San Jose City Councilmembers on Tuesday narrowly voted to approve Mayor Sam Liccardo’s June budget message, despite criticism that it didn’t go far enough to address racial and economic inequities in the city. The split vote marked the first time in recent history that nearly half the City Council voted against a mayor’s fiscal budget, which is historically...
Santa Clara mulls zoning overhaul that may draw live music
Santa Clara’s nightlife has been stunted because of red tape, costly regulations and outdated policies, some leaders say, but now they’re trying to change that. Mike Seitz would love to have live music at the planned Barebottle Brewery in Santa Clara, just like at the company’s San Francisco taproom, but he and his business partners...
San Jose lawmakers call on mayor to address inequity
Five progressive San Jose lawmakers on Monday criticized Mayor Sam Liccardo for not going far enough in his proposed budget to address inequities that plague Silicon Valley’s poorest neighborhoods. “San Jose’s working families face issues of poverty, blight, crime and neglect that sometimes go back generations,'” said Councilmember Sylvia Arenas during a news conference at...
San Jose lawmakers expected to approve city budget
After months of preparation, the San Jose City Council on Tuesday is expected to approve the proposed $4.3 billion budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Since March, Mayor Sam Liccardo has released two budget messages that help shape how the city spends public dollars. The mayor’s first message focused on limiting spending to brace for a...
Alviso: Ro Khanna talks Trump impeachment, Iran conflict
Dozens arrived early and waited patiently to shake his hand. The room was thick with excitement, as the crowd gathered in a small, packed auditorium Friday night at a town hall in Alviso to hear Rep. Ro Khanna, the second-term Democrat from Silicon Valley, give his monthly address to voters. The congressman was met with...
San Jose lawmakers fundraised nearly $3.7M last year. Here’s where it went.
Contact Grace Hase at [email protected] or follow @grace_hase on Twitter.
San Jose: Lawmaker calls for public discussion about displacement
San Jose officials spent nearly a year studying displacement with a national research institute and now one lawmaker is ready to make the findings public. East San Jose Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco on Wednesday asked her colleagues to schedule a study session in late August on the topic. The city is expected to unveil a citywide...
San Jose committee pushes to designate murals as historic landmarks
Decades old art can be painted over in a matter of hours. This is what an emergency committee, assembled after the covering of the historic “Mural de la Raza” in East San Jose last year, is trying to avoid. Neighbors were outraged after the beloved mural on Story Road, which was more than three decades old,...
San Jose: Audit highlights need for gang task force improvements
A recent city audit suggests that San Jose Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force — a city-wide coalition aimed at addressing gangs and gang-related crime — is failing to meet expectations and could use some improvements. Formed in 1991, the task force is run by the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services and works with...
San Jose: Law enforcement leaders denounce ICE policy
Law enforcement officials condemned the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in a news conference Wednesday, following a vote Tuesday to not allow local authorities to notify ICE when detainees are released. The unanimous decision sparked outrage amongst police officers, who have been advocating for a change in policy for years. “We cannot protect our...