The reverberations of a well-planned “terrorist attack,” in the words of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand yesterday have left Muslim communities in the South Bay reeling. Prayers for the 49 dead and scores who were injured could be heard in Friday sermons across the Bay Area, as...

San Joseans now have a place to change their children’s diapers in City Hall — for the first time. The Capital of Silicon Valley had no diaper changing stations in any of the 42 public restrooms inside City Hall. Now, on the first floor of City Hall, in both the men’s and women’s restrooms, two pull-down changing tables...

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo’s new budget priorities align closely with his goal of alleviating Silicon Valley’s housing crisis by investing in affordable housing, pursuing another housing bond and cutting red tape for developers. “We need a lot of tools in the toolbox in order to meet our goals,” Liccardo told San José Spotlight in...

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday halting the executions of 737 death row prisoners in the state, repealed California’s lethal injection protocols and shuttered the San Quentin State Prison execution chamber. Of the 737 condemned inmates, who now have stays of execution, 25 of them had their trial in Santa Clara County. Silicon Valley lawmakers...

The San José-Evergreen Community College District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to extend an exclusive negotiating agreement with a San Jose developer for an ambitious mixed-use project slated for roughly 13.5 acres of district property near Evergreen Valley College. Republic Urban Properties, LLC, is behind the massive development project called “Montgomery Place.” While some...

More than a decade after it was proposed and following months of contentious debate, city lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously approved height increases of up to 35 feet downtown and up to 150 feet in the Diridon Station Area. The discussion has been riddled with controversy as advocates, airport commissioners and city officials debated the impact of the proposed...

San Jose has fallen behind on posting certain city records with officials taking weeks to publish some public meeting videos and minutes. The city’s public database for meeting minutes and videos has holes for several weeks. The city clerk, Toni Taber, said her department is struggling to keep up with posting meeting records, such as minutes, because of turnover in her department. “As far as minutes, we’re short...

Thanks to Measure T funding, San Jose’s infrastructure backlogs are due to get some relief. Approved by San Jose voters in last November, the bond measure aimed at addressing public safety, disaster preparedness and infrastructure needs is expected to bring $650 million for a variety of projects. Roughly half of that money is slated for...

San Jose could soon have a suicide prevention policy — nearly two years after one lawmaker’s quest to create one — and the same week a depressed woman killed her two young children and took her own life. This week San Jose lawmakers gave the green light to Councilmember Raul Peralez’s proposal to craft a...