Despite criticism about a lack of public input, a San Jose council committee Wednesday advanced a proposal from Mayor Sam Liccardo to expand the powers of his office. The unanimous decision means the San Jose City Council next week will consider asking 2020 voters to decide whether the mayor should have more power in city...
Downtown task force pushes San Jose to help businesses survive post-coronavirus
Downtown San Jose community leaders this week gave city officials a to-do list to help the groups limping back to an economic equilibrium following the coronavirus shutdown. The nine recommendations, compiled by a 40-person coalition of downtown business, arts and community organizations, ask officials to create a new marketing program, extend free parking in the...
San Jose lawmakers extend eviction moratorium, expand Wi-Fi hotspots
As the county’s shelter-in-place order extends into its third month and many industries remain closed, San Jose lawmakers extended an eviction moratorium Tuesday to help renters facing hardship from the COVID-19 pandemic. The City Council voted unanimously to extend an eviction moratorium until Aug. 31 for tenants who cannot afford to pay rent because of income loss...
Activists petition to remove police officers from East Side Union High School District
A movement to remove police officers from schools is underway in East San Jose. Families of East Side Union High School District are calling on officials to terminate agreements with police for school resource officers and outside law enforcement on campuses. As of Monday, a Change.org petition, created under a profile called “East Side Union...
Activists call out San Jose leaders for racial equity office instead of defunding police
Civil rights activists gathered at City Hall Saturday to remember fathers lost to police violence — and call out San Jose lawmakers for ignoring pleas to defund the police. Instead of reducing police spending in next year’s budget, Mayor Sam Liccardo and his council colleagues last week voted to spend $1.5 million to create a...
San Jose mayor faces backlash over time limits during marathon meetings
Mitch Mankin tried twice in five days to speak to his city councilmembers about defunding the police. But the San Jose resident, who works as a policy associate at a housing nonprofit, never got a turn during two public meetings to voice his concerns about one of the biggest debates facing the city — police...
San Jose commemorates Juneteenth in a year like no other
As America grapples with systemic racism, injustice and racial inequality, the Juneteenth ceremony Friday at San Jose City Hall was like no other. Nearly one hundred people gathered in downtown San Jose to honor black lives and commemorate the end of slavery. This year’s ceremony included calls to defund police and end police violence in...
San Jose measure falls short of signatures as mayor says it may violate First Amendment
Days after San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo questioned the constitutionality of a controversial ballot measure, elections officials announced Friday the initiative fell short of a threshold of signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot. After more than a year of intense public debate on the future of San Jose’s local elections, Liccardo — during...
Black-owned restaurant patronage up in Silicon Valley, but surge fading
The surge of Black Lives Matter support has lifted area minority-owned restaurants despite the drag of stay-at-home orders, but the boost will not last without more equitable and lasting opportunities, some business leaders say. The sudden demand overwhelmed some establishments. When to-go orders spiked for lamb tibs, gomen, doro wot and traditional injera flatbread from...
San Jose lawmakers approve new fee caps for developments
If developers have one nemesis, it’s uncertainty, and San Jose lawmakers this week tried to battle that foe by capping some development fees. The 8-3 vote Tuesday did not raise or lower fees for developers, but it froze infrastructure fees in most parts of the city and set a maximum for fee increases in the...