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Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith is firing back after San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo called for her resignation Monday, citing severe problems in her management of the county jail. Smith told San José Spotlight exclusively that she won’t make any decisions on resigning. “When the investigations are complete and I hope they are done quickly,...
UPDATE: Largest San Jose school district brings back cops as security
Six weeks after the largest school district in the city kicked cops off campus, its school board unanimously voted to bring them back for after-school events. The San Jose Unified School District renewed terms and conditions Thursday for police officers while they’re on campus. The agreement allows the district to hire SJPD officers as “private...
San Jose mayoral candidate opposes state housing legislation
San Jose Councilmember and mayoral candidate Dev Davis is taking a stance against two controversial state housing bills. “Adding density in an area of the city where infrastructure improvements are not made is a recipe for disaster,” Davis wrote in a memo. “These bills could dramatically affect our neighborhoods and our ability to deliver critical...
Mentor program sows seeds for San Jose Vietnamese youth
Alexander Nguyen was asked at the first session of a summer mentorship program why he was there. Seven weeks later, standing in the backyard of the Viet Museum on a blazing hot Saturday, he said he finally found an answer. “For 10 years, I have shut out my community,” he told a crowd of about 20 people. “This...
In San Jose, homeless camp services vary by location
Dumpsters that allow homeless people to keep their camps clean make a world of a difference. But getting that and other utilities can be challenging depending on where an encampment is located. Last week, San José Spotlight reported on a South San Jose homeless encampment that lacks dumpsters, hand washing stations and port-a-potties, leaving unhoused residents without a...
Illegal labor practices alleged at costly San Jose wastewater plant
San Jose is pouring more money into upgrades for a costly wastewater treatment plant, even as evidence emerges that the construction company overseeing the project employed unlicensed and uninsured contractors. In April, the City Council approved $14 million to cover new construction costs for an upgrade to the San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility, the largest plant...
UPDATE: San Jose still shy of building 25K housing units by 2023
There are some “bright spots” in San Jose’s housing crisis plan, but officials say more needs to be done to reach the city’s ambitious goals to prioritize affordable housing. “The affordable housing pipeline had its best year in 2020 out of the years tracked,” reads a city memo. Despite that outlook, completed units fall far...
Higher business taxes in San Jose: Five years later
Five years ago, San Jose created Measure G, a tax to make businesses pay for the increasingly expensive costs of living and inflation. Businesses have seen a tax hike this year because of the measure, but city officials say they’re also seeing positive effects. Measure G updated the city’s 30-year-old tax code to better address...
San Jose one step closer to moving mayoral elections
San Jose is one step closer to moving its mayoral elections to coincide with presidential election years. The city’s Charter Review Commission voted Monday to recommend moving mayoral elections to presidential election years starting in 2024. The mayor elected next year would have a chance to run for two additional terms in 2024 and 2028. The...
San Jose considers cutting minimum parking requirements
Three out of four commuter trips in San Jose are made by one person occupying a single vehicle, according to census data. Fewer than 5% of work trips are made on public transit. San Jose wants to change this by removing a critical part of city driving: parking spaces. The city is considering cutting minimum...