Walking trail use is up. Wildlife is returning. Large homeless camps have been dismantled. San Jose officials said the city has reached the end of the “era of encampments,” and is steaming ahead into its next era of slashing down street homelessness. San Jose has reduced unsheltered homelessness by 32% over the past 18 months, using...
San Jose mayor fined over donation transparency lapses
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan faces a $27,500 fine over breaches of a government transparency law stemming from late disclosures of political donations. The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), a state body that enforces campaign finance and government ethics rules, assessed the fine after determining Mahan had failed to file timely disclosures of more than $2.3...
San José Spotlight among top independent newsrooms nationwide
San José Spotlight has been recognized as one of only 11 independent news organizations nationwide to reach the highest level of business sustainability under a new assessment by Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers, whose mission is to strengthen the local news industry by helping independent news publishers build more sustainable businesses. The distinction places...
San Jose to create guidelines to prevent detention centers
San Jose is placing stronger controls on the development of private detention facilities within its borders in response to fears that the federal government may establish new immigration centers in the region. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to place a 45-day moratorium on any proposal to create or expand detention facilities on private land...
ICE observer sues after being handcuffed in San Jose
It never crossed former San Jose resident Yesenia Campos’ mind she would be detained by federal immigration agents for recording activity from a distance. On Oct. 30, 2025, Campos was notified of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity at the South San Jose field office, where immigrants periodically check-in for compliance. She immediately drove...
Santa Clara County residents say local news matters
Santa Clara County residents said the news closest to home matters most, but a new survey shows it’s also the hardest to find. Residents ranked what’s most important in their neighborhood ahead of their city, the county, Bay Area, California, nation and world, according to a survey of 2,031 county adults — of which 52%...
San Jose may bar officials from signing nondisclosure agreements
As community distrust of data centers grows, San Jose is considering banning councilmembers from signing confidentiality agreements that bind them from publicly discussing development projects. The Rules and Open Government Committee on Wednesday unanimously voted to have the city manager create a policy to ensure transparency with developments, including data centers. The committee — comprised of five members...
The Biz Beat: San Jose market specializes in meat skewers
A few months ago, puffs of smoke began wafting from a shopping center in North San Jose. The source: Chinese barbecue meat skewers being cooked in the parking lot. One Step Food Market, a small specialized grocery store in Pacific Rim Plaza II, served up the skewers as a temporary advertisement for the shop’s February opening...
Housing planned for former San Jose school campus
A former South San Jose elementary school is poised to become housing. True Life Companies purchased Glider Elementary School, a 9.5-acre site, from Oak Grove School District to redevelop it with 80 homes — a combination of townhomes and single-family houses. The San Jose Planning Commission on Aug. 26 voted unanimously to recommend the project,...
San Jose official ordered to pay $54K in attorney fees
An unusual scene unfolded in the San Jose City Council chambers on Tuesday as a man approached the dais and served District 5 Councilmember Peter Ortiz with legal documents. The incident, which has raised eyebrows online and in City Hall, is part of the fallout from an anti-harassment suit that Ortiz lost earlier this year....