A San Jose citizen commission, which represents a critical voice for neighborhoods, hasn’t convened for more than six months due to a lack of members. One city councilmember has an idea how to revive it. The San Jose Neighborhoods Commission has been in limbo because the 20-member body has only four sitting members. It lacks...
Should San Jose require nonprofits to register as lobbyists?
Like corporate lobbyists, nonprofit leaders meet regularly with San Jose officials to influence policy decisions. But nonprofits, which are often awarded millions in city contracts, don’t have to disclose their meetings like other lobbyists. San Jose prides itself on its “sunshine” laws, a series of policies adopted in 2008 that require lobbyists to register, pay a fee and...
San Jose hospital workers protest chronic short staffing
“It’s only right, it’s only fair, invest your profits in patient care!” Dozens of health care workers echoed the chant as they rallied outside of Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose on Wednesday. Patient care technicians, service workers, X-ray technicians and other hospital support staff said the company overseeing Good Samaritan, HCA Healthcare, is chronically...
San Jose mayor’s budget targets homelessness, public safety
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s top issues—homelessness, public safety, growth and blight—haven’t changed since he took office, but tackling them is going to require an aggressive approach. Mahan released his budget proposal this week, which outlines how he plans to allocate millions of dollars to address the city’s top problems. The proposal, which the San...
San Jose residents say Buddhist temple will bring traffic, noise
San Jose residents are speaking out against plans for a Buddhist temple in the Evergreen area over concerns it will cause the neighborhood to be overrun with traffic and noise. The 13,900-square-foot Wat Khmer Kampuchea Krom Temple is planned for a 1.86-acre vacant corner lot at the intersection of Ruby and Norwood avenues, which previously...
San Jose officials lambasted for honoring mayor’s opponent
A move to honor Cindy Chavez for International Women’s Day is ruffling feathers at San Jose City Hall, with some saying it was politically motivated. Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei and Councilmembers Dev Davis and Pam Foley gave a commendation to the Santa Clara County supervisor for her 20-plus years of public service at the San...
San Jose youth nonprofit CEO has a ‘personal stake’ in change
The new CEO of a Silicon Valley nonprofit that helps homeless teens faced bullying and intimidation as a gay youth. He hopes to channel that experience into bringing change to the lives of young adults struggling with their own identities. Josh Selo took the reins at the Bill Wilson Center last month, replacing former CEO...
Empty San Jose offices could convert to housing
As major cities like San Jose and San Francisco struggle with emptied out downtowns after the pandemic pushed huge swaths of people to remote work, discussion of converting empty offices to housing is gaining traction. The Office to Housing Conversion Act, or AB 1532, would allow certain office buildings to be converted to housing across...
San Jose residents press for updated immigration reform
When San Jose resident Gina Guevara first came to the U.S. years ago, she encountered many barriers. Though she had already earned a telecommunications degree from her home country of Venezuela, she found her job options limited by her undocumented status. That’s why Guevara and others are pushing Congress to pass a federal bill introduced...
San Jose official skips trip to avoid breaking rules
San Jose officials hoping to travel out of state next month almost violated city laws, until one of them dropped out. Six members of the San Jose City Council were set to join the annual trip organized by the San Jose Chamber of Commerce. This year it’s happening in Phoenix, Arizona on April 18-21. But their actions...