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...

Less than a year after it was first launched, the San Jose City Council unanimously voted to scrap the city’s family-oriented safe parking pilot program at the Seven Trees Community Center, citing concerns about safety, a lack of participation and trash onsite. “We have the capacity to serve 17 cars or RVs each night. However, during...

San Jose lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously voted to approve a slew of housing initiatives with the goal of addressing the region’s growing homeless crisis, granting nearly $5 million in funds toward multiple programs including a new motel voucher program as an alternative to overcrowded emergency shelters and a program providing personal hygiene services. Motel Voucher Program...

Despite its distance from the city’s downtown core, Almaden Valley and its residents will experience far-reaching impacts from massive plans for downtown redevelopment – both in quality of life and tax dollars. A panel of local nonprofit and development leaders met with about 50 residents of Almaden Valley on Monday to discuss the future of downtown...

San Jose prides itself on its diversity — a myriad of different cultures represented by an equally diverse City Council. But behind the scenes, many lawmakers in the heart of Silicon Valley are bombarded with aggressive and threatening hate mail, often mirroring stereotypically racist rhetoric. Though some councilmembers didn’t report receiving much hate mail during...

Some Alviso residents are shaking their heads over a proposed fencing structure on the Alviso County Marina Park, raising concerns that they were not notified about the project after the framework for the structure went up earlier this week. And now county officials have put that work on hold to solicit community input — something...

A historic Catholic Church in the heart of downtown San Jose was vandalized Sunday morning, hours before congregants gathered to participate in Sunday mass. Satanic and anti-semitic graffiti spray were sprawled against the church’s outside walls, alongside taunting drawings of a ghoulishly painted smile below two windows and a two-toned colored pentagram. Church officials from...

More than two years after catastrophic floods ravaged the Japanese Friendship Garden, the beloved garden has yet to be fully rebuilt. “We’ve been working as hard as we can and working through the process to do what needs to be done,” said Shannon Heimer, general manager for Happy Hollow and Kelley Park — which houses the...

The fate of Coyote Valley has been looming over San Jose residents’ heads for more than 40 years, dividing the city on whether to preserve or develop the 7,000 acre plot of mostly undeveloped land out on the fringes of south San Jose. Thursday night, that debate sparked to life as experts and policymakers gathered...

Amid a wave of scrutiny over awarding a six-figure public contract to a private Catholic school, Mayor Sam Liccardo suggested reopening the contract to other schools — but his council colleagues didn’t agree. On Wednesday, City Manager Dave Sykes recommended keeping the current contract with Cristo Rey intact and instead, perform better outreach to schools...