Longtime government leader and media specialist Lenka Wright is running to represent South San Jose. Wright, a former broadcast journalist turned communications director for Mountain View, is eyeing the District 10 San Jose City Council seat to represent the Almaden and Santa Teresa area. She is the first to announce her candidacy for the 2024 election, although incumbent...
The Biz Beat: Grandmother’s finest Italian dishes in San Jose
There is something remarkable about Italian food. Even in as elegant a setting as Vito’s Trattoria in San Jose, there is an honest heartiness to the cuisine that gives it comfort food status. With recipes handed down from owner George Nobile’s Sicilian grandmother and personalized touches like engraved name plaques displayed at the tables of...
San Jose mayor accused of toxic work environment
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is facing claims of a toxic work environment from ex-employees who say the office is rife with condescension, broken promises and overwork—leading to staff turnover. Since taking office in January, six people have left the mayor’s team of about 25 people, compared to other freshman policymakers who have seen a...
Why don’t all San Jose elected officials pay their interns?
Student interns eagerly enter San Jose City Hall year-round with dreams of launching their political careers, but only some leave with a paycheck. On the 18th floor of city hall, there are currently 66 student interns who work for councilmembers or the mayor—and about 60% are paid for their time. Just seven interns receive hourly pay...
San Jose community college district selects new interim chancellor
The San Jose-Evergreen Community College District has selected a new interim chancellor with decades of experience in the education field who starts this month. The board of trustees unanimously appointed Beatriz Chaidez to the position, where she will succeed former interim chancellor and San José Spotlight columnist, Raúl Rodríguez. Chaidez has nearly 25 years of...
San Jose opens safe parking site for homeless RV dwellers
After months of delay, a safe parking site for homeless residents has opened at the Santa Teresa VTA light rail station in San Jose. The parking lot opened Monday and provides 42 spaces for homeless people living in their vehicles, a slight decrease from the originally planned 45 spaces to allow for commuter cars. Four...
San Jose homeless hotel tenants protest deplorable conditions
Christina Correa was homeless for 11 years before finding temporary housing. She moved into SureStay Hotel in North San Jose one year ago, an environment she said is cockroach infested, peppered with mold and has faucets that spew dirty tap water. She never imagined getting off the streets would put her health at risk. The...
Silicon Valley voters asked to erase obsolete same-sex marriage law
Voters in San Jose and the rest of the state have a chance to erase a law still on the books that bans same-sex marriage in California. The California Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment last week to repeal Prop. 8, a 2008 measure that established a ban on same-sex marriage. The ban became moot...
San Jose political show says goodbye to longtime host
A local public access television show is changing the channel as a longtime political host steps away. Terry Christensen, host and executive producer of Valley Politics, retired in May after eight years leading the show on CreaTV San Jose. He’s been an expert on local politics and public policy for decades. He’s a political science...
‘We will be victorious’: Groups look to appeal San Jose gun law
In the wake of the dismissal of legal challenges against San Jose’s new laws for gun owners, pro-gun groups are doubling down on their commitment to roll back these historic efforts—in the name of their Second Amendment rights. U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman dismissed claims against the city brought by two national gun rights...