San Jose activist Daniel Lazo used to take the bus in the early 2000s to Welch Park in East San Jose. There, Filipino organizers hosted history workshops to educate young people about Philippine-born labor leaders. On his way home, Lazo would occasionally pass an empty lot on Gimelli Way. That lot, Lazo learned last month,...
San Jose could face a lawsuit over its rent freeze
San Jose’s recent ban on rent increases could possibly land the city in court. Douglas Dennington — a land-use attorney with Rutan & Tucker LLP, representing landlords across San Jose — submitted a letter to city leaders Feb. 1 stating that landlords adamantly oppose the rent freeze and warning the city may “wish to limit...
Why San Jose councilmembers’ Amazon stocks were not disclosed before a meeting — and why it matters
Two San Jose lawmakers’ investments in Amazon and their abrupt departure from a City Council meeting — after they discussed and nearly voted on a policy to pay grocery workers higher wages — is raising questions about why the conflict wasn’t flagged sooner. Councilmembers chalk it up to a lack of forethought. As elected leaders Tuesday debated a $3...
COVID-19 vaccination clinic brings hope to East San Jose
The recent arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine at Mexican Heritage Plaza signaled the dawn of a new day in East San Jose, an area hit harder than any other in Santa Clara County by the pandemic. San Jose Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco said it’s critical to have a vaccination site “smack in the middle” of a...
San Jose approves rent freeze for apartments, mobile homes through June
Apartment-dwellers and mobile home residents struggling to pay rent in San Jose because of the pandemic are getting some relief. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Feb. 2 to immediately halt rent increases for residents living in rent-controlled mobile homes and apartments through June 30. Neither the state nor Santa Clara County have taken...
San Jose takes first step to boost pay for grocery store workers amid COVID-19
After hours of “awkward” debate that included the vice mayor and a councilmember getting booted from a meeting due to a conflict of interest, San Jose is moving forward with giving grocery store employees a pay boost during the pandemic. The San Jose City Council voted 6-3 Tuesday to draft a measure that would require large grocery...
‘Do something!’ — San Jose business owners say they are fed up with homeless
They’ve reported gun violence, had cars stolen and watched in outrage for months as trash piles up and homeless encampments grow around them. Business and property owners in downtown San Jose are demanding the city take action to end vandalism, theft and increasing illegal camping they say is destroying their livelihood. And they are not...
Bill to allow legislative staffers to unionize gets support from San Jose lawmakers
Unions are having a transformative 2021: They’re waging war against Proposition 22 and breaking into the traditionally union-hostile tech industry. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) and a majority of Silicon Valley’s legislators are hoping to carry some of that momentum into their chambers. On Jan. 25, Gonzalez reintroduced Assembly Bill 314, which would give legislative staffers...
San Jose official nearly dies from COVID-19, warns others in East Side
Rolando Bonilla woke up on a December morning finding himself gasping for air. “I couldn’t breathe,” the 42-year-old said during a recent phone interview. “Even the act of inhaling was difficult.” Bonilla, the vice chair of San Jose’s Planning Commission, had gone to bed the night before with a fever and aches. Then walking became...
UPDATE: San Jose mayor calls for removal of Thomas Fallon statue
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo is calling for the removal of the controversial Thomas Fallon statue, a decision that comes days after overwhelming pleas from the community. “For the third time in three decades, debate over the Thomas Fallon Statue has reopened old wounds and deepened divides,” Liccardo wrote in a blog post explaining his...