School’s starting, heat’s soaring and more than 10,000 people were out of power in San Jose on Aug. 18 as PG&E blackouts shrouded downtown homes in darkness. “We are in the middle of a pandemic and we cannot even stay at home comfortably,” said Luis Ortiz, a downtown San Jose resident. “The heat is unbearable...
UPDATE: Divided San Jose City Council gives whopping break to high-rise developers
Downtown high-rise developers will receive a huge discount during the pandemic but their savings will come at the expense of low-income housing. As COVID-19 worsens economic conditions for those looking to build in San Jose, city leaders voted 7-4 Aug. 18 to eliminate a fee that helps fund affordable housing. Councilmembers Sergio Jimenez, Magdalena Carrasco,...
PG&E power outages burn out San Jose
As thousands of people lost electricity in the South Bay on Monday, some are enduring hours of a scorching heat wave waiting for power to be restored. PG&E said excessive heat and power use have caused the outages, which started over the weekend. But some people say the energy supplier has been ill-prepared for heat waves...
UPDATE: San Jose City Council demands release of more police videos
After the police killing of George Floyd sparked protests nationwide filled with tear gas and rubber bullets, San Jose lawmakers demanded transparency from the police department — and, to an extent, they got it. The public can now view footage capturing police use of force at recent protests. On Tuesday, the City Council reviewed which...
San Jose mayor wants unauthorized Black Lives Matter mural to stay
A Black Lives Matter mural spanning three blocks of San Jose sidewalk is still standing despite being painted illegally — and the city’s mayor wants to keep it. “I’d be happy to leave the mural right where it is actually, in my neighborhood,” Mayor Sam Liccardo told San José Spotlight. “I’ve got a Black Lives...
Bad cops: Why can’t San Jose just fire them?
“Why are you on that side?” yelled a protester at San Jose Police Officer Jared Yuen. “Shut up, b—-!” Yuen shouted back. Months have passed since Yuen’s comments during this year’s protests against the police killing of George Floyd went viral. A petition demanding the city fire Yuen has circulated since June and gathered nearly...
San Jose breaks ground on emergency housing for homeless
San Jose took another step to alleviate its homeless housing shortage by breaking ground Monday on the first of three emergency interim housing sites that will accommodate more than 100 beds each. Citing building restriction waivers that made it easier to get the project off the ground, Mayor Sam Liccardo said the houses are being...
San Jose City Council waives outdoor business fees, extends free food, improves virtual meetings
As virtual meetings become the new norm, San Jose leaders voted unanimously Tuesday to make local government more efficient and accessible. Attendees of the July 28 and Aug. 3 City Council sessions might have noticed the meetings are now translated into Spanish and Vietnamese. However, to listen to the Vietnamese translation, Zoom users must select...
The next South Bay labor battle: Who will replace Ben Field?
As the dust settles on the failed ‘strong mayor’ measure, there’s a new fight brewing in Silicon Valley’s labor camp: Who will replace Ben Field? The executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council, a powerful coalition of more than 100 unions, abruptly resigned July 13, less than two weeks after a heated, 9-hour debate...
Symbol of Silicon Valley takes shape as list of finalists narrows
The anticipation has been building for more than a year. And the suspense will linger a little longer — but soon a jury of renowned architects, designers and engineers will have selected three finalists from nearly 1,000 entries in a competition to create an original design that represents Silicon Valley to the world the way...