Former employees of Amy’s Kitchen, a national frozen food brand, came out to protest the abrupt closure of its San Jose factory — calling it union busting. Nearly 30 workers on Tuesday gathered in front of the shuttered factory on 1885 Las Plumas Ave., to highlight alleged mistreatment they endured. They said they have been...
San Jose LGBTQ leaders: Monkeypox ‘not a gay disease’
The Silicon Valley LGBTQ+ community is livid another virus is being referred to as a gay disease. Concerned about stigmatization, local LGBTQ+ leaders are reacting to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recent declaration of monkeypox as a global emergency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 98% of cases are among gay men. Although anyone can...
Milpitas mayor’s race takes shape
Milpitas Mayor Rich Tran has handpicked his replacement, but now a new challenger—and an outspoken adversary—are shaking up the contentious mayor’s race. Councilmember Anthony Phan jumped into the mayor’s race Friday, joining fellow Councilmembers Carmen Montano and Karina Dominguez. Tran is terming out after three, two-year terms as mayor, but he is running for a...
East vs. West: San Jose mayoral candidate breaks barriers
Eight years ago, progressive San Jose mayoral candidate Dave Cortese lost his bid to the business-backed Sam Liccardo, despite an overwhelming win in the primary election with support from East San Jose. Liccardo pulled ahead of Cortese, now a state senator, in November 2014 to become the city’s 65th mayor. His narrow win was secured by...
Santa Clara official accused of living out of state
Questions are swirling about whether a Santa Clara elected official, who holds a critical role handling everything from city records to council meeting details, lives in the city he serves. Emails to councilmembers this week claim the city clerk, Hosam Haggag, now lives in Washington, and asked if elected officials are no longer required to live in...
San Jose mayor says sorry for COVID exposure
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo has tested positive for COVID-19, one day after he shook hands and spoke closely to a dozen people. “Mayor Liccardo began experiencing symptoms (Thursday) afternoon, and tested immediately,” Esmeralda Bautista, spokesperson for Liccardo, told San José Spotlight. “He learned he was positive and immediately left City Hall.” The positive test...
San José Spotlight’s lawsuit against city, mayor heads to court
Five months after San José Spotlight sued the city and its mayor over improperly withheld emails, the city refuses to say how many records it’s shielding. Now a judge will consider requiring the city to explain what it’s withholding and why in a court hearing next month. This news organization and the First Amendment Coalition, a co-plaintiff in...
San Jose advocates say early release doesn’t equal violent crime
Polarizing pandemic-era policies aimed to help depopulate the jails are expiring at the end of July—but the debate over their effectiveness is still alive. The state enacted a zero bail policy and citation and release orders near the start of the pandemic to limit the spread of COVID-19 in jails. Zero bail allows low-level offenders to...
How many jobs does it take to pay rent in San Jose?
In the heart of Silicon Valley, an individual making minimum wage needs to work nearly four hourly jobs to pay the rent. A new report, conducted by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, finds housing costs in the nation are rising to unreachable levels for many—especially those working minimum wage jobs. Across the nation, full-time minimum wage workers...
UPDATE: West San Jose housing and hotel plan advances
A major West San Jose development is moving forward with hundreds of apartments and a hotel instead of office space. The San Jose Planning Commission unanimously approved plans Wednesday for the Stevens Creek Promenade, located at Stevens Creek Boulevard and Lopina Way. The project is changing its office space to a six-story hotel at the...