The San Jose City Council has punted on a proposal that could have introduced ranked choice voting to certain city elections. Councilmembers on Tuesday voted 8-2 — with Vice Mayor Pam Foley and District 10 Councilmember George Casey voting against, and District 5 Councilmember Peter Ortiz absent — to advance a ballot measure that would...
A San Jose artist who chose to serve artists
When Erin Salazar walked into a Knight Foundation networking event back in 2012 wearing paint-covered work coveralls, she wasn’t expecting to launch a nonprofit. At the time, Salazar was a working artist in San Jose with a simple idea: The city had plenty of talented artists and plenty of blank walls. What it lacked were...
San Jose’s budget lands with wins, losses, work to do
Budget season in San Jose is over, but the months-long negotiations have set the stage for new political fights that are only beginning to take shape. The City Council on Tuesday put the final seal of approval on the $5.5 billion budget that will see San Jose through the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1. Facing down a...
Community-focused San Jose center serves older adults
As Santa Clara County’s population ages, health and community service nonprofits are growing to meet their needs. On Lok, a community-focused care provider for older adults, held a Wednesday grand opening for its 20,348-square-foot PACE center in South San Jose. The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) expands access to comprehensive care, providing...
San Jose scores poor ranking over lack of park investment
San Jose has slipped eight spots in a national ranking of city parks, with one of its weakest scores highlighting a challenge local leaders have struggled to solve for years: finding enough money to maintain and improve neighborhood parks. The Trust for Public Land’s 2026 ParkScore report ranks San Jose No. 49 among the nation’s 100 largest...
San Jose nonprofit buys property to help homeless people
A San Jose home that was part of a national Catholic movement to provide a “house of hospitality” to the marginalized is transferring hands, though its mission to help homeless people will remain. Catholic Worker San Jose is selling its seven-bedroom home on North Sixth Street, known as Casa de Clara, to nonprofit Amigos de Guadalupe...
Water and garbage rates increase for San Jose residents
While utility hikes are a regular occurrence for San Jose residents, an especially sharp jump in garbage disposal fees and water rates have led to pushback amid growing concern over rising living costs. Under new fee schedules set to take effect July 1, the start of fiscal year 2026-27, San Jose’s garbage disposal service fee...
State proposition could wipe out San Jose’s Measure E funds
San Jose leaders are rallying opposition to a measure headed for the statewide November ballot that could undermine a cornerstone of the city’s efforts to keep low-income people housed. The measure, championed by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, raises the threshold to pass local voter-sponsored tax initiatives, and also limits the amount cities can tax...
Advocates worry San Jose will fast track data centers
San Jose is pushing ahead to create standards for data centers amid community angst around health and environmental impacts — though advocates said it’s too soon to tell whether these standards will protect residents or fast track approvals. At the Rules and Open Government Committee meeting Wednesday, Councilmembers David Cohen, Rosemary Kamei, Bien Doan, Domingo Candelas and Vice...
World Cup watch parties to take place across San Jose
San Jose officials are bringing World Cup celebrations into neighborhoods across the city through a series of free watch parties in cultural business districts, hoping to unite residents while driving visitors to local businesses during the tournament. San Jose’s “Kick Off in the Districts” World Cup watch party series begins Thursday with a free viewing...