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Editor’s Note: This article is part of a San José Spotlight series examining the newest San Jose councilmembers and their first six months in office. District 8 San Jose Councilmember Domingo Candelas hasn’t moved far from his Evergreen childhood home. Growing up in the Brigadoon neighborhood in southeast San Jose, the freshman councilmember attended Evergreen Valley High School...
Affordable housing to be built by San Jose transit center
VTA is beginning work on a new housing development to boost the Santa Clara County transit agency’s revenue. This time it will be 100% affordable housing. The agency will use an empty lot next to the Berryessa Transit Center in San Jose to build 195 affordable apartments after signing a contract with Affirmed Housing Group last...
San Jose cannabis tax revenue takes a hit
San Jose cannabis tax revenue is poised to drop by millions this year, as black market competition and delivery services chip away at the willingness of consumers to pay more. According to projections in the city’s recently approved budget, recreational cannabis sold at one of San Jose’s 16 licensed dispensaries is set to generate about $15.8 million...
MLB to San Jose mayors: No team anytime soon
San Jose has been rebuffed by Major League Baseball once again. Commissioner Rob Manfred issued a terse response this week to Mayor Matt Mahan and four former San Jose mayors who called on MLB to remove the San Francisco Giants’ South Bay territorial rights to clear a path for a possible expansion team in the city....
15 inspiring leaders in Silicon Valley’s LGBTQ community
A poll in 2015 found San Jose had one of the smallest LGBTQ+ populations of any metropolitan area. And in 2013, a county health assessment reported about 4% of Santa Clara County’s population was estimated to be a part of the LGBTQ community. Across the country, LGBTQ people have struggled to gain recognition in leadership positions...
San Jose chooses new interim police watchdog
San Jose leaders have chosen a new acting independent police auditor. The San Jose City Council unanimously voted in closed session Tuesday to appoint Karyn Sinunu-Towery, a former 30-year Santa Clara County prosecutor, to helm the oversight role while a search for the next permanent auditor is underway. The city announced earlier this month that...
School run by San Jose mayor’s wife scores city grant
A San Jose private school run by none other than the mayor’s wife is receiving a six-figure grant. The $862,000 city grant is raising questions about favoritism due to the school’s close connections to the former mayor and other city hires, with some officials questioning whether taxpayer dollars should be awarded to a private religious...
Hundreds of apartments planned near downtown San Jose
More than 200 apartments could be coming to San Jose’s Buena Vista neighborhood as city planning officials consider a proposal that would require demolition of several buildings. Cupertino-based Urban Villas LLC is pitching a slightly bigger version of a previously approved project just outside of downtown San Jose that includes 237 apartments and nearly 17,000 square feet of...
San Jose wants to help renters fight evictions
Following a tsunami of evictions, San Jose is looking at ways to help residents from losing their homes, and heading off the problem before it reaches the courts. The eviction issue has skyrocketed in San Jose, especially after the expiration of COVID-19 pandemic-era tenant protections. Toward the end of 2022, hundreds of San Jose residents...
Longtime San Jose employee rises to public works director
A San Jose employee of more than two decades is taking the helm to oversee the city’s public infrastructure. Matt Loesch fought back tears standing before the San Jose City Council as he accepted his promotion on June 13 to lead the city’s public works department. Since January, he served as acting director after his...