As homeless resident Deborah Santos watched her trailer go up in flames, she and her son wondered where they would stay—a homeless shelter, a motel room or maybe even a temporary tiny home. She was given a two-person tent and a blanket. Residents at the Columbus Park homeless encampment near downtown San Jose say a...
Santa Clara mayor gives social media silence to council colleague
Blocking people on social media is a no-no for elected officials, no matter how frustrating some trolls can get. But that didn’t stop Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor from allegedly blocking someone on Facebook. This time, it was one of her colleagues: Councilmember Anthony Becker. Becker first found out about his banishment from the mayor’s...
VTA pulls funding from San Jose’s Charcot Avenue extension
VTA is diverting funding from a controversial highway project—the target of community outrage for years. The transit agency’s board of directors agreed to approve nearly $200 million for 11 infrastructure projects to relieve highway congestion in Santa Clara County during its Thursday meeting. At the urging of director and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, the...
San Jose clears more than 200 homeless encampments
San Jose has cleared out 224 homeless encampments since January, with more than 75% of those removals happening in Districts 3 and 7, city data shows. City officials said a sweep could mean booting one person from their camping spot—or clearing out a massive site with multiple people. Advocates, who have long called for the...
A look at San Jose policy changes headed to lawmakers
Nearly a year after it first convened, the 23-member body in charge of making changes to San Jose’s city charter is finished with its duty. Wednesday’s meeting of the Charter Review Commission unanimously rubber-stamped final recommendations for numerous changes to city laws—including shifting the timing of mayoral elections and adding more council districts. Commissioners voted 16-0,...
UPDATE: San Jose officials suggest dropping Opportunity Housing
A San Jose commission is asking the City Council to abandon a controversial local housing initiative in favor of a similar state law. And they’re looking for ways to ensure the law would open the door to more affordable housing. The Planning Commission voted 8-2 Wednesday to approve several staff recommendations for how to implement...
Santa Clara County braces as first omicron COVID case detected in California
Local health officials are racing to get ahead of a newly discovered COVID-19 variant, worried about a potential increase in transmissibility and vaccine evasion. On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed one omicron case detected by UC San Francisco. The person returned from South Africa last week, is fully vaccinated and has...
San Jose school trustee jumps into District 7 council race
East Side Union High School District Board President Van Le is joining the contested race for the San Jose City Council District 7 seat. Le, 63, has served as a board member in one of the largest San Jose school districts since 2010. She also owns a State Farm Insurance agency in the city. “My slogan...
San Jose residents clash over proposed redistricting maps
Bitter and passionate words marked the San Jose City Council’s first public redistricting hearing as advocates urged lawmakers to embrace two different visions of redrawn political boundaries. Mayor Sam Liccardo and fellow councilmembers refrained from discussion Tuesday, opting instead to hear from more than 150 residents. The hearing is the first of three to be...
UPDATE: San Jose council sends airport billboard plan back to commission
San Jose lawmakers stalled putting up electronic billboards along Highway 101. The San Jose City Council voted 9-1 Tuesday to send a proposal to construct two billboards by media company Clear Channel back to the Airport Commission. Councilmember Raul Peralez voted no. This follows several failed votes to approve the proposal. The proposal will be heard again...