San Jose city employees may have another vaccine requirement coming their way. On Tuesday, Mayor Sam Liccardo introduced a proposal to require all city employees to get COVID-19 booster shots as a condition of employment. Visitors to city-owned facilities such as the SAP Center and San Jose McEnery Convention Center would also need a third...
San Jose-Evergreen Community College trustee running for council
A longtime San Jose politico is throwing his hat into the race to represent the city’s downtown core. Omar Torres, a San Jose-Evergreen Community College District board trustee, director of the California Democratic Party and Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco’s former deputy chief of staff for nearly seven years, is running for the District 3 City Council seat....
Backbone of Silicon Valley: Raymond “RJ” Ramsey
Editor’s Note: Backbone of Silicon Valley is a first-of-its-kind video storytelling project. Our reporters spent a year documenting the plight of six essential workers in Silicon Valley—the unsung heroes who clean your house, pack your groceries and prescriptions, cook your food, work in hospitals and deliver your meals. San José Spotlight teamed up with filmmakers...
2021 in review: San Jose council’s most consequential decisions
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend lives in the heart of Silicon Valley, San Jose lawmakers marked 2021 as a momentous year with a wide array of major decisions that will have lasting impacts for years to come. The San Jose City Council took steps to address its growing homelessness and housing crises, while...
San Jose videographer tells stories to build bridges
Video storyteller Marlo Custodio’s childhood was at times terrifying. Yet through the angst of his upbringing, Custodio discovered his future. Custodio’s parents immigrated from the Phillipines to the United States. When Custodio was five, his father left. When he was in second grade, the family became homeless. His mother, who had suffered years of spousal...
San Jose nonprofit reopens clothes closet for those in need
The Sacred Heart Community Service Clothes Closet quietly reopened Monday after 19 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program provides registered members with free clothing, which they can pick up twice a month at the nonprofit located at 1381 S. First St. in San Jose. For many it’s the only affordable way to get...
San Jose nonprofits rally behind anti-displacement housing policy
A coalition of local nonprofits and residents are pushing for a policy to prevent displacement and create a pathway to homeownership for low-income renters, amid a growing housing crisis that is pricing many out of the region. The proposed policy, named the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), would require rental property owners to offer first...
Where can San Jose homeless residents warm up this winter?
San Jose is opening two temporary overnight warming centers to provide shelter for unhoused residents as temperatures continue to dip. The City Council voted unanimously this week to restart the annual program. The city picked two new locations this year, the Evergreen Branch Library on Aborn Road and the Leininger Center on Senter Road—both located in...
San Jose lawmakers implement controversial state housing law
San Jose adopts—and looks to build on—a state law that permits denser development in single-family neighborhoods. The City Council voted 9-1-1 Tuesday to adopt an urgency ordinance to implement Senate Bill 9, a state law that allows more homes on single-family lots. Councilmember Sylvia Arenas did not respond when asked for her vote. The council...
San Jose finalizes new political boundaries for the next decade
After months of heated debate and confusion, San Jose finally adopts new political boundaries that redefine the future of the 10th largest city in the nation for the next decade. The San Jose City Council voted 7-4 Wednesday to adopt a map first proposed by Councilmember David Cohen that includes boundary changes made last week by...