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Evergreen college board extends development talks

The San José-Evergreen Community College District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to extend an exclusive negotiating agreement with a San Jose developer for an ambitious mixed-use project slated for roughly 13.5 acres of district property near Evergreen Valley College. Republic Urban Properties, LLC, is behind the massive development project called “Montgomery Place.” While some...

San Jose lawmakers approve taller buildings in downtown

More than a decade after it was proposed and following months of contentious debate, city lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously approved height increases of up to 35 feet downtown and up to 150 feet in the Diridon Station Area. The discussion has been riddled with controversy as advocates, airport commissioners and city officials debated the impact of the proposed...

San Jose lags on posting public records because of turnover

San Jose has fallen behind on posting certain city records with officials taking weeks to publish some public meeting videos and minutes. The city’s public database for meeting minutes and videos has holes for several weeks. The city clerk, Toni Taber, said her department is struggling to keep up with posting meeting records, such as minutes, because of turnover in her department. “As far as minutes, we’re short...

San Jose considers suicide prevention policy

San Jose could soon have a suicide prevention policy — nearly two years after one lawmaker’s quest to create one — and the same week a depressed woman killed her two young children and took her own life. This week San Jose lawmakers gave the green light to Councilmember Raul Peralez’s proposal to craft a...

San Jose denounces Trump’s plan to deport Vietnamese immigrants

San Jose is taking a stand against President Donald Trump’s push to deport thousands of Vietnamese immigrants. The City Council’s Rules and Open Government Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a resolution, proposed by Republican Councilmember Lan Diep, to denounce Trump’s plan to deport thousands of Vietnamese immigrants who entered the country before 1995, when the...

San Jose’s watchdog commission won’t be dissolved

Following a San José Spotlight report that no one applied for four vacancies on the city’s watchdog commission, eight new applications flooded in — and the panel is no longer at risk of being dissolved. The five-member panel — known formally as the Board of Fair Campaign and Political Practices — investigates alleged election law...

Secretary of State Alex Padilla talks 2020 elections with immigration leaders

As Democrats flood into the 2020 presidential election, many local elections officials and advocacy organizations are gearing up to ensure immigrant voters in the South Bay get informed and to the polls. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla on Wednesday stopped by the Services, Immigrant Rights and, and Education Network (SIREN) office to discuss immigrant advocacy, 2020 election preparations and...

New study: San Jose is more diverse than San Francisco

From singing at your favorite Korean karaoke place or visiting San Jose’s first Michelin star restaurant, Portuguese eatery Adega, residents know the city as a mélange of cultures.   While some outside the city might be surprised by San Jose placing in the top 10 most diverse American cities, for people living in San Jose...