill to allow legislative staffers to unionize gets support from San Jose lawmakers
Unions are having a transformative 2021: They’re waging war against Proposition 22 and breaking into the traditionally union-hostile tech industry. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) and a majority of Silicon Valley’s legislators are hoping to carry some of that momentum into their chambers. On Jan. 25, Gonzalez reintroduced Assembly Bill 314, which would give legislative staffers...
San Jose official nearly dies from COVID-19, warns others in East Side
Rolando Bonilla woke up on a December morning finding himself gasping for air. “I couldn’t breathe,” the 42-year-old said during a recent phone interview. “Even the act of inhaling was difficult.” Bonilla, the vice chair of San Jose’s Planning Commission, had gone to bed the night before with a fever and aches. Then walking became...
UPDATE: San Jose mayor calls for removal of Thomas Fallon statue
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo is calling for the removal of the controversial Thomas Fallon statue, a decision that comes days after overwhelming pleas from the community. “For the third time in three decades, debate over the Thomas Fallon Statue has reopened old wounds and deepened divides,” Liccardo wrote in a blog post explaining his...
San José Spotlight celebrates two years, announces new partnership
San José Spotlight, the city’s first nonprofit newsroom dedicated to independent political and business reporting, turned two in January and announced an exciting new partnership to expand its award-winning coverage. The news organization, founded by Ramona Giwargis and Josh Barousse in Jan. 2019, will partner with Oakland-based Post News Group, which operates 8 Black and...
How lawmakers plan to make East San Jose safer for cyclists and pedestrians
A new plan seeks to transform East San Jose into a pedestrian-friendly transit haven by reducing the need for cars and connecting residents across the city. The En Movimiento — Spanish for “In Movement” — plan proposes an expanded network of sidewalks, bike lanes and bus lanes alongside a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) line,...