San Jose’s independent police auditor is planning to retire, city officials said. Shivaun Nurre, who has been in the auditor role since 2018, has worked in the auditor’s office since 2006. Word that she plans to retire comes about a week after she published her annual report on police oversight in the city. During a...
UPDATE: San Jose unveils $5 billion budget with surplus
San Jose’s final draft of its multi-billion dollar budget is out and Mayor Matt Mahan is sticking to his “back-to-basics” approach—prioritizing homelessness, crime and blight. Mahan released his June budget message today, outlining how he plans to allocate the city’s $5.2 billion purse. The monthslong budget process started smoothly, with unanimous approval of his first...
San Jose loses another beloved restaurant
The Evergreen community has lost a beloved restaurant after almost 20 years due to unplanned hardships caused by the pandemic and family health. In a letter taped to the restaurant’s door, Evergreen Inn & Pub owners Hector and Emily Lopez said they were closing their cherished restaurant with heavy hearts and thanked their loyal customers....
San Jose police say pointing a gun isn’t use of force
When a police officer points a gun at a person, it can be terrifying, induce trauma and anxiety and can quickly escalate a situation. Police watchdogs and community advocates say when a San Jose Police Department officer points a gun at someone, it should be recorded as use of force. But since summer of last year, SJPD’s internal affairs...
‘Homophobia is everywhere’: Rainbow flags stolen in San Jose
More than 75 rainbow flags have been stolen in Willow Glen as National Pride Month kicks off. It’s become a reoccurring issue. Local real estate agent Holly Barr buys and places the flags on Willow Glen’s main street, Lincoln Avenue, annually beginning in June. Every year she says they get stolen, but she’s not letting...
San Jose police complaints up three years in a row
In the years since George Floyd’s murder, San Jose has aimed to reform its police department, yet the number of complaints against officers has increased for the third year running, according to a new report. One out of every three of San Jose’s nearly 1,100 police officers received some type of complaint in 2022, a...
San Jose leader to spend night in homeless shelter
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...