San Jose has taken the first step in a likely lengthy process to revamp the city’s approach to historic preservation. Councilmembers have outlined reform proposals for city staff to study in the new year. These include measures to boost outreach to owners of historic properties, as well as reforms intended to make it easier to...
San Jose Vietnamese shops sue over alleged mismanagement
At San Jose’s Vietnam Town, struggling merchants find it hard to recognize their signature commercial center. Instead, they see a plaza that chases out visitors. It’s eerily quiet during the day. The ramps of Vietnam Town’s main parking garage have been cordoned off with dumpsters, choking out parking options for would-be customers. Security is towing...
San Jose climate goals pivot from leaf blowers
San Jose residents have been clamoring for a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers for years, complaining about their noise and pollution. In response, the City Council began reviewing a proposal to encourage the use of electric leaf blowers through a subsidy program. The city is moving forward with a green subsidy more than a year and...
San Jose residents to get rebates on energy bill
Customers with San Jose Clean Energy, the city’s primary energy provider, are set to get a break on their energy bill come January. With the company’s reserves flush with cash, it has announced a plan to distribute $25 million in rebates to about 330,000 of its customers. “Energy costs were lower than expected in 2025,...
San Jose Viet Museum founder leaves lasting legacy
Loc Vu, the architect of San Jose’s Viet Museum and Little Saigon pioneer, died Saturday at the age of 92. After months in hospice care in Cupertino, Vu spent his final moments surrounded by family and community members whose histories were indelibly marked by the former South Vietnamese military leader-turned-refugee. The husband, father and grandfather...
San Jose’s revised preservation rules clear way for park project
San Jose officials have amended the city’s historic preservation policy in order to advance a long-delayed project that would bring millions of dollars of new amenities, including a music pavilion, to St. James Park. The measure — which does not specifically name the park project — sparked widespread pushback from local preservationists who warn it...
San Jose homeless motel residents must move or face eviction
Homeless residents who moved from San Jose’s largest encampment into shelters earlier this year are being asked to move again — or end up back on the streets. San Jose moved hundreds of people living at Columbus Park into five motels converted to homeless shelters when it swept the park this summer. Now they’re being...
San Jose parks commissioner warns of mismanagement
A member of San Jose’s Parks and Recreation Commission has issued a public broadside against the department he helps to advise. In a public letter sent to city leaders Nov. 7, Commissioner Ken Brennan warned that mismanagement within the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department has hamstrung the agency’s ability to maintain the more than 200...
Longtime urban planner set for seat on San Jose Planning Commission
Three months after trading his role as San Jose Planning Commission chairman for a seat on the City Council, Anthony Tordillos has nominated his replacement. The District 3 representative has tapped Aimée Escobar, a veteran urban planner with an extensive background in housing policy, to fill the seat he vacated in August. Councilmembers will hold a...
The Biz Beat: Stromboli is the star of San Jose pizzeria
If the averages hold, Anna Di Maggio will have made more than 21,000 strombolis since Tony Di Maggio’s Pizza in San Jose reopened on June 13, after a fire destroyed the roof and temporarily closed the business. At 80, Anna has been working at the family-owned restaurant since she and her husband, Tony, founded it...