As San Jose leaders consider allowing two digital billboards to be built at the airport, three more may be quietly coming to the city. Documents obtained by San José Spotlight show the city signed a notice of intent for billboards at Highway 87 and West Mission Street, as well as 1404 Mabury Road and another at...
Silicon Valley jail workers say short staffing led to attack
Staffing shortages at Santa Clara County’s main jail partly caused by COVID-19 may have created conditions that allowed for an inmate assault on a deputy in early January. Details about the attack are murky because the Sheriff’s Office will not release records of the assault. However, a sheriff employee did confirm the main jail was significantly short-staffed...
Food truck brings hot meals, essentials to San Jose homeless
In an effort to serve more unhoused people, one nonprofit sends a food truck out to encampments to meet people where they are. Dubbed “Hope on Wheels,” the food truck visits at least three encampments every week to bring hot meals and essential supplies such as jackets, tarps and hand sanitizer to unhoused people across the South...
San Jose transit agency investigating toxic culture, workers say
Allegations about toxic work culture are surfacing again at VTA—this time in its customer service department. Current and former VTA workers told San José Spotlight a customer service manager, Combiz Khatiblou, was put on paid administrative leave last month and that an investigation is pending. Current and former employees claim Khatiblou contributed to a hostile...
Massive verdict for mogul who tried to buy stake in San Jose casino
A Bay Area casino magnate has won a whopping victory against his former attorney for allegedly spoiling his purchase of part of a San Jose card room. A Sonoma County Superior Court jury announced a $47.4 million verdict for businessman John Park on Feb. 3. The jury found the defendant, Park’s former lawyer Tracey Buck-Walsh,...
Lobbyists contribute to San Jose City Council campaigns
The top lobbyists donating to San Jose’s mayoral race are also ranking high when it comes to City Council campaign contributions. A look at lobbyist donations during the first filing period of the 2022 election season revealed $13,550 of the $196,000 raised for council candidates came from registered lobbyists. Although it only comprises 7% of the...
San Jose homeless residents say nonprofit broke promises
Some unhoused people who received temporary housing after being swept off land owned by Apple are now worried they’ll end up on the streets again. Participants of the program, who have lived in Casa Linda Motel at 1669 Monterey Rd. in San Jose since September, said the program paid for by Apple and managed by HomeFirst was supposed to help...
Advocates push for more low-income housing in San Jose project
A developer is including minimal affordable housing in a San Jose project, and city officials and a community advocacy group are calling for more. Cambrian Village—an 18-acre mixed-use redevelopment of the beloved Cambrian Park Plaza in San Jose— will include 305 apartments, 48 single-family homes with 27 attached accessory dwelling units (ADU) and 25 townhomes....
Santa Clara County could commandeer controversial cement plant
A Santa Clara County supervisor wants the government to take control of a controversial cement quarry near Cupertino. Supervisor Joe Simitian said the county must find a way to acquire the Lehigh Permanente Quarry and Cement Plant property during a Thursday news conference. Simitian is introducing a referral to the full Board of Supervisors on Feb. 15...
Nearly one person a day died on Silicon Valley streets
In one of the world’s wealthiest regions, 30 people died in the streets over the span of a month—nearly one person a day dying outdoors in the heart of Silicon Valley. Homeless advocates said the number emphasizes the ongoing homeless crisis—accounting for almost one person per day—and stands in sharp contrast to the region’s wealth....