San Jose Assemblymember Kansen Chu kicked off 2020 with a topic that counts: the census. A few dozen community members gathered Saturday afternoon for a town hall at Berryessa’s Summerdale Elementary School to hear details about the upcoming 2020 Census, which is set to begin in March, from census officials. The informational event included PowerPoint presentations...
San Jose: More than 100 supporters rally for housing tax measure
A crowd of 175 people filled a block outside Second Street Studios in downtown San Jose on Saturday to rally for a ballot measure expected to bring $70 million each year for affordable housing if it passes in the March election. “We are going to bring San Jose in,” said Mayor Sam Liccardo at the...
San Jose City Council to approve plan for major airport growth
In an effort to meet the growing needs of Silicon Valley travelers, San Jose lawmakers on Tuesday will vote on adopting an ambitious plan for the Mineta San Jose International Airport, as aviation leaders prepare for an increase in new travelers over the next decade. Forecasting a surge of new growth in air travel, airport...
San Jose: Proposed Buddhist temple in Evergreen neighborhood met with backlash
A proposed Buddhist temple in San Jose’s Evergreen neighborhood sparked a contentious, nearly two-hour meeting at the Village Square Branch Library Thursday night. Around 150 residents gathered at a monthly District 8 Community Roundtable meeting to hear presentations and ask questions about the Wat Khmer Kampuchea Krom temple, planned to be developed on 1.86 acres...
Sand Hill invokes controversial state law to build 91 townhomes in Saratoga
Sand Hill Property Co. is planning a new 91-townhome development in Saratoga, but the project comes with a twist: the prominent developer is using a controversial state law to streamline city approvals. Since Senate Bill 35 took effect in 2018, the law, which speeds up the development of certain housing projects, has been used only...
Mother of slain San Jose police officer joins fight for Laura’s Law
It’s been nearly five years since Katherine Decker’s son was shot to death by a suicidal man during a routine police call in East San Jose. Now, Decker is joining a political fight with Silicon Valley lawmakers and advocates to push for a controversial law that allows authorities to order psychiatric treatment for people with...
San Jose lawmakers support exempting nonprofits from Measure E
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, who has been leading the effort on Measure E, a real property transfer tax on properties valued at $2 million or more, wants to ensure the measure doesn’t impact nonprofits. San Jose lawmakers during a council committee meeting Wednesday unanimously approved the mayor’s proposal, which calls for exempting 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations from the...
San Jose measure to shift mayoral elections won’t extend Liccardo’s term
A labor-backed initiative, which seeks to shift San Jose’s mayoral elections to presidential years to boost voter turnout, will no longer extend Mayor Sam Liccardo’s term for an extra two years to align local and national elections. Instead, South Bay labor groups who are leading the initiative they hope will attract a higher concentration of voters —...
UPDATE: San Jose approves amnesty program for illegal granny units
San Jose leaders kicked off the new year Tuesday by unanimously approving an accessory dwelling unit amnesty program for residents who need to get a permit for their backyard cottages and get them up to code. The program is one of the final steps in the city’s plan to make accessory dwelling units easier to...
Jim Beall reintroduces affordable housing bill vetoed by Newsom
California’s housing crisis dominated headlines in 2019, but one San Jose legislator’s effort to alleviate its impact left Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk without a signature. Last year’s Senate Bill 5, authored by state Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, aimed to support Newsom’s goal of building 3.5 million housing units by 2025 by establishing an Affordable...