The first step in overhauling the struggling San Jose Police Activities League begins tonight, seven months after a scathing city audit revealed serious mismanagement, financial problems and no checks and balances over money. The PAL program, which began in 1968, offers youth athletic programs and mentorship from police officers for hundreds of kids. But an...
Coyote Creek flood lawsuit continues against San Jose, water district
A judge recently handed flood victims some wins and some losses in the ongoing Coyote Creek flood litigation. More than 150 families of flood victims in 2017 sued San Jose, Santa Clara County, the Santa Clara Valley Water District and California’s Division of Safety of Dams in Santa Clara County Superior Court, citing claims of negligence...
The ‘Year of the Woman’ makes its mark in Silicon Valley
A record number of women across the nation ran for political office last year – many first-time candidates – and despite some gender discrimination, the “pink wave” swept four women into top elected offices here in Silicon Valley. Newly-elected county Supervisor Susan Ellenberg remembers how empowered she felt watching Hillary Clinton’s concession speech after the 2016 election....
Liccardo not worried about Newsom’s threat to withhold funding
Mayor Sam Liccardo isn’t rattled by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s threat to withhold money from cities that fail to build enough housing — despite San Jose falling short of its housing production goals. Liccardo said he was “all in” to support the governor’s ambitious housing development goals. “We’ve been begging for these kinds of carrots and...
San Jose council debates Coyote Valley with developers, environmentalists
Coyote Valley – the 7,000 acres of mostly undeveloped land in south San Jose – has been a topic of contention for city planners for decades. And it was no different at Tuesday’s San Jose City Council study session. City Manager David Sykes called the issue a “balancing act” as councilmembers looked toward experts to...
Outgoing San Jose Councilman Tam Nguyen to keep working on housing issues
Ousted San Jose City Councilman Tam Nguyen isn’t planning to disappear now that his one term on the council is over. In a recent interview with San José Spotlight, Nguyen said he plans to continue working on finding solutions to issues like affordable housing and homelessness as a community member. Nguyen, 62, lost his bid...
“Stand up, fight back”: Women’s March takes over downtown San Jose
From City Hall to Arena Green, thousands took to the streets of San Jose over the weekend to shout their support for women — in their communities, in America and around the world. They brought signs, drums, water, food and demands. The third-annual Women’s March San Jose, organized by nonprofit Women’s March Bay Area, began...
Don Rocha outlines vision for Dave Cortese’s office
As he takes the reins of Supervisor Dave Cortese’s office, former San Jose Councilman Don Rocha says he’ll focus on bolstering Santa Clara County finances in the face of potential cuts in federal funding to a county that’s boldly led the resistance against Donald Trump. “No one knows what the White House or Congress is...
Pedestrian deaths spiked in San Jose last year
A New Year’s Day traffic collision that injured San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo marks an ongoing trend of pedestrian injuries and fatalities throughout San Jose — and has given a high-profile face to a public safety campaign that some say needed a publicity boost. Liccardo collided with a 2002 Toyota Highlander on Jan. 1 while...
Liccardo’s focus in 2019: Housing, housing, housing
Sam Liccardo easily won four more years as San Jose mayor in November, but the high-profile former attorney faces a Gordian Knot of intersecting issues entering his second term — especially the intractable housing crisis. Upon his swearing in four years ago, Liccardo contended with a bitter pension battle that ended in a mass exodus...