A study highlighting the roles of immigrants in San Jose and the struggles they’ve faced during COVID-19 is leading the city to create more inclusive relief measures. New American Economy (NAE), a national nonprofit immigration research and advocacy organization which last month released the study “New Americans in San Jose Metro Area,” examined the role...
Rezoning request from Buddhist Temple adds to San Jose neighborhood’s concerns
Residents of Evergreen are raising new concerns over a proposed Buddhist temple in their San Jose neighborhood which now seeks to change zoning of the site. Wat Khmer Kampuchea Krom wants to rezone the lot from a residential zone to a Public-Quasi-Public (PQP) zone, which residents fear will lead to a more “intense” use of...
San Jose mayor violated city curfew during George Floyd protests
As people in downtown San Jose got arrested and detained for violating the city’s curfew amid widespread protests over the police killing of George Floyd in May, Mayor Sam Liccardo rode his bike multiple days after curfew without repercussions. That’s according to J.T. Stukes, a longtime activist who discovered the mayor’s activity on Strava, a...
After years of debate, San Jose OKs commercial development fees for affordable housing
After more than five years of stalled talks, San Jose will begin charging commercial developers fees to fund affordable housing — a move housing advocates said is long overdue. Following hours of debate past the 12 a.m. curfew on Sept. 2, the City Council implemented the controversial fees in a 7-4 vote. Councilmembers Raul Peralez,...
San Jose casinos can reopen outdoors, lawmakers decide
Casinos can now join the ranks of local businesses allowed to operate outdoors and have the potential to restore sorely-needed tax revenue to a struggling San Jose budget. San Jose’s two card rooms, Bay 101 and Casino M8trix, will now follow suit of other open California casinos by entertaining guests outside. The setup would give...
Protesters vandalize San Jose mayor’s house
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo’s home was vandalized Friday night by protesters who marched to the mayor’s house after spending the afternoon protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Liccardo, along with a handful of his neighbors, scrubbed off the graffiti late Friday after protesters ran off. Earlier Friday, about 150 protesters marched near San...
San Jose Google development faces another delay
Google’s sprawling proposed campus that will change the face of downtown San Jose hit a snag and is further delayed. The draft environmental impact report (EIR) for the Downtown West Project was not submitted to the San Jose City Council by the Aug. 25 deadline, according to Mayor Sam Liccardo and Director of Planning, Building...
East San Jose is safe from fire evacuations, fire chief says
Ten days into fighting the SCU Lightning Complex fires east of San Jose, the “arrows are going in the right direction,” but there’s still months left to go before the fires are fully quelled. The most recent public safety Q&A with San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Fire Department Chief Robert Sapien and Deputy City Manager...
San Jose council throws support behind latest plan to address homelessness in county
More than 6,000 people last year were homeless in San Jose — a number that keeps rising amid the coronavirus outbreak— prompting city leaders to set a goal of housing 20,000 people and doubling the number of shelter beds within the next five years. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Aug. 25 to endorse...
San Jose rubber bullet ban heading back to council
At the height of Black Lives Matter protests this spring, Breanna Contreras was marching among the crowds in downtown San Jose when chaos suddenly broke out. People scattered and started running past her in the opposite direction, many with eyes streaming from tear gas. A moment later, Contreras heard “Pop! Pop! Pop!” and felt something...