San Jose officials are being challenged by a formerly homeless resident to stay in a shelter before voting to open more—and one is up for the offer. Sketch Oppie, who sits on the San Jose’s Housing and Community Development Commission, recently asked the city council to experience what a homeless shelter is like before diverting funds...
DoorDash ghost kitchen turns San Jose into testing ground
An opportunity to try new restaurant menus beyond a brick and mortar location is a hot concept in Silicon Valley. DoorDash plans to operate a ghost kitchen at The Plant Shopping Center off Curtner Avenue in San Jose. This pickup- and delivery-only service model lets fledgling and out-of-area restaurants test new markets while avoiding the...
San Jose limiting public’s access to city records
San Jose is abandoning its commitment to transparency by adopting controversial protocols to limit public access to city records while also cutting out the only independent party that reviewed appeals to denied requests. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously last week without discussion to advance a proposal from former Mayor Sam Liccardo to “reduce the fiscal...
San Jose officials address ‘racist’ Cinco de Mayo policing
San Jose officials are looking to make amends following what state officials have called a racist handling of the city’s annual Cinco de Mayo festivities. But some residents say it’s not that simple. San Jose councilmembers unanimously passed a memo in the Rules and Open Government Committee on May 24, asking the San Jose Police Department...
San Jose OKs six-story apartment complex in Five Wounds
Nearly 200 apartments are coming to San Jose’s Five Wounds neighborhood near a future planned expansion of a walking trail. A two-story commercial building at 70-80 N. 27th St. will be razed, and in its place a six-story, 198-apartment complex with a parking garage will be built, after getting the green light at a city...
San Jose police fail to fill vacant racial equity role
The San Jose Police Department has not hired a senior analyst to advance its racial equity goals, despite holding the position open for nearly five months. The role was created last year to help the police force advance its relationships with communities of color by analyzing use of force and traffic stop data, getting more...
San Jose flea market changes prove costly for vendors
San Jose Berryessa Flea Market vendors will have to pay more rent for their stalls as part of ongoing changes in the massive redevelopment of the property. The property owners are asking for an additional 5.5% per location. Vendors learned about the rate hike days after the first meeting of the Berryessa Flea Market Advisory...
How do San Jose parks fare against other U.S. cities?
A recent ranking of U.S. city parks places San Jose in the top half, and locals are torn on touting the city’s open spaces as needing a higher ranking—or more improvement. A new study by Trust for Public Land, a park and land conservation nonprofit, has San Jose’s park system in 32nd place, trailing behind...
UPDATE: San Jose sees small drop in homelessness
Santa Clara County’s homeless population is slightly lower than last year, with the biggest drop happening in San Jose. Preliminary data from the county’s point in time count found that homelessness has decreased by 4.7% over the last year in San Jose, bringing the number to approximately 6,340 homeless residents, down by about 300 people. City...
San Jose pot shops may move into more locations
San Jose wants more cannabis dispensaries, so it’s looking to relax rules on where and how they can open in the city. Right now, existing dispensaries have the green light from the city to grow—but there are no eligible locations to do so. A new policy is making its way to the San Jose City Council that may allow them...