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Food benefits increase as need in San Jose continues to soar

As food insecurity has dramatically increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, CalFresh and local nonprofits have ramped up services to meet this need. Starting Oct. 1, recipients of CalFresh, a federal nutrition program, received about 22% more in benefits compared to pre-pandemic levels—bringing a family of four up to an extra $155 per month. Coincidentally, an...

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San Jose State University president resigns

San Jose State University president resigns

San Jose State University’s president is resigning in the wake of a massive sexual abuse scandal that has consumed the school for months. Mary A. Papazian announced Thursday that she will resign as president on Dec. 21. California State University Chancellor Joseph Castro will meet with campus stakeholders before naming an interim president. “The best...

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San Jose Police Department struggles to staff up

San Jose Police Department struggles to staff up

Staffing the police department for the largest city in Northern California is proving to be a headache. The San Jose Police Department currently has 1,153 budgeted positions with 20 vacancies, according to spokesperson Christian Camarillo. But he said this doesn’t reflect the true number of sworn officers working because at any given time there are people out...

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Some skeptical of San Jose’s plan to ‘end’ homelessness

Some skeptical of San Jose’s plan to ‘end’ homelessness

Santa Clara County has a lofty new goal to “end” homelessness by 2025 but some unhoused residents aren’t convinced. The effort, called “Heading Home,” is part of a multipronged approach by Santa Clara County, San Jose, the Santa Clara County Housing Authority, tech company Cisco and homeless policy nonprofit Destination: Home—some of the region’s biggest...

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Park Avenue Senior Apartments near Diridon Station has 99 affordable housing units. Photo by Sonya Herrera.

Where is affordable housing located in San Jose?

San Jose squeezes more than half of its affordable housing in areas with some of the lowest household incomes in the city. About 57% of all below market rate rentals in the city, including some in the development pipeline, are in downtown, central and east San Jose, a San José Spotlight analysis of city data shows. Six districts...