San Jose has doubled the number of homeless shelters it operates over the past year and a half — and with that comes staggering operational costs that will require creative cuts. The city is projecting its shelters will rack up $94 million in maintenance and operating costs in the upcoming fiscal year. This eye-popping figure...
San Jose wants to spin off AI policy initiative
For many public officials, artificial intelligence holds the promise to massively boost government operations. But the emerging technology also faces serious questions about how it can be used without compromising data security and user privacy or displacing workers. For the past two years, San Jose has been helping government agencies across the globe navigate this...
San Jose filmmakers create space to support women
In a male-dominated broadcast industry, two people are working to shift the power dynamic by establishing a production and event space for women. Farran Tabrizi Chevallier and Tricia Creason-Valencia are the co-founders of PowerHouse, a vibrant Victorian home in downtown San Jose that serves as a podcasting, co-working and community event space. The two have...
San Jose workers want safeguards from AI
San Jose has been an early adopter of generative artificial intelligence tools. Now the city’s largest public sector union is demanding it also move quickly to embrace safeguards for workers. Amid ongoing contract renewal negotiations with the city, AFSCME Local 101 has introduced a package of proposals intended to give workers a greater say in...
Controversial San Jose shelter to become permanent housing
A large South San Jose homeless shelter will be converted to permanent supportive housing following complaints from neighbors over crime and safety. The City Council on March 17 approved converting 1 Branham Lane — a 168-apartment, three story complex plagued with structural and managerial issues — from temporary shelter into permanent housing. The modular housing site...
San Jose’s largest school district closes five schools
Hundreds of parents sat anxiously and silently as they waited for five board members in San Jose’s largest school district to determine the fate of their children’s future — and then the room erupted with “shame on you.” The San Jose Unified School District voted 3-2 Thursday to close five schools next school year, following...
San Jose deadlocked on divesting from companies with ICE ties
Despite growing calls for San Jose to divest public funds from certain companies, the City Council has decided to hold off — for now — on making any major changes to the city’s investment portfolio. The decision Tuesday came as a setback to supporters of a proposal that would have seen the city gradually phase...
UPDATE: San Jose prepares to strip public tributes to Cesar Chavez
San Jose leaders are advancing plans to start scrubbing late labor leader Cesar Chavez’s name from the city following recent allegations of abuse. The San Jose Rules and Open Government Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved moving forward with the early stages of taking Chavez’s name off city-owned sites, such as Plaza de Cesar Chavez in...
San Jose airport unaffected by TSA lines or ICE
As travelers experience chaos, lines trailing around terminals and federal immigration agents in major airports across the country, San Jose Mineta International Airport remains calm and void of agents. Travelers breezed through security lines in San Jose Monday as President Donald Trump ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to more than a dozen major airports, including Houston’s...
Meet the candidates running for District 7 San Jose City Council
Election season is in full swing in San Jose District 7, where incumbent Councilmember Bien Doan is squaring off against three challengers, including two bitter rivals. The three challengers aiming to unseat Doan include City Hall staffer Hanh-Giao “HG” Nguyen, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union member Rafael Garcia and Van Le, an East Side Union...