As Santa Clara County moves into the less restrictive orange tier, San Jose police are bracing for an alarming uptick in reports of sexual violence. Police suspect many cases of sexual violence that took place in 2020 behind closed doors have gone unreported due to shelter in place orders. “When the COVID-19 pandemic began, there was...
Local rent relief is on its way in San Jose
San Jose is one step closer to getting financial relief to landlords and tenants who’ve struggled to pay their bills during the pandemic. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously accepted $30,379,739.90 in emergency rental assistance from the federal government. San Jose is divvying the funds between community-based organizations to reach residents that state...
San Jose responds to wage theft allegations, safety hazards at homeless housing site
San Jose leaders will withhold payment on a homeless housing project after a San José Spotlight article revealed widespread allegations of wage theft and safety violations. The city also launched an investigation. The project, located at Monterey and Bernal Roads in San Jose, is one of three emergency housing sites citywide created for homeless residents...
‘I’m not a virus’: Silicon Valley lawmaker unveils plan to combat anti-Asian hate
Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee introduced a slew of proposals Tuesday to research and combat hate crimes against the county’s Asian and Asian-American population. Lee’s proposals, adopted unanimously by supervisors, will create a community outreach and education campaign against race-based violence against Asians, and begins work on federal and legislative advocacy to encourage proposals...
Santa Clara County moving into orange tier, expanding indoor dining and retail
Santa Clara County on Wednesday will move into the less-restrictive orange tier of the state’s reopening plan, removing capacity limits for retailers and doubling capacity for indoor dining and other businesses. The county is currently in the red tier since March 2. Local health officials say COVID-19 cases are steadily falling, which means restaurants, movie...
San Jose lawmaker looks to turn complaints about gas leaf blowers into policy
Gas-powered leaf blowers were driving San Jose resident Marty Stuczynski crazy. He had reached out to San Jose City Hall for years without success. While attending a video call with freshman Councilmember Matt Mahan, he mentioned the problem again. To his surprise, he was invited to start a working group with four or more residents...
Santa Clara County advocates celebrate win for immigrants
Santa Clara County scored a substantial legal victory this month when the U.S. Department of Justice dropped an appeal on a legal rule that sought to limit public services for immigrants. County Counsel James Williams called the decision to drop the case “a victory for the rule of law,” he said, because otherwise the change...
San Jose to vote on sweeping homeless camps, creating sanctioned encampments
Some San Jose leaders want to clear homeless encampments immediately — despite health regulations cautioning not to do so during a pandemic — and move homeless residents to a government-approved camping site. The San Jose City Council could vote Tuesday to dismantle encampments — against COVID-19 health guidelines. Councilmember Raul Peralez and city officials proposed...
San Jose pumps the brakes on Valley Water water-recycling plan
In an effort to address drought and increase local groundwater supply, the Santa Clara Valley Water District is fast-tracking a plan to purify and recycle more water in San Jose. But city elected leaders — concerned for the environment and limited staff resources due to COVID-19 — are pumping the brakes and want more time...
San Jose Speaks: A conversation with Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone
San José Spotlight earlier this month welcomed Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone in its latest San Jose Speaks series, which features interactive conversations with South Bay leaders, influencers and decision makers. Stone discussed Proposition 19, which was approved by voters in 2020 and significantly complicated the rules for transferring property tax assessments. The March...