A developer is including minimal affordable housing in a San Jose project, and city officials and a community advocacy group are calling for more. Cambrian Village—an 18-acre mixed-use redevelopment of the beloved Cambrian Park Plaza in San Jose— will include 305 apartments, 48 single-family homes with 27 attached accessory dwelling units (ADU) and 25 townhomes....
Cannabis could be coming to San Jose retail centers
San Jose cannabis enthusiasts may be starting the year off on a high. On Wednesday, the Planning Commission approved recommendations to change zoning laws for cannabis retailers that would allow up to 21 new dispensaries in commercial locations around the city. Sixteen dispensaries are allowed under current city regulations. Under the new policy, 37 total...
San Jose approves park plan to keep homeless out of flight path
San Jose is moving forward with plans to convert a 40-acre homeless encampment at the Guadalupe River Park in downtown into a recreational site. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, councilmembers unanimously approved plans to build a prototype park, Guadalupe Gardens, to help prevent homeless camps from popping up again and comply with Federal Aviation Administration...
San Jose flood victims await relief five years later
San Jose residents who suffered through a disastrous flood enjoyed a significant courtroom victory just weeks before the five-year anniversary of the catastrophe that upended their lives. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Sunil Kulkarni struck down a motion for summary judgment on Jan. 27 filed by Valley Water. The district filed its motion in...
Going to an event in San Jose? You’ll likely need a COVID booster
San Jose’s COVID-19 booster mandate for those attending large events at city-owned facilities is officially in effect. Some operators are reporting no impact on the amount of visitors so far. The requirement, passed by the City Council in late January, went into effect last Friday and only applies to indoor events with 50 people or more. It...
Top lobbyists give the max to most San Jose mayoral candidates
The San Jose mayoral race is just getting started, but lobbyist donations are already flowing in. Of the nearly $1.5 million raised last December for the San Jose mayoral race, about $44,000 came from lobbyists or their firms. Donors distributed funds almost evenly between the four leading candidates: San Jose Councilmembers Matt Mahan, Dev Davis and Raul Peralez...
San José Spotlight is suing San Jose, Mayor Liccardo over private email use
San José Spotlight has partnered with the First Amendment Coalition to sue San Jose and Mayor Sam Liccardo for improperly withholding public records in violation of the state’s transparency laws. The organizations are seeking reforms to ensure more government transparency in San Jose and compliance with the California Public Records Act. San José Spotlight, represented by...
UPDATE: Food pantry fee waiver heads to San Jose City Council
Some San Jose food pantries could see their fees waived thanks to a proposal making its way to the City Council. The city’s Rules and Open Government Committee voted Wednesday to waive special use permit fees or find funding to cover costs for Lighthouse Ministries and other pandemic-related food pantries. The full City Council will...
San Jose mayor’s ally wrote gas exemption to his benefit
A Silicon Valley energy company that lobbied for a last-minute gas ban exemption crafted the policy language it benefited from—with help from Mayor Sam Liccardo’s close friend. San Jose-based Bloom Energy, whose Vice President Carl Guardino is a personal friend to Mayor Sam Liccardo, worked directly with the mayor’s office to shape and write a controversial...
San Jose ends controversial plans for Charcot Avenue extension
Contentious plans for the Charcot Avenue Extension project in North San Jose have reached the end of the road. On Tuesday, the San Jose City Council unanimously voted to drop plans to build an overpass that would cross over Interstate 880 from Paragon Drive to Oakland Road and divert the remaining $3.9 million in budgeted...