After more than three decades fighting for a public park, residents in a struggling San Jose neighborhood got one. But three weeks later, the grass withered and turned brown. The Tamien Park Soccer Field opened in early June in the city’s low-income Guadalupe-Washington neighborhood. Just three weeks later, the park had fallen into a state...
Residents feel stuck at massive San Jose homeless camp
The clearing of a major homeless encampment near San Jose’s Columbus Park has forced scores of unhoused residents to live together in squalid, cramped conditions. Over the last two months, the city has cleared about two-thirds of a 40-acre plot of city-owned land near Columbus Park. About 150 unhoused people, 200 vehicles—of which 53 are...
Santa Clara County supervisor uses private emails for public business
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo isn’t the only Silicon Valley lawmaker who uses private emails to conduct public business. Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, one of the frontrunners in the mayoral race to succeed Liccardo next year, also appears to communicate with other elected officials—and lobbyists—using a private email account, records obtained by San José...
Housing might replace shuttered Denny’s in Campbell
A 45-year-old local fixture in Campbell abruptly closed last month and could become a new housing development. The Denny’s restaurant at 2060 South Bascom Avenue in Campbell operated at the location since 1976. Two weeks ago, it shuttered with little notice. “We regret to inform you that as of 10/31/21 at 2 p.m., Denny’s has...
San Jose plan that limits development could be eliminated
A San Jose commission says it has the latest solution to traffic jams in the city’s east side: Stop development in the hills. The San Jose Planning Commission voted 9-1 this week to recommend eliminating an early-2000s era plan that limited homes and businesses in the city’s Evergreen and East Hills neighborhoods. Instead, future development...
Santa Clara County foster youth to help design new facility
Foster youth are getting a brand new community center with permanent housing in San Jose—and will have a say in its design. The Parkmoor Hub, being developed by Allied Housing, will include 81 units of affordable and supportive housing, with half for transitional-age foster youth and their children. It’s conveniently located near light rail, buses,...
Silicon Valley veteran homelessness reaches new milestone
Flags fly at half-mast each Nov. 11 to honor Veterans Day across the country. In Silicon Valley, fewer veterans will look at those flags while living on the streets. All the Way Home, a campaign launched in 2015 to help end the homeless veterans crisis, has housed 2,201 veterans during the past seven years. The...
Coordinated campaign kills interim housing proposal in Santa Clara
A coordinated effort by hundreds of Santa Clara residents successfully killed a proposal to build interim housing for unhoused families. In a unanimous vote, the Santa Clara City Council rejected a proposal to build 60 units of transitional housing at 2035 White Oak Lane. Councilmembers directed city employees to search for alternative sites. The proposal...
San Jose commissioners blindsided by procedural attacks
Work on the San Jose Charter Review Commission turned frustrating for three commissioners who question if their voices are being heard. The latest round of recommendations pertaining to climate change and police reform has become contentious, as a subcommittee composed of Commissioner Magnolia Segol and fellow progressively-aligned Commissioners Veronica Amador and Maria Fuentes run into...
Campbell teachers lose trust in superintendent, board of trustees
Tensions between teachers and a local school district are boiling over as disputes over pay increases continue. Last week, teachers in the Campbell Union High School District presented the school board with a vote of no confidence in Superintendent Robert Bravo, detailing his shortcomings during his five-year tenure. The vote, signed by 380 teachers—85% of...