Despite setbacks stemming from the pandemic, steps to create a reimagined St. James Park in downtown San Jose are moving forward. Plans to revamp the struggling downtown park include building a performing arts pavilion, playground, dog park, picnic area and café. The idea, organizers said, is to make St. James Park a recreational focal point...
Spending in contested San Jose City Council races hits $1.8 million
Some of San Jose’s most influential groups collectively have spent a whopping $1.8 million on two San Jose City Council races, pushing to keep the status quo and illustrating just how deep a rift is forming between business and labor groups in the city. Organizations such as the Silicon Valley Organization, South Bay Labor Council...
San Jose City Council: Battle lines being drawn on redistricting
Tasked with the once-in-a-decade challenge of redrawing district lines in San Jose, city leaders are pushing to engage residents in the process. The conversation is important because redistricting could affect how residents, especially people of color, are represented in future elections. Every 10 years, after the U.S. Census is complete, the city must appoint one...
Officials pledge safe election as polling stations open in Santa Clara County
It will be safe to vote. That was the unifying message of elections officials, law enforcement and political leaders as they gathered in San Jose Oct. 26 to reassure voters about Santa Clara County’s election security. Polling stations open Oct. 31. “We haven’t seen any fake ballot boxes. We haven’t seen voter suppression or any...
Suds Jain targets traffic, pollution, housing in bid for Santa Clara City Council
The planet’s changing climate disturbs Suds Jain so much, he says, that more than a decade ago he retired so he could have more time to fight it. A former electrical engineer, Jain is seeking election to Santa Clara City Council’s District 5 seat, competing against retired CHP lieutenant Robert “Bob” O’Keefe. Jain has been...
Beloved San Jose museum names its first female president
The Tech Interactive — the innovative downtown San Jose museum that’s brought family-friendly STEM education to Silicon Valley since the 1980s — will soon see an innovation to its leadership. Earlier this month, the center named Katrina Stevens — the director of learning science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative — as The Tech’s new president and CEO,...
San José Spotlight wins national Publisher of the Year award
San José Spotlight this week won the prestigious Publisher of the Year award from the Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers, recognizing our nonprofit newsroom among the top news publications in the country. LION Publishers is an association of more than 300 independent online media operations across the U.S. “This award reaffirms why we started...
San Jose’s new city attorney fought for women to have a voice
When Nora Frimann walked into a courtroom early in her career in the 1980s, she said people assumed she was a court reporter. She went on to become a managing partner at Hoge Fenton, a leading San Jose law firm, in 1990, a time when few women practiced law, especially litigation. And now Frimann has...
‘Miles to go before I sleep:’ Teresa O’Neill seeks reelection to Santa Clara City Council
Within a span of 22 years, Teresa O’Neill has served on Santa Clara’s City Council, planning commission and school board. And she doesn’t intend to end her career in public service anytime soon. “I feel like I have accomplished a number of things, but there’s still miles to go before I sleep,” O’Neill said. The...
Santa Clara County supervisor race heats up with call for tax returns
Santa Clara County supervisorial candidate Otto Lee loaned his own campaign a staggering $460,000. Now his rival Kansen Chu wants to know if that money is clean. In a recent Facebook post, Chu demanded Lee disclose his income taxes and posted photos of his own 2019 federal tax returns. Chu, an assemblymember, challenged the the former...