Two days after federal prosecutors announced a bombshell drug charge against the San Jose police union’s office manager, she made her first appearance in court. Joanne Segovia, who the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged this week with attempting to illegally import a form of fentanyl, surrendered to authorities today at the federal courthouse on South First...
Lack of political will tanked ex-San Jose leader’s PG&E idea
Former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo once called for Pacific Gas & Electric—one of the largest public utilities in California—to be “customer-owned” through a nonprofit, cooperative firm. His idea was quashed when the company emerged from bankruptcy in 2020, but the concept might still be possible if the circumstances are right. PG&E began to spiral toward...
San Jose won’t meet homeless housing goal
One of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s main goals is to finish his predecessor’s promise and complete 1,000 interim homes for the unhoused by the end of this year—but city staff said that’s impossible. Interim homes are quick-build temporary shelters designed to be a fast and cheap solution to getting homeless residents off the streets and on the path to permanent...
San Jose police union office manager charged in fentanyl scheme
The longtime office manager of the San Jose police union is being charged with attempting to illegally import a form of the opioid fentanyl, in connection with an international scheme to bring synthetic drugs into the U.S. and distribute them, federal officials said. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Francisco announced late Wednesday it filed...
What’s next for blighted San Jose theater?
A dilapidated theater is ready to be annexed into San Jose. How it will be used is up in the air. The San Jose City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to annex nearly an acre of land that’s home to the 74-year-old Burbank Theater at the intersection of South Bascom and Parkmoor avenues. The annexation enables a developer to...
Experts criticize San Jose State’s ranking as ‘affordable’
San Jose State University placed in the nation’s top 10 most affordable colleges in a recent study, but the ranking is raising eyebrows among advocates wondering how that is possible. A Credit Summit study names SJSU as the eighth most affordable college out of 25 in major U.S. college cities. Advocates said while the university may be...
San Jose says yes to controversial Buddhist temple
Controversial plans for a Buddhist temple years in the making are moving forward in San Jose’s Evergreen neighborhood. Following a three-hour discussion Tuesday, the San Jose City Council unanimously approved the development of the nearly 14,000 square-foot Wat Khmer Kampuchea Krom Temple on a 1.86-acre corner lot at the intersection of Ruby and Norwood avenues....
Could new San Jose policy save affordable housing?
More than 100 residents stood in front of San Jose City Hall with empty moving boxes and suitcases in hand on Monday to represent the increasing displacement rates in the city, as housing and cost of living prices remain high. About 20 nonprofits, including SOMOS Mayfair and the South Bay Progressive Alliance, organized the rally...
San Jose lags on language translation services
San Jose provides translation services for public meetings for those who ask for it, but those who don’t may find themselves relegated to a separate room. That’s what happened at last week’s San Jose City Council meeting during a budget discussion. Lucila Ortiz, political director at the advocacy nonprofit Working Partnerships USA, criticized the city...
San Jose libraries boost security
San Jose’s libraries have boosted security in an effort to increase safety and reduce disruptive behavior that plagued the branches during the COVID-19 pandemic. The San Jose Public Library system now employs 12 security guards, a complete turnaround from the one guard during the pandemic. Prior to COVID, two full-time security guards and one part-time...