More than 20 Silicon Valley lawmakers this week signed a new pledge that outlines how elected officials will consider equity and the needs of disadvantaged communities in policymaking. The pledge, which was introduced Wednesday by San Jose councilmembers Sylvia Arenas, Maya Esparza, Magdalena Carrasco, Raul Peralez, Sergio Jimenez and Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President...
San Jose city, police double down on use of force during protests
Reflecting on scores of fired rubber rounds, hundreds of deployed officers, 180 arrests and several viral videos, San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia doubled down Thursday on his officers’ use of force this past week during mostly peaceful protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. San Jose was the first Bay...
Hapless thieves target San Jose dispensaries for brazen burglaries after curfew
Two San Jose cannabis dispensaries were burglarized early Tuesday morning by groups of thieves hoping for a big score — the latest crime spree in a trend of looters, burglars and robbers targeting dispensaries in the Bay Area and nationwide. The pattern emerged as major cities, including San Jose, enforced curfews to control protests against...
Chamber CEO set to lead San Jose councilmember office
Nick Kaspar, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce, is leaving the world of business and stepping into politics at San Jose City Hall. Kaspar will be Councilmember Maya Esparza’s chief of staff starting June 15, leaving behind a daunting three years at the helm of the Santa Clara-based chamber. “The...
San Jose lawmakers vote to end curfew Thursday morning
After a widespread community outcry, San Jose lawmakers approved ending the citywide curfew at 5 a.m. Thursday and requiring city administrators to seek City Council approval to reinstate it. Under a motion by Councilmember Raul Peralez, police would still enforce the curfew Tuesday and Wednesday, but would assess how San Jose fares without it Thursday night....
Hundreds volunteer to clean vandalism from San Jose protests
Hundreds lined up to volunteer outside San Jose City Hall on Tuesday to clean up graffiti downtown from the ongoing George Floyd protests. The supply of roughly 150 cleaning kits that staff from Beautify SJ and San Jose’s anti-graffiti and anti-litter programs distributed to volunteers ran out less than an hour after the event kicked...
I’m a journalist who was detained by San Jose police for doing my job
When I woke up Sunday morning, I didn’t expect to be detained by police in a stranger’s backyard later that day. I was called in to cover the third straight day of George Floyd protests in San Jose for San José Spotlight, but this time there was a citywide curfew starting at 8:30 p.m. until...
San Jose imposes a curfew, hundreds protest George Floyd death for third day
As protests erupted for the third day in downtown San Jose on Sunday over the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Minneapolis man, city leaders imposed an 8:30 p.m. curfew beginning Sunday. “This police department wants peace, wants to continue to have dialogue with this community (and) doesn’t want any community member harmed,” said...
San Jose’s new COVID-19 walk-up clinic aims to serve communities of color
A free walk-up COVID-19 testing site opened in downtown San Jose aimed at increasing testing in communities of color. More than 200 people registered to get tested at the Antioch Baptist Church by the Roots Community Health Center, an organization founded in Oakland that aims “to uplift those impacted by systemic inequities and poverty” according...
San Jose: More arrests mark second day of George Floyd protests
Nearly 24 hours after a peaceful march Friday turned into a tense riot with injuries, a handful of arrests and vandalism in downtown San Jose, a group of about 200 protesters took to the streets again Saturday. They began in front of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library around 7 p.m. About 90 minutes later,...