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The San Jose City Council will decide whether to oppose a state ballot initiative Tuesday, which officials say would hobble the city’s ability to provide basic services. The initiative, dubbed the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act, would make it more difficult for state and local governments to pass new taxes and fees. If passed, local governments...
San Jose officials call for street vendor protections
San Jose officials have a message for street vendors: report any attacks, because the city is listening. San Jose’s Latino councilmembers and a coalition of a dozen local advocates gathered Thursday to reassert their commitment to protect street vendors and highlighted services available to them following recent attacks on two vendors near downtown. “Street vendors...
Milpitas axes third city manager in six years
Frustrated Milpitas residents and councilmembers are calling for a reversal on the sudden decision to let go of City Manager Steve McHarris. McHarris is the third city manager to be let go in Milpitas since 2017, and is yet another loss in leadership that has shocked residents and left them wondering when the tumultuous string...
Coalition calls on San Jose to build park along Coyote Creek
A 50-acre piece of land along Coyote Creek sits deserted and is frequently home to encampments and blight, yet the city still hesitates to support a coalition’s pursuit to turn it into a park for community benefit. Coyote Meadows Coalition, a group comprised of more than a dozen local groups and hundreds of volunteers, has spent the...
Former San Jose official reflects on the childhood that changed him
Chappie Jones, former vice mayor of San Jose, grew up on a redlined street in Sacramento, a street informally designated for Black residents, while the remaining streets in the area were not. Today the homes on his childhood street are valued lower than homes on other streets nearby. This basic inequality, rooted in racism, gave Jones profound...
The forgotten San Jose library in Alviso
San Jose has worked hard to renovate and reopen its libraries, but the Alviso Branch Library has been historically left behind. North San Jose’s only library serves the biggest population, but has seen the smallest amount of infrastructure funding. When San Jose dispersed library bond funds in 2000 to rebuild or modernize the majority of its 23 public branches,...
Future of San Jose theater unclear amid annexation
San Jose is setting the stage to annex the Burbank Theater, but plans for the space are unclear. Last week, the San Jose City Council unanimously voted to move forward with annexing nearly an acre of land that’s home to the 74-year-old theater at the intersection of South Bascom and Parkmoor avenues. The plans listed...
Silicon Valley youth champion retires after 40 years
A Santa Clara County leader is leaving her role after 40 years of fighting for homeless youth. Sparky Harlan, CEO of the Bill Wilson Center, is retiring after joining the housing nonprofit in 1983. The center opened in 1973. Her legacy involves a yearslong commitment to supporting unhoused youth and the tenacity to back it up,...
Santa Clara County hospital workers struggle with shortage
Santa Clara County health care workers are demanding leaders address ongoing worker shortages they said are leading to unsafe working conditions. Dozens of nurses, physicians, medical assistants and hospital janitorial staff took to the streets in front of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC) in San Jose Wednesday to protest what they said is a longstanding...
Ex-San Jose mayor tells congressmember he’s likely running
One San Jose congresswoman may be fending off a challenge from former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo in the next election. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, up for reelection in 2024, said she received a call from Liccardo last week, letting her know he is considering running for her or Congresswoman Anna Eshoo’s seat. Lofgren represents the downtown and...