San Jose dropped the idea of prosecuting people who violated a curfew during the George Floyd protests. The decision was announced the same day San José Spotlight reported one of those violators was Mayor Sam Liccardo. The four-day, 8:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew enacted by City Manager Dave Sykes May 31 sought to quell...
No opening date in sight for San Jose nightclubs: ‘How long can you hold on?’
It’s been 170 days since Santa Clara County residents danced the night away with drinks in hand to their favorite live music or DJ set. While restaurants started serving food outdoors, schools took learning online and hair salons starting cutting hair inside, San Jose’s nightlight and entertainment industry remains shuttered. The industry appears to be...
What are lobbyists doing at San Jose City Hall? That’s a good question
For months, lobbyists from some of San Jose’s most powerful organizations have privately met with politicians and government officials — and nobody knows why. Week after week, two prominent business groups — the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) and the San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA) — have filled out weekly lobbying disclosures, which require them...
South Bay panel looks at what it means to defund police
As calls ring out to defund police departments across the country, South Bay community organizers weighed in on why the topic is important and what defunding could look like in Santa Clara County. “With my nephew being executed while unarmed by a covert response unit with an AR-15 to the head, I asked myself, ‘Why...
San Jose creates immigrant-inclusive COVID-19 relief measures
A study highlighting the roles of immigrants in San Jose and the struggles they’ve faced during COVID-19 is leading the city to create more inclusive relief measures. New American Economy (NAE), a national nonprofit immigration research and advocacy organization which last month released the study “New Americans in San Jose Metro Area,” examined the role...
Rezoning request from Buddhist Temple adds to San Jose neighborhood’s concerns
Residents of Evergreen are raising new concerns over a proposed Buddhist temple in their San Jose neighborhood which now seeks to change zoning of the site. Wat Khmer Kampuchea Krom wants to rezone the lot from a residential zone to a Public-Quasi-Public (PQP) zone, which residents fear will lead to a more “intense” use of...
Santa Clara County struggles to breathe life into mental health services for ex-inmates
Santa Clara County supervisors are vowing to save a critically underfunded mental health program that often is a last resort for hundreds of former inmates in need of medical help. Community Awaiting Placement Supervision (CAPS) helps place former Santa Clara County inmates into mental health treatment programs. They are ordered, upon release, to receive outpatient...
San Jose mayor violated city curfew during George Floyd protests
As people in downtown San Jose got arrested and detained for violating the city’s curfew amid widespread protests over the police killing of George Floyd in May, Mayor Sam Liccardo rode his bike multiple days after curfew without repercussions. That’s according to J.T. Stukes, a longtime activist who discovered the mayor’s activity on Strava, a...
Candidates say Santa Clara City Council is underrepresented by minorities
Only 45% of Santa Clara residents are white, according to the 2010 census. However, out of six City Council seats, one mayor and one vice mayor, there is only one councilmember who is not white. “We are in a minority-majority city and not having a councilmember of color, of minority, for so long — it...
After years of debate, San Jose OKs commercial development fees for affordable housing
After more than five years of stalled talks, San Jose will begin charging commercial developers fees to fund affordable housing — a move housing advocates said is long overdue. Following hours of debate past the 12 a.m. curfew on Sept. 2, the City Council implemented the controversial fees in a 7-4 vote. Councilmembers Raul Peralez,...