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Major changes are coming to one of San Jose’s most powerful commissions after lawmakers earlier this month approved long-awaited reforms to make it more inclusive. After facing widespread criticism stemming from San José Spotlight’s reporting on the lack of geographic and ethnic diversity on the San Jose Planning Commission, the City Council approved expanding the...
San Jose mayor supports police department reform, not defunding
The San Jose Police Department won’t be defunded anytime soon if Mayor Sam Liccardo has his way. Instead, the mayor is pushing for reform through policy changes and a critical review of the department’s use-of-force policies. A proposal introduced Friday would require the department to explain its decision to use rubber bullets, tear gas, riot gear, batons, flash-bangs and other...
Downtown San Jose restaurants struggle to survive amid pandemic, protests
Adolfo Gomez had driven just five minutes away from his downtown San Jose restaurant, Mezcal, when he got a call from a friend that the doors to the business had been broken and people were looting. His friend’s daughter had recorded and shared the action on her phone after what started as a peaceful protest...
Thousands gather at San Jose City Hall for a peaceful protest
Explosive sounds of rubber bullets and shrieks from the crowd were nowhere to be heard Friday, instead replaced with music, chants and a “die-in” at San Jose City Hall. Friday’s peaceful Black Lives Matter rally brought out thousands of people, but it was starkly different from a protest last Friday demanding justice for the police...
South Bay lawmakers pledge to put equity at center of policymaking
More than 20 Silicon Valley lawmakers this week signed a new pledge that outlines how elected officials will consider equity and the needs of disadvantaged communities in policymaking. The pledge, which was introduced Wednesday by San Jose councilmembers Sylvia Arenas, Maya Esparza, Magdalena Carrasco, Raul Peralez, Sergio Jimenez and Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President...
San Jose city, police double down on use of force during protests
Reflecting on scores of fired rubber rounds, hundreds of deployed officers, 180 arrests and several viral videos, San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia doubled down Thursday on his officers’ use of force this past week during mostly peaceful protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. San Jose was the first Bay...
As child abuse calls drop, Silicon Valley organizations fill gaps for prevention
Calls to Santa Clara County’s child abuse and neglect hotline have declined in recent weeks, but that drop doesn’t necessarily reflect a decrease in abuse and neglect occurring. As children are studying at home after the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered schools across the United States, they’re no longer seeing teachers, coaches, family friends or other trusted...
Santa Clara policy denies gay commissioner a role in Pride flag raising
As members of the Santa Clara City Council raise the LGBTQ Pride flag at City Hall Friday morning, a 25-year-old city policy denied a gay commissioner from standing in as a last-minute replacement. When Vice Mayor Karen Hardy, a math and computer science teacher at Wilcox High School, recently learned that she had the opportunity...
Hapless thieves target San Jose dispensaries for brazen burglaries after curfew
Two San Jose cannabis dispensaries were burglarized early Tuesday morning by groups of thieves hoping for a big score — the latest crime spree in a trend of looters, burglars and robbers targeting dispensaries in the Bay Area and nationwide. The pattern emerged as major cities, including San Jose, enforced curfews to control protests against...
Chamber CEO set to lead San Jose councilmember office
Nick Kaspar, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce, is leaving the world of business and stepping into politics at San Jose City Hall. Kaspar will be Councilmember Maya Esparza’s chief of staff starting June 15, leaving behind a daunting three years at the helm of the Santa Clara-based chamber. “The...