After months of calls for more COVID-19 testing, a vulnerable San Jose area that is home to a large immigrant population now has two free testing sites. “This has been a population that has been vulnerable for so many reasons pre-COVID — due to rent, due to food insecurities, lack of job opportunities and educational...
Preservationists fight to save former San Jose courthouse from demolition
The stout, yet distinct, former courthouse building at the corner of Park Avenue and Almaden Boulevard in downtown San Jose has been the focus of several redevelopment visions since the Santa Clara County Superior Court moved out years ago. But the most recent vision, by Jay Paul Co. to build a 3.4 million-square-foot office campus...
San Jose wants more federal help to feed struggling residents
FEMA's guidelines for reimbursement are too strict, say some city officials who are working to ramp up meal services in wake of coronavirus crisis
Animal shelters scramble to meet adoption demand absent volunteers, in-person visits
Adapting to the coronavirus pandemic has required staff members at Silicon Valley’s animal shelters to do work usually performed by volunteers as they rush to keep up with the heightened demand for animal adoptions amid shelter-in-place restrictions. While shelters struggle to retain volunteers, like many nonprofits, there is a silver lining. Sheltering-in-place has resulted in...
San Jose groups take entertainment online as stay-home order drags on
ComedySportz San Jose has hosted performances in a theater downtown for 33 years, but in March began livestreaming its shows on Zoom for a fast-growing audience. In one recent show, an improv comedian was tasked with giving CPR to a “dummy,” so she looked to her right and said, “Dennis, my boyfriend, come here.” A...
San Jose council approves big affordable housing project in Willow Glen
The San Jose City Council on Tuesday approved a new a six-story, mixed-use Meridian Apartments affordable housing complex in the Willow Glen neighborhood. Councilmembers Maya Esparza and Magdalena Carrasco were absent for the vote. The nine members who were present voted in favor of the development. The Meridian Apartments will sit on a 2.09-acre site...
Update: San Jose slashes budget, approves new sexual assault unit
The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved making massive cuts to the city budget for the fiscal year, as officials brace for an expected shortfall of least $45 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s going to be a long road for us,” Budget Director Jim Shannon said. “When we released our forecasts...
Unsung heroes of Silicon Valley: Moses Arroyo
Underneath the city of San Jose runs 2,000 miles of sanitary pipe that serve more than 1 million people. Each year, those in the city’s Department of Transportation’s Sanitary Sewer division clean more than 900 miles of pipe and complete more than 500 repairs. The dangerous work is done underground with sharp tools at depths of 40...
Unsung heroes of Silicon Valley: Michael Catalana
From coaching high school sports to serving as a community service officer in the San Jose Police Department, Michael Catalana is a team player through and through. Since the coronavirus hit the South Bay, Catalana and his fellow CSOs have been out in the neighborhoods handling non-emergency calls, collecting crime scene evidence and interviewing witnesses....
San Jose: Battle over Fair Elections Initiative goes to court — but who will pay?
After admitting to errors counting signatures for a contentious San Jose ballot initiative, top Santa Clara County elections officials are suing the city to demand it pay for a recount of nearly 100,000 signatures. The lawsuit — filed by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters — aims to reverse a decision the office made in March when...