Animal welfare advocates are threatening legal action against San Jose, alleging officials have failed to correct longstanding problems at the city’s animal shelter despite a scathing 2024 audit and years of public complaints. Attorneys representing Partners in Animal Care & Compassion, a nonprofit animal rescue organization, sent the city a formal demand letter Jan. 13...
West San Jose to get Costco after judge tosses lawsuit
A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge has tossed a lawsuit seeking to block plans to bring a new Costco to a West San Jose shopping center. The decision clears the way for the hotly contested development project to move forward. The suit, backed by a resident group known as West Valley Citizens for Responsible...
San Jose bans ICE from using its properties
San Jose will prohibit federal immigration activity at dozens of city properties and vacant lots. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to ban U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from using 11 city garages and parking lots, as well as the parking areas of 75 community centers and libraries as staging areas...
San Jose mayor names new chief of staff
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has tapped longtime city employee Sarah Zarate to become his new chief of staff. The role recently became vacant after Jim Reed, who held the post for more than a decade under two mayors, announced his departure to lead a statewide policy initiative on behalf of Mahan. Zarate, who has...
Santa Clara County immigration advocates speak against ICE violence
Santa Clara County immigration advocates are calling for more local protections amid the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis by a federal agent. Volunteers with the county Rapid Response Network on Thursday spoke about violence they have experienced locally with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The network documents ICE activity, puts...
Proposed San Jose police settlement prompts calls for reform
Local civil rights leaders are calling for a revived campaign of police reform in the South Bay. The appeal to local leaders comes in response to a pending settlement stemming from a 2022 police shooting in San Jose that left a Black college student with multiple injuries. The proposed $8 million settlement with San Jose...
San Jose cuts drug oversight program days after it restarts
San Jose officials have quietly killed a firefighter drug oversight program just days after reinstating it. This comes after a paramedic drug theft scandal exposed patients to tampered narcotics and sparked backlash against funding cuts that originally dissolved the initiative. The program known as Med 30 was deactivated on Dec. 21, the same month it...
San Jose Vietnam Town management shrugs at complaints
San Jose officials are cracking down on alleged mismanagement in Vietnam Town. But the plaza’s landlords aren’t budging. City code enforcers last month ordered the managers of Little Saigon’s iconic commercial center to address multiple building violations that vexed business owners. That included the removal of a haphazard dumpster barricade that kept cars from parking...
San Jose says RV parking site is unpermitted
A San Jose safe parking program on VTA property is in violation for operating without proper approvals. The city served VTA a notice after a Dec. 9 inspection found vehicles parked at the Santa Teresa station aren’t storing trash properly and that the site is operating without permits or approvals, among other violations. The site...
2026 marks another busy election year for San Jose
With five of San Jose’s 11 City Council seats up for grabs in 2026, the city is gearing up for another busy election year. As the looming contests begin to come into focus, San José Spotlight has asked several local political observers to discuss the races and election storylines they’ll be following most closely. They...