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A San Jose councilmember allegedly hit a homeless biker with his car and then gave them money at a busy intersection in downtown San Jose, according to three witnesses. Video obtained by San José Spotlight shows District 10 Councilmember Arjun Batra handing money to a man after Batra allegedly struck him with his 2022 Lexus....
San Jose police auditor had drunken argument with officers ahead of retirement
San Jose’s former police watchdog was allegedly set to be investigated for spouting off at a police officer while drunk at a public event, before she abruptly retired. Shivaun Nurre, who served as the independent police auditor from late 2018 until June this year, told San José Spotlight she “had some drinks” at the San...
Milpitas’ ride-share program is its best kept secret
Milpitas has an exclusive ride-share service much cheaper than Uber for locals to get around town—but not many people know about it. The Simple Mobile Access to Reliable Transit (SMART) program is a city ride-share service, with a fleet of six vehicles, that takes residents across the city at a maximum cost of $2.50 per...
East San Jose walking trail will be expanded
Twenty years after East San Jose residents began advocating for more open spaces in their community, city leaders have completed a key step in expanding the neighborhood’s celebrated Five Wounds Trail. The San Jose City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to acquire the final parcel of land needed to complete the trail from VTA at no...
San Jose school trustee censured for violating district rules
An outraged Franklin-McKinley School District board of trustees is asking one of its members to resign. Last night, district officials denounced the actions of board member Marc Cooper, saying he misrepresented its curriculum and violated bylaws, as well as the state education code. They voted 4-1 to censure him, with Cooper casting the lone no...
Santa Clara mayor accused of ties to ‘dark money’ group
A group of Santa Clara councilmembers have filed three ethics complaints against a political organization linked to Mayor Lisa Gillmor, including a state complaint naming her. Councilmembers Anthony Becker, Suds Jain and Kevin Park are raising concerns about Stand Up for Santa Clara, claiming the 501(c)3 nonprofit is violating the city’s “dark money” rules by...
Judge rejects San Jose’s push to overturn court ruling
After losing a public records lawsuit filed by this news organization, San Jose attempted to shift the outcome—and lost again. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Thomas Kuhnle denied a request from San Jose and former Mayor Sam Liccardo to further explain how Liccardo searched his personal email and text accounts for public records, a...
UPDATE: San Jose officials sign off on higher union pay
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan was the lone official to downvote a new contract for unionized city workers, after months of contentious discussions over how the city will afford pay raises for thousands of its employees. The San Jose City Council today ratified labor contracts after coming to a deal with two of the city’s...
San Jose seeks collaboration with Indigenous community
San Jose leaders want to dive deeper into the history of the local Indigenous community in an effort understand the past and recommit to more inclusion in the future. San Jose Councilmembers Peter Ortiz, Dev Davis, David Cohen, Domingo Candelas and Bien Doan are proposing a study session to learn more about the relation of...
Why is Santa Clara County still using tear gas in jails?
Santa Clara County is weighing whether to let correctional officers continue to use tear gas to remove those incarcerated from their jail cells, amid pushback on whether this is a humane approach. A new report by the county Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring acknowledged that incarcerated people involved in tear gas incidents should...