San Jose residents may be facing another unexpected consequence of the pandemic: Higher garbage bills. The city is working double time to collect weekly trash, which has only increased since people became more confined to their homes. As a result, residential garbage and recycling rates could increase up to $8.21 per month or $98.52 per...
Santa Clara County supervisors have approved spending more than $100 million to build five housing complexes for low-income residents. The funds will come from the Measure A housing bond, passed by a majority of voters in 2016. The bond will eventually raise just under $1 billion for affordable housing projects and incentives across the county....
President Joe Biden has big plans to overhaul America’s immigration system, specifically undoing some of former President Donald Trump’s most egregious anti-immigrant policies. But local activists say Biden’s reform agenda doesn’t go far enough — or fast enough — and will force immigrants to remain in the shadows in Silicon Valley for years to come....
Editor’s Note: San Jose Legends is a new monthly series that tells the remarkable stories of the historic and legendary people who have helped shape and transform our city. When life gives Blanca Alvarado lemons, La Madrina — the godmother — of East San Jose, zests them for cake. While harvesting lemons from her backyard...
San Jose lawmakers took steps this week to deter hate crimes and protect would-be victims after a string of seemingly xenophobic attacks targeting Asian American elders around the Bay Area hit close to home just before Lunar New Year. Elected officials, including members of the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus and the Alameda County...
A biennial count of Silicon Valley’s unhoused population —- critical for understanding if the homeless crisis is getting worse — won’t happen this year because of COVID-19. Some advocates worry that could mean a loss in federal funding for homeless services. Santa Clara County’s “Point-in-Time” count, which involves volunteers scouring streets, tents and underpasses to...
After spending $145,000 on a Washington communications consultant to boost his national profile over two years, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo extended her contract again for four months to the tune of $30,000. Stephanie Craig’s Apeiron Strategies Group was first hired by Liccardo’s office in 2018 and bills the city for placing opinion pieces in...
In East San Jose, one of Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 hotspots, infections surged past most areas in the region. Vaccinations did not. Less than 40% of residents age 65 and over in some East Side neighborhoods with the highest COVID-19 case rates have received a vaccine, according to Santa Clara County data. In a few...
After debating until midnight and cutting off public comments, San Jose lawmakers are on a mission to make City Council meetings more efficient. But they can’t always agree on next steps. City leaders on Wednesday voted 4-1 in favor of a plan forcing the San Jose City Council to contemplate its time management skills and...
A proposed move by San Jose to make it easier for school districts to sell and develop their land has irked some education leaders who say the city is overstepping its authority and keeping them in the dark. At stake are coveted and valuable properties that could be developed for housing, bring in cash for education and...
