At the forefront of Tuesday’s San Jose City Council meeting, lawmakers discussed how the two interwoven crises plaguing the region — housing and homelessness — are alarmingly growing worse. In response, the councilmembers passed a smorgasbord of housing measures, which include expediting the study of a commercial linkage fee and extending a contentious tax break...

The San Jose City Council is set to hear several big ticket items on Tuesday, including a proposal to extend a tax break for high-rise developments in downtown and updates on the city’s homelessness and housing crises. Lawmakers will hear an annual update on the city’s ongoing homelessness crisis, and a proposal led by Councilmember...

  Hundreds of climate protestors marched from Diridon Station to City Hall in a climate strike Friday afternoon, one of dozens of environmental protests planned around the Bay Area. “We need to save our world,” said Devon Johnson, 22. “Nothing’s really working, so we need to pull out all the stops. We need to be making this...

A proposal to extend a reduction in housing development fees in downtown San Jose has labor advocates at odds with the business community, who say the longstanding incentive program has suddenly become “politicized.” On Thursday morning, the two groups pled their cases about the incentive program — known as the Downtown High Rise Incentive Program —...

San Jose leaders on Tuesday voted 10-0 to adopt a new reach code ordinance that mandates all new buildings to become electric, a bold effort many supporters and environmental advocates praised as a response to what the City Council also unanimously declared is a “climate emergency.” Vice Mayor Chappie Jones did not vote, as he...

Growing retirement benefits and poor investment returns are at the heart of San Jose’s ballooning pension obligations — which are projected to drain an average of $340 million a year from the general fund over the next decade — according to a Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury investigation the City Council discussed Tuesday. The...

On Tuesday, the San Jose City Council is expected to adopt a new privacy policy and a building ordinance that will create a more environmentally friendly set of practices for new construction. As part of a growing effort to increase technological security, the lawmakers will hear a report from city officials on the importance of...

One of California’s oldest government transparency laws is expected to get a boost if a new bill that removes the fear of a financial burden from those requesting public records is signed into law in the coming weeks. The proposed measure from a Silicon Valley lawmaker could clear the way for more open government. Sen. Bob Wieckowski,...

Months after a fierce showdown over political representation on San Jose’s Planning Commission unfolded, another commissioner announced on Wednesday that he’s resigning, opening up an extra vacancy on the powerful panel. The lengthy and drawn out battle over a seat on the 7-member commission began months ago, after some community leaders denounced the appointment of...

As climate change continues to exacerbate weather conditions and increase the scope of natural disasters worldwide, San Jose leaders are saying enough is enough, calling for the city to step in as one of the growing number of cities to declare a climate emergency. The bipartisan effort to combat against a warming planet was led by...