San Jose adopted a law this month guaranteeing laid-off workers first choice at getting their jobs back. But to enforce the law, the city will rely on those same workers to say when something is amiss. The City Council unanimously approved its so-called Return Together ordinance on May 11, which mandates San Jose employers in...
New scams surface in wake of San Jose’s mass shooting
Fraudsters and opportunists are always looking for ways to take advantage of collective grief and a community’s desire to financially support victims of tragedy. That was no different in San Jose after a disgruntled VTA employee opened fire Wednesday at a rail yard in downtown San Jose, killing nine of his colleagues before committing suicide....
Fathers, husbands and heroes: The nine men killed in San Jose’s VTA mass shooting
Nine men lost their lives in San Jose this week. One was a father who awoke before sunrise to drive a bus to have more time with his family. Another was days away from his 64th birthday and a much-anticipated trip to Hawaii with his wife. And another sprang into action to alert his fellow...
A look at how San Jose mourned after mass shooting
This week will forever be engrained in the minds of San Joseans. What started as an ordinary day Wednesday ended with nine families saying goodbye to their husbands, fathers, brothers, and best friends. Nine men were gunned down at a VTA rail yard after a disgruntled employee opened fire following a union meeting. The shooter,...
Newsom’s newest defender: San Jose Councilmember Carrasco
As he faces possibly being removed from office, embattled Gov. Gavin Newsom has a new ally in his corner: San Jose Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco. Carrasco hosted a Zoom call this month and wrote a passionate Facebook post defending Newsom, referring to the recall effort as a “dirty tactic” and “costly political theater.” “Governor Newsom has...
San Jose mayor renews push for gun control after mass shooting
In the aftermath of Wednesday’s mass shooting at a VTA light rail yard, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo is doubling down on gun control measures. In July 2019, Liccardo, incensed by a mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, proposed an ambitious gun control plan: Make all gun owners in the city carry insurance—an idea that...
San Jose mourns its fallen transit workers, remembers ‘VTA family’
Family and friends of the nine VTA workers killed Wednesday blanketed the plaza of San Jose City Hall on Thursday, surrounded by hundreds of other workers uniting as one—the “VTA family.” Many in the crowd of hundreds of people broke out in cries, sobbing as speakers went up to pay their respects to those who...
San Jose leaders honor VTA mass shooting victims
Speaker after speaker rose to the podium outside VTA headquarters in San Jose Thursday to speak the names and stories of those lost in yesterday’s mass shooting. Pictures of all nine Valley Transportation Authority workers killed were displayed beside more than a dozen VTA leaders and allies—some struggling to hold back tears as they described the friends and...
New details emerge in San Jose VTA rail yard shooting
New details have emerged about Wednesday’s mass shooting at a VTA light rail yard that left 10 people dead, including the shooter who turned the gun on himself. Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith appeared on NBC News’ “Today” show this morning to talk about the latest developments. “We know the suspect entered the facility and...
San Jose councilmember mourns friend lost in VTA shooting
San Jose Councilmember Raul Peralez waited to hear back from a childhood friend following Wednesday’s shooting at a Valley Transportation Authority light rail yard—a VTA overhead lineman at the light rail for close to 10 years. His shift ended around 8 a.m., an hour and a half after reports of the shooting. “I was sending him text...