Months before a city commission voted to raise San Jose lawmakers’ salaries by tens of thousands of dollars, Councilmember Sergio Jimenez struggled to make ends meet in Silicon Valley despite serving on the council of America’s 10th largest city. He started looking for a second gig to help supplement his family’s income. Now, Jimenez works as...
San Jose lawmaker questions whether measures led to rise in rapes
San Jose lawmakers during a recent meeting peppered police with questions about the sharp rise in rapes citywide, but Councilmember Johnny Khamis had a request — study how a pair of controversial state measures might have contributed to the increase. Proposition 47, approved in 2014, redefined several nonviolent crimes as misdemeanors, and Proposition 57, approved...
Want to remove a tree in San Jose? It’ll cost you thousands.
San Jose takes pride in its trees. So much so that if a resident wants to cut down a healthy large treeton their property it could cost them more than $2,000 to do so. Compared to other large cities in California, that cost is high. San Francisco charges its residents roughly a third of that...
Evan Low talks cannabis, holding tech accountable and higher office
A rising star in California politics and a leading voice for the millennial generation, Assemblymember Evan Low has made a name for himself advocating on behalf of passing cannabis legislation and expanding the tech world’s influence to improve Silicon Valley. The 36-year-old lawmaker from California’s 28th district is currently serving his third term, but has...
San Jose police chief pushes for more trust with minorities
Nearly 100 student athletes crowded a small auditorium early Wednesday morning, half-asleep and slouched in their seats, as their coach barked at them to pay attention. A string of police officers — both in and out of uniform — stood watching in the back of the room. “Lots of times I think about the police...
Santa Clara Council approves budget, big land sale and new condos
Santa Clara’s City Council this week made several noteworthy decisions during its twice-monthly council meeting, including approving a new biennial budget and offering a stamp of approval on a land sale and the next phase of a condo development. Read on for a rundown of the most newsworthy items discussed this week during the city’s...
Santa Clara seeks applicants to help draw future election districts
Santa Clara’s March 2020 ballot will include a question to determine how future City Council members are elected, but first the city is building a committee to help create that pivotal question — and they need volunteers by June 28. The timeline to apply for the committee, known as the Charter Review Committee, has been...
San Jose: Mayor and police chief in crosshairs of immigration debate
Despite Mayor Sam Liccardo denouncing President Donald Trump’s threat of ICE raids in sanctuary cities, local activists say San Jose lawmakers and police must do more to build trust with the undocumented community. Immigrant rights advocates say Liccardo and San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia’s comments on Santa Clara County’s proposal to amend its ICE detainer policy stirred...
San Jose approves prevailing wages for private construction projects
While the unlicensed Silvery Towers subcontractor Job Torres Hernandez received his sentence in federal court for harboring undocumented workers in slave-like conditions, San Jose lawmakers on Tuesday passed a law to prevent construction companies from exploiting low-wage workers on private construction projects that receive tax breaks. Spurring from negotiations with labor unions more than a...
Santa Clara Police Chief Mike Sellers will retire before term ends
Santa Clara Police Chief Mike Sellers will retire on Sept. 1, more than a year before his term ends in December 2020, Sellers told San José Spotlight on Tuesday. Sellers has been Santa Clara’s elected police chief for the past seven years, but he’s worked full-time for the city’s police department for more than three...