The San Jose Police Department must annually account for all the military-grade equipment in its arsenal, and advocates are asking for more information on how and why this equipment is used. Although the city council unanimously approved the department’s annual report summarized by San Jose Police Lt. Justin Moro at last week’s meeting, residents questioned...
Why bother buying a home in San Jose?
A recent national report is putting San Jose on the map for all the wrong reasons. The city is the toughest place to buy a home with the worst price-to-rent ratio, according to an analysis by real estate data company Clever. The company ranked 50 of the most populous U.S. metros with the goal of...
‘Beyond exhausting’: Tired San Jose teachers push for a different model
Teachers and parents of John Muir Middle School want their school to provide wrap-around services for students in the hopes of addressing rising discipline issues, teacher burnout and lack of communication with parents. San Jose Unified School District educators and parents are pushing for the campus to convert to a community school model, which builds...
San Jose mayor’s chief of staff triggers election law proposal
San Jose is looking to strengthen its election rules, with the push targeting the mayor’s right-hand man. The San Jose City Council is considering whether to prohibit elected officials and their staff from working on independent expenditure committees that raise money for local races. This move comes after residents and city leaders questioned the extracurricular political activities of...
San Jose community college delays ethnic studies hire after protests
Nearly 600 community members signed an online petition within days of its launching to oppose the hiring of a non-Native instructor for Evergreen Valley College’s first full-time Native American studies teaching position. Indigenous students, faculty and residents with feathers and ceremonial drums protested at the San Jose-Evergreen Community College District meeting on Tuesday, with signs reading...
UPDATE: Hundreds of homes planned for San Jose’s Berryessa neighborhood
Efforts to transform a portion of San Jose’s Berryessa neighborhood into a walkable “urban village” are taking another step forward following preliminary approval for a major housing and commercial development. The San Jose Planning Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved rezoning a 13-acre light industrial and agricultural lot in support of a developer’s plans to eventually...
UPDATE: San Jose college students protest mayor’s homeless plans
Holding signs reading “Stop Sweeping Us Under the Rug” and “Keep People Housed,” two San Jose State University student groups protested at City Hall today against how the city is handling homelessness. Students for Fair Housing and Students Against Sweeps are demanding a more humanitarian approach to Mayor Matt Mahan’s homeless policies. They are asking...
Data centers destined for North San Jose
The San Jose City Council unanimously approved plans this week for an advanced manufacturing facility and data centers, adding to the growing hub of tech facilities and workplaces in North San Jose. Denver-based STACK Infrastructure is planning to demolish two existing industrial buildings on a nearly 10-acre lot, including a former Olympus service center, and...
San Jose calls for more police amid staffing shortages
San Jose is planning on funding 31 new positions in the police department despite struggling to fill more than 100 existing vacancies. The city manager proposed last week spending $2.9 million in the next fiscal year to create 31 new staff positions within San Jose Police Department, ranging from regular beat cops and community service...
San Jose recycling drivers allege union busting
The construction drivers who do the cleanup on some of San Jose’s major development projects say they aren’t asking for much—they just want safe working conditions and their full wages paid. Drivers at Premier Recycling Company said their demands are not being met and that contract negotiations have stalled since September. Ramon Castillo, a union...