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...
San José Spotlight celebrates two years, announces new partnership
San José Spotlight, the city’s first nonprofit newsroom dedicated to independent political and business reporting, turned two in January and announced an exciting new partnership to expand its award-winning coverage. The news organization, founded by Ramona Giwargis and Josh Barousse in Jan. 2019, will partner with Oakland-based Post News Group, which operates 8 Black and...
How lawmakers plan to make East San Jose safer for cyclists and pedestrians
A new plan seeks to transform East San Jose into a pedestrian-friendly transit haven by reducing the need for cars and connecting residents across the city. The En Movimiento — Spanish for “In Movement” — plan proposes an expanded network of sidewalks, bike lanes and bus lanes alongside a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) line,...
Search for San Jose’s police chief halts to recruit more external candidates
In an effort to bring fresh ideas to San Jose’s police force and attract more outside candidates to be the city’s top cop, City Manager Dave Sykes has put a two-week pause on the selection process. The city is looking to replace former Police Chief Eddie Garcia who retired in December after 24 years with the...
San Jose grocery store clerks and other essential workers could get $5 boost
As new strains of COVID-19 circulate across Santa Clara County, South Bay leaders are taking action to ensure essential workers get a pay boost for putting their health on the line. San Jose leaders this week discussed creating an emergency ordinance that would guarantee select retail food workers an extra $5 per hour in hazard...
‘Unfair’ zoning in San Jose comes under fire by Alum Rock advocates
In East San Jose, developers can get projects approved without a vote from the City Council or extensive public input using a special zoning rule — a process that doesn’t happen anywhere else in the city. Community leaders and advocates say the policy is unfair and needs to end. In a letter to Mayor Sam...
Fate of Thomas Fallon statue launches public forum on San Jose art
Some consider Capt. Thomas Fallon an important part of history. Others call him a symbol of oppression and have long called for the removal of the downtown statue depicting Fallon on horseback raising the U.S. flag in San Jose in 1846. People on both sides will get a chance Jan. 29 to have their say...
Tenants mount courthouse protest to end evictions in Santa Clara County
Dozens of tenants and their advocates blocked the entrance to the Santa Clara County Superior Court in downtown San Jose this morning to protest ongoing evictions during the pandemic. Nine protesters were arrested after sheriff’s deputies declared the demonstration unlawful. The demonstrators successfully shut down the courts in the morning but judges resumed hearing cases...