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Restaurants returning to indoor dining can breathe easier as customers come back inside and some normalcy takes shape. Before the pandemic, Anabel Nguyen and Alex Huynh’s family restaurant hadn’t taken a break in 25 years. But in March 2020, they closed for one month. “It was really stressful for all of us,” Nguyen said. Since...
San Jose Planning Commission OKs Berryessa public market plan
Vendors worried about the future of the San Jose Flea Market were dealt a blow Wednesday night. The San Jose Planning Commission voted 5-1 to recommend a revised development plan for the Berryessa BART Urban Village Plan, a 61.5-acre portion of the flea market site located on Berryessa Road near Highway 101. The site is...
San Jose’s Happy Hollow hangs on during the pandemic
The theater and rides at San Jose’s Happy Hollow Park & Zoo might be closed, but that didn’t dampen 4-year-old Zayden’s enthusiasm for his first time at the zoo. “I’m so excited!” said Zayden as he made his way from the ticket booth to the exhibits. Happy Hollow is owned and operated by San Jose’s Parks,...
San Jose police officers are getting a raise
Despite a year of tireless demands to defund the police, San Jose lawmakers voted unanimously to approve salary raises for officers in an updated labor agreement. The new agreement between San Jose and its police department takes effect July 1. The updated contract gives full-time officers a 3.85% raise – starting May 16. They’ll receive...
San Jose mayor, housing advocates talk post-pandemic housing
The region’s housing crisis isn’t going away even after the pandemic does, but advocates are searching for solutions. San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and affordable housing executives joined together Friday for a roundtable discussion. The five-person panel talked about topics such as the state of the housing market, how employees can contribute to affordable housing, how to...
UPDATE: San Jose approves policy to rehire laid-off workers
A local labor-led ordinance will capitalize on a new state right-to-work law for the hospitality industry. The council unanimously approved a so-called “Return Together” ordinance, which mandates San Jose employers in the hospitality industry to rehire hotel and event workers, janitors and airport workers, among others, when they reopen. Priority will be given based on...
San Jose firefighters allege gear gave them cancer
When firefighter Teresa Mauldin was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2013, she attributed it to the dangers of the job. But Mauldin and more than four dozen San Jose firefighters now attribute the danger to the equipment they used and wore every day. “I feel betrayed,” she said. A group of 49 current and former San Jose firefighters,...
San Jose code enforcement struggles with backlog of complaints
Steve Brashear’s frustration exploded when he called San Jose’s Code Enforcement division last year to report unpermitted construction. “There just seems to be a lack of responsiveness from the city on all services due to COVID,” Brashear said. While he understands spotty service in the first few months of the pandemic, he isn’t sure why...
More wage theft claims emerge at San Jose housing site
San Jose’s labor compliance department launched an investigation of an emergency housing project after San José Spotlight exposed wage theft allegations in March. Public Works Director Matt Cano confirmed that the city’s Office of Equality Assurance is conducting a “full review” of contractors that did work at the Monterey Bernal emergency housing site, built with several...
San Jose residents propose ideas for community-owned housing
When imagining community-owned housing in San Jose, the first thing that comes to mind for some residents is inclusion. “We want to ensure we include very low-income, extremely low-income and those who have no income,” said Delma Hernandez, an organizer with South Bay Community Land Trust, Latinos United for a New America and Next Door Solutions....