San Jose officials are celebrating the rollback of a long-standing environmental law, which has been a hurdle for housing production. Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 30 signed two bills, Senate Bill 131 and Assembly Bill 130, which bring significant reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) — allowing many developments to circumvent an environmental...
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San Jose park loitering injunction could spread to other areas
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and the police chief are touting a new court-ordered injunction that bars suspected drug dealers from downtown St. James Park as he eyes the strategy for other public spaces. The city’s lawsuit sought the injunction against 10 people, and Superior Court Judge Roberta Hayashi only granted it for seven in...
San Jose to add more multifamily affordable housing
The construction of nearly 200 affordable apartments will break ground next month in South San Jose. San Jose City Council unanimously approved a $73.7 million multifamily housing revenue bond on June 10 to close the remaining gap needed to finance the $160-million affordable housing development with developer Affirmed Housing. The 191-apartment complex will be 100% affordable...
Hundreds of affordable homes proposed for North San Jose
A proposal for 780 affordable homes next to Topgolf in North San Jose could be the city’s largest rent-restricted housing complex. The San Jose Planning Commission held a public hearing Wednesday for Alviso neighborhood residents living near a proposed 100% affordable housing project by developer Cloud Apartments at 7 Topgolf Drive. Housing advocates with organizations...
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San Jose advocates rally against Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will create staggering losses for America’s most vulnerable families, advocates say. About two dozen protesters from the Solidarity and Unity Network (SUN) rallied in front of Robert F. Peckham Federal Building in San Jose on Thursday to speak out against the bill, which has passed the House and is...
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San Jose tightens mobile home park rent control policy
San Jose is updating language in its rent control policy due to mobile home park landlords illegally raising prices on tenants living in RVs. The city’s decades-old mobile home rent policy states property owners cannot raise rents more than 7% without city approval — but Western Trailer Park disregarded it on the grounds that recreational...
San Jose loans $72M for affordable housing project
San Jose officials are loaning a multifamily housing developer tens of millions of dollars in an effort to create more affordable housing. The City Council voted unanimously June 17 to approve loans totaling $72.5 million to nonprofit Community Development Partners to build an affordable housing 160-apartment complex at 525 N. Capitol Ave., of which a...
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San Jose homeless advocates create support network
As San Jose turns up the heat on abolishing homeless encampments, advocates have organized to prevent unhoused residents from losing what little they have. The Rapid Engagement Support Team (REST) works to assist homeless residents caught up in sweeps. REST aids with recovering a person’s property after a sweep, providing information on how to get...
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San Jose officials acknowledge racist texts amid public support
Two San Jose councilmembers appear to have acknowledged their involvement in an inflammatory group text that allegedly used racial slurs — while their supporters say law enforcement is using the texts to turn residents of color against progressive leaders. At a brief Tuesday news conference outside City Hall, a coalition of activists — led by...
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San Jose homeowners on the hook for fixing sidewalks
San Jose finance officials have hit more than 100 property owners with debt claims for failing to pay thousands of dollars for sidewalk repairs outside their homes. The City Council earlier this month approved potential penalties for 111 properties that owe a total $307,000 in mandatory sidewalk repairs as of May 8 — the number...