As the country grappled with the police killing of George Floyd, San Jose found itself at the center of widespread protests, confrontational policing and conversations about police brutality, racial bias and First Amendment rights of protesters and journalists. What has San Jose — its people, elected leaders and civic institutions — learned from a season...
San Jose moves to preserve undeveloped land in Coyote Valley
San Jose’s General Plan task force this week overwhelmingly voted to preserve Coyote Valley as open space for wildlife and limited agricultural use. More than 160 letters were submitted ahead of a meeting Oct. 29, including 116 with the subject “Please Protect Coyote Valley” asking task force members to preserve the land as agricultural and...
Who is responsible for The SVO’s racist image? They won’t say
Three days after a racist campaign image appeared on The Silicon Valley Organization’s website, the business lobby remains mum about who is responsible. Additionally, campaign finance records show the business group continues to work with a campaign consultant blamed for another racist campaign message posted in February. The most recent image, posted Oct. 27 and...
San Jose installs Black Lives Matter banners at City Hall
San Jose unveiled new Black Lives Matter banners at City Hall on Oct. 29, an effort to bridge the community following a year that saw deep divisions and widespread protests over racial inequality. The red, black and green banners, designed by local entrepreneur Cherise Orange, feature the colors of the Pan African Flag, which stands...
San Jose lawmakers approve plan to begin city’s redistricting process
After hours of heated debate, the San Jose City Council voted unanimously to create a more transparent redistricting process based on recommendations from California Common Cause, a statewide political advocacy group. Under the plan approved Oct. 28, all San Jose residents can apply to the redistricting commission through a public process where residents can comment...
Plans to redesign San Jose’s St. James Park move forward despite setbacks
Despite setbacks stemming from the pandemic, steps to create a reimagined St. James Park in downtown San Jose are moving forward. Plans to revamp the struggling downtown park include building a performing arts pavilion, playground, dog park, picnic area and café. The idea, organizers said, is to make St. James Park a recreational focal point...
San Jose City Council: Battle lines being drawn on redistricting
Tasked with the once-in-a-decade challenge of redrawing district lines in San Jose, city leaders are pushing to engage residents in the process. The conversation is important because redistricting could affect how residents, especially people of color, are represented in future elections. Every 10 years, after the U.S. Census is complete, the city must appoint one...
Beloved San Jose museum names its first female president
The Tech Interactive — the innovative downtown San Jose museum that’s brought family-friendly STEM education to Silicon Valley since the 1980s — will soon see an innovation to its leadership. Earlier this month, the center named Katrina Stevens — the director of learning science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative — as The Tech’s new president and CEO,...
San José Spotlight wins national Publisher of the Year award
San José Spotlight this week won the prestigious Publisher of the Year award from the Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers, recognizing our nonprofit newsroom among the top news publications in the country. LION Publishers is an association of more than 300 independent online media operations across the U.S. “This award reaffirms why we started...
San Jose’s new city attorney fought for women to have a voice
When Nora Frimann walked into a courtroom early in her career in the 1980s, she said people assumed she was a court reporter. She went on to become a managing partner at Hoge Fenton, a leading San Jose law firm, in 1990, a time when few women practiced law, especially litigation. And now Frimann has...