A plan to address safety for public transit workers that is drawing harsh union criticism faces more scrutiny next week as transit leaders continue efforts to get people back on the roads during COVID-19. James Lindsay, international vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, said five members have died across California in the past two...
San Jose activists turn to digital media to keep public engaged
After police violence in San Jose erupted during protests over Minneapolis cops killing George Floyd, hundreds of speakers poured into online government meetings to air their grievances. In the era of Zoom and COVID-19, Mary Jessie Celestin, a 21-year-old activist, is building a connective digital platform for budding activists she says is just as important...
Santa Clara City Council candidate runs into conflict with downtown redevelopment
Suds Jain’s Santa Clara home, nestled in the core of District 5, now presents an 80-foot detour in his campaign for a seat on the City Council. A resident of the Old Quad neighborhood near Santa Clara University since 1998, the Planning Commissioner’s home is just under 1,000 feet away from the edge of the...
How San Jose police union contracts shield officers accused of misconduct
As San Jose and cities around the country study how to reform police departments, the role union contracts play in obscuring information about officers under investigation is facing scrutiny. “I am concerned that over the years a number of issues have been put into (police union) contracts that limit the management decisions of the police...
Santa Clara County joins legal effort to oppose postal service changes
Following President Donald Trump’s denunciation of voting by mail, Santa Clara County led a nationwide coalition of 32 municipalities in joining a legal challenge opposing changes to the United States Postal Service. The coalition, which includes the nonprofit watchdog group Public Rights Project, filed two amicus briefs Sept. 4 in cases challenging changes that might...
San Jose mayor delivers harsh words but sees little action against PG&E
As thousands of people lost power in San Jose during a scorching August heat wave, Mayor Sam Liccardo condemned PG&E for having aging infrastructure and accused them of lying. “You are hearing messages from PG&E suggesting over the last several days we have been suffering from rolling blackouts prompted by decisions from the California Independent...
Census deadline looms as South Bay groups race to count residents
A federal judge in San Jose over the weekend halted the U.S. Census Bureau’s plans to wind down operations on Sept. 30, but local groups are still scrambling to get the word out about the federal survey and how it can benefit residents. “We’re really going where we know that folks need an extra push,...
New state bills aim to expand mental health coverage as cries for help rise in South Bay and beyond
Feeling depressed and suicidal, a girl called the crisis line of Uplift Family Services, a nonprofit with several Bay Area locations that helps children. The girl said she felt like killing herself and was admitted for an immediate psychiatric evaluation and care. In another case, the nonprofit received a call from a teacher who was...
Proposed Cambrian Park development is first test case for San Jose’s new affordable housing fee
The proposed Cambrian Park village, featuring a walkable Main Street connecting a central park to shops, restaurants and homes, could be one of the first developments to pay San Jose’s recently adopted commercial linkage fee designed to support future affordable housing projects. The project from Weingarten Realty plans to bring an additional 25 townhomes, 48...
San Jose won’t charge curfew violators
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...