More than a decade ago, Mayor Sam Liccardo was among several officials sued over their use of private emails to conduct public business. Now, the attorney who successfully argued the case against the city worries Liccardo is at it again. San Francisco attorney Karl Olson, representing San José Spotlight, sent a letter last Friday to...
Report: Declining San Jose police applications reflect national trend
The San Jose Police Department is struggling with a surge in retirements and challenges in recruiting officers, according to a new report. In the last year, 117 San Jose officers resigned, well above the 69 retirements the department estimated, according to Chief Anthony Mata. A 2020 department audit shows there are 1,149 sworn officers in the department....
Woman dragged by San Jose police officer sues
A San Jose woman is suing the city for injuries she suffered when a San Jose police officer kicked her in the stomach, handcuffed her and dragged her across a parking lot. Guadalupe Marin filed suit Wednesday morning in the Northern District federal court. She is seeking damages for excessive force, violations of due process...
San Jose union blames VTA after worker suicide
In the wake of the suicide of a worker who survived the mass shooting in May, VTA’s biggest employee union is laying blame at the feet of the agency. The transit agency confirmed Tuesday that Henry Gonzales, a veteran paint and body worker at VTA’s Guadalupe Light Rail Yard, died in an apparent suicide. He served...
Growing diversity in San Jose could signal rise in progressive politics
The new census data released this month paints a clear picture of the rapidly growing diversity in Santa Clara County, and those numbers could signal a rise in progressive politics. With the white population plummeting for the first time in the nation, the Asian population is now the largest ethnic group the county. Asians represent 38.9%...
San Jose expands eviction help centers
East San Jose residents, who face disproportionately higher rates of poverty compared to other parts of the city, will soon have a center to help them battle evictions. San Jose’s housing department plans to open an eviction help center in East San Jose in the Franklin McKinley School District, which is close to lower-income families...
San Jose mayor calls for sheriff to resign
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...