Despite years of effort to rein in spending on police overtime and reduce 9-1-1 call response times, San Jose continues to struggle on both fronts, according to a new report from the City Auditor’s Office. The report, which went before the City Council Tuesday, shows San Jose spent $72 million on police overtime between June...
San Jose’s faulty formula zeroed out worker pay increases
An obscure wage formula used by San Jose is getting an update — bringing a pay bump to some of the city’s lowest paid workers following a year when their wages didn’t rise at all. The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved changes to its “living wage” policy, a measure covering workers employed by companies...
Residents push back against San Jose’s data center plans
San Jose’s plan to support the rapid development of new data centers in coming years is running into increasingly vocal pushback. What might have been a routine policy review session during Tuesday’s City Council meeting instead became a venue for a procession of angry residents to vent their concerns about the city’s efforts to attract...
Fed grant to cut San Jose’s homeless housing costs
San Jose is looking to offset a sizable portion of its homeless shelter expenses through Medi-Cal reimbursements, but homeless service providers aren’t making full use of the opportunity. That’s about to change with help from a federal grant. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to accept and match $1.3 million from the federal Providing...
San Jose homeless residents fall through the housing cracks
As San Jose sweeps its last large homeless encampment known as “the Jungle,” some residents say the city has reneged on its promises of housing. City officials claimed they had shelter beds for all 109 residents who originally lived at the East San Jose homeless camp across from Happy Hollow Park and Zoo. Camp residents...
Lawsuit challenges San Jose’s public records practices
San Jose’s handling of public records requests has landed the city in legal hot water numerous times over the past two decades. Now a local law firm is waging yet another court fight in an attempt to settle the matter once and for all. The firm, McManis Faulkner, filed a lawsuit April 13 in Santa...
San Jose shelter is a stop on the way to permanent housing
A homeless shelter in San Jose is set to serve as the launching point for residents to transition to permanent housing. The Arena Hotel, which the city converted into a shelter in 2023, will serve as a temporary location for people receiving federal housing vouchers. Starting May 1, the hotel will be one of three...
San Jose starts clearing homeless camp known as ‘the Jungle’
San Jose has begun dismantling its last large homeless encampment after weeks of outreach and offers of housing. Workers on Wednesday tore down tents and makeshift homes along Coyote Creek across from Happy Hollow Park & Zoo — an area known as “the Jungle.” As the city started clearing the encampment, which had become home to...
Another lawsuit targets San Jose’s license plate cameras
A group of San Jose residents has filed a federal class action lawsuit against San Jose to challenge the city’s automated license plate reader program. The trio of residents — Tony Tan, Scott West and Colin Wolfson — is targeting a program first launched in 2022 that has grown to encompass a network of 474...
San Jose animal shelter moves back to Parks Department
San Jose is changing up which department oversees its animal shelter months after advocates threatened legal action over alleged neglect. The San Jose Animal Care Center will move from the Public Works Department to operate under Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Aug. 1. City officials said this will improve coordination and build on recent progress,...