COVID-19 restrictions are easing. Millions in Google money is ready to be spent. The city is looking at how it can improve its police department and make parks more friendly for families. Here’s what went down at the March 1 San Jose City Council meeting. Booster mandate repealed In a 9-1 vote, the City Council repealed the...
How is San Jose spending its Google money?
San Jose is spending millions from Google on economic recovery as the tech behemoth gets ready to start expanding into the city. On Tuesday, the City Council approved how to spend the $4.5 million Google is dispersing before construction on the Downtown West mega campus begins over the next 12-18 months. Of those funds, $3.25...
Poll: Peralez slightly leads in San Jose mayor’s race
A new poll released Tuesday shows San Jose Councilmember Raul Peralez and Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez are leading the mayoral race in the heart of Silicon Valley—with Peralez having a slight edge over Chavez. New polling data of likely June 2022 primary voters, conducted by polling firm Tulchin Research and paid for by Peralez’s campaign,...
San Jose could split from Russian sister city
Councilmember Sylvia Arenas is recommending San Jose break with its sister city in Russia, adding its voice to international efforts to isolate the country over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Her proposal will be heard by the City Council in the near future. “Ending our city’s formal diplomatic relationship with Russia’s municipal government in Ekaterinburg...
Organizers say San Jose tried to shut down Black History Month event
Black organizers and activists claim San Jose targeted and tried to shut down a Black History Month event over a permit issue. Human Empowerment Radical Optimism (HERO) Tent, a local activist group formed after the police killing of George Floyd, hosted a two-day event this past weekend at Backesto Park to bring Black-owned small businesses,...
San Jose political candidate Gary Kremen quits campaign amid allegations
Silicon Valley politician and tech entrepreneur Gary Kremen is ending his campaign for Santa Clara County assessor five hours after an exclusive report from San José Spotlight revealed allegations from a former staffer. Kremen told San José Spotlight on Saturday he is withdrawing from the race for assessor. The announcement came shortly after a former...
San Jose politician accused of sharing nude photos
Tech entrepreneur and politician Gary Kremen is being accused by a former campaign staffer of sharing unsolicited nude photos with them. The staffer said the images coupled with other questionable behavior from Kremen caused emotional and mental anguish, eventually forcing them to quit working for him. The former staffer, who spoke with San José Spotlight...
Watchdog alleges more labor violations at San Jose public project
A labor watchdog claims to have found a third company that committed labor violations on a costly San Jose public project, raising questions about what the city is doing to monitor these practices. Mauricio Velarde, compliance director for the South Bay Piping Industry, emailed city officials last week about alleged illegal labor practices at the San...
Reports recommend reforms for San Jose police
Reports from San Jose’s Independent Police Auditor (IPA) show an overhaul of crowd control policing is needed after a review of the 2020 George Floyd protests. Three recently released reports detail how the San Jose Police Department failed to comply with procedures due to a lack of training that resulted in poor policing. One report points out...
San Jose’s interim housing project at Evans Lane took six years
San Jose is searching for a developer to build permanent affordable housing at Evans Lane—six years after city leaders first approved homeless housing on the site. Records obtained by San José Spotlight show the city rejected an offer by a prominent South Bay developer to build the homes in 2016. It could have happened faster and...