San Jose’s three competitive City Council races have seen a surge in campaign donations since the June primary election, as six candidates battle it out ahead of November, according to the latest round of campaign filings. The roughly $240,000 in direct contributions raised between July 1 and Sept. 19 — which represents nearly a third of...
Judge hands San Jose win in license plate reader case
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging San Jose’s network of license plate reader cameras, dealing a legal setback to opponents of a technology used to fight crime that has divided the city’s residents over fears of dragnet surveillance. In a ruling delivered Friday, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey El-Hajj rejected arguments that...
San Jose tells food pantry it must shut down
A popular San Jose neighborhood food pantry is at risk of closing again after being hit with more zoning violations. Lighthouse Food Rescue & Distribution was cited by San Jose on Sept. 25 for hosting its food distribution on the sidewalk and for not following zoning rules, as a food distribution center is no longer...
San Jose school trustee admonished for discriminatory remarks
A San Jose school board has publicly admonished a trustee in response to his conduct, and signed a resolution supporting diversity. Franklin-McKinley School District trustees on Sept. 22 voted 4-1 to rebuke Trustee Marc Cooper for discrimination against Muslims and incorrectly stating the U.S. Supreme Court ruled America is a Christian nation. As part of...
Data center developers share plans at San Jose town hall
While San Jose is developing uniform data center standards to mitigate environmental impacts and support economic growth, two developers with projects in the pipeline said they will adhere to the guidelines once set. At a Tuesday community town hall organized by the District 2 Neighborhood Leadership Council, representatives from major data center developers Prologis and...
San Jose residents want city to stop using Flock cameras after misuse
Residents are calling for San Jose’s police chief to step down, after revelations that a police officer used license plate tracking technology to help his cousin stalk a woman she alleges abused her. In addition, a coalition of groups — including Safety over Surveillance, Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN), Working Partnerships USA, Electronic...
Pending San Jose airport road closure poses risk to cyclists
San Jose residents and bicycle advocates are fighting to stop a looming obstacle in their path. Recreational cyclists and bike commuters traveling from San Jose to Santa Clara and Sunnyvale on Ewert Road have been horrified to learn of a planned Oct. 1 closure. The road, which borders the airport, is an essential conduit to...
San Jose again tries to tighten controls on license plate readers
Facing public outcry over alleged misuse of San Jose’s automated license plate reader data, a group of elected leaders has unveiled new safeguards for the controversial technology. The safeguards, announced Wednesday, aim to make it harder for city employees to use personal devices to access sensitive law enforcement data, including that gathered by license plate...
San Jose official says campaign mailer misrepresents his past
A campaign mailer resurfacing decades-old misdemeanor convictions has sparked a war of words in the race for the District 7 San Jose City Council seat. A flyer circulated by the challenger in the race, East Side Union High School District trustee Van Le, accuses incumbent Councilmember Bien Doan of concealing his criminal record from voters,...
San Jose residents make art for upcoming theater show
For Sandy Del Rio, making an alebrije has felt a little like returning to her family’s kitchen table. Del Rio, who was born and raised in San Jose, is one of about 20 residents who participated in a free four-part workshop by Teatro Vision, where participants learned about alebrijes and created their own papier-mâché creatures....