San Jose

San Jose

Post
A man in a suit speaks into a microphone in front of a black backdrop

What San Jose mayor’s security is costing taxpayers

San Jose taxpayers have doled out at least $200,000 per year to keep Mayor Sam Liccardo safe, a practice that began after San Francisco Mayor George Moscone was killed at City Hall more than four decades ago. Liccardo, who terms out this year, is part of a long line of San Jose mayors with a security detail....

Post
San Jose mayoral race breaks campaign cash records

San Jose mayoral race breaks campaign cash records

The amount of funds flooding into San Jose’s mayoral race is breaking the record books—with almost $2.4 million spent in special interest money to date. With a little over a month before San Jose elects its next mayor, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez and San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan are locked in a hotly contested—and...

Post
San Jose mayoral candidate admits employee classification error

San Jose mayoral candidate admits employee classification error

San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan’s mayoral campaign is correcting the misclassifying of some of its employees, weeks after facing a complaint filed with the state labor commissioner. The changes follow San José Spotlight’s reporting on how Mahan’s campaign listed at least 18 workers as consultants in campaign finance disclosure forms. More than half are high schoolers, in...

Post
San Jose sign thieves caught in the act

San Jose sign thieves caught in the act

Election signs are disappearing across San Jose, and local candidates are asking would-be thieves to keep off the grass. It’s part of an ongoing trend that candidates say disrupts the democratic process. San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan, who is running for mayor, said hundreds of campaign signs have disappeared in the span of a few weeks...

UPDATE: Hundreds of affordable homes planned in San Jose

Following through on a policy priority five years in the making, San Jose is partnering with developers to build affordable housing on several city-owned plots of land, including the first housing project stemming from Google’s major downtown development. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously to approve exclusive negotiating agreements with four different developers Tuesday,...

Post
How one new San Jose official is preparing to take office

How one new San Jose official is preparing to take office

While several San Jose City Council candidates are in the final stretch of campaigning, Rosemary Kamei is already setting up her office. District 1 Councilmember-elect Kamei, a Santa Clara County Board of Education trustee, won the seat outright in the June primary election. She spent the summer with her sisters and 90-year-old mother, but now she’s rolling up her sleeves...

Post
People speaking in a government meeting

What’s next for outgoing San Jose mayor, councilmembers?

After eight years on the 18th floor of City Hall, four San Jose elected officials are on their way out. Some are planning their next political moves, while others prepare to go back to their old non-political jobs. San Jose is weeks away from electing a new mayor and at least two new councilmembers during the November election. District...

Post
A row of makeshift tombstones at a memorial for homeless people who died on the streets

Fourteen people died on San Jose streets — in one month

Santa Clara County might see another record breaking year in homeless deaths, with 14 people dying on the streets in September alone. As of Friday, 167 unhoused people have died in Santa Clara County this year—roughly 73% of them died in San Jose, according to county’s data. The number is following an alarming trend the region...

Post
San Jose invests big in public art

San Jose invests big in public art

San Jose artists have the opportunity to receive thousands of dollars to bring their creative visions to fruition. It’s the latest effort from City Hall to bring vibrant public art into the community. The Creative Ambassadors program gives four San Jose-based artists $9,500 each to create a community art project that invites participation from residents...