A potential sanctioned encampment for homeless individuals near San Jose’s Watson Park has some neighbors upset with what they perceive as a lack of outreach. City officials have zeroed in on the first potential safe sleeping site at 1157 E. Taylor St., which could open as early as the beginning of next year with other sites to follow....
Why San Jose is swapping e-scooter companies
Lime and Bird brand electric scooters are disappearing from San Jose streets as the city brokers an exclusive deal with another company to launch up to 1,000 e-scooters. City transportation officials made the switch to Spin scooters Sept. 1, as they slowly phase out Bird’s remaining fleet of about 200 scooters. Micromobility devices like e-bikes,...
UPDATE: San Jose scraps plan to sell tiny homes site to county
After angry community protests, San Jose officials are scrapping plans to sell Santa Clara County a tiny homes site to house incarcerated people with mental health issues on the south side of the city. Councilmember Arjun Batra, who has vowed to stop the sale, confirmed to San José Spotlight that the city will put the...
San Jose councilmembers team up to lobby city
Terming out of office hasn’t kept San Jose policymakers from sticking around City Hall as paid lobbyists. But the business of swaying former colleagues is becoming a crowded field. Councilmember Sergio Jimenez is jumping into the elected official to lobbyist pipeline. He’s already formed a new consulting firm before terming out of his council seat...
West San Jose development cuts affordable apartments
A proposed West San Jose housing project that would have added more than 100 affordable homes has been scrapped. Sand Hill Property Company had a previously approved redesign for nearly 1,000 apartments across four separate buildings at the El Paseo de Saratoga shopping center, 150 of which would have been affordable housing. But the developer...
San Jose still searching for new flea market site
San Jose officials are hard-pressed to find an alternative site for the Berryessa Flea Market as development is set to displace vendors and threaten their livelihoods. The city has explored two of eight potential locations — the former Sears near Eastridge Mall and a former landfill in South San Jose — but they lack substantial...
San Jose mayor pulls endorsement of cop running for City Council
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has withdrawn his endorsement of Tam Truong, a City Council candidate and police officer who’s still running for office after county prosecutors charged him with grand theft related to mortgage fraud allegations. District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s office last week filed a one-count criminal complaint charging Truong with grand theft of...
State lawmakers raise access concern over San Jose Vietnamese garden
State lawmakers are calling out San Jose officials for changing the locks and community event access to a Vietnamese cultural garden that’s opened a political rift in Little Saigon. A Tuesday letter from San Jose’s elected representatives in Sacramento questions who’s really in control of the city’s parks. It comes after District 7 Councilmember Bien Doan’s...
San Jose expands cleanup crew that employs homeless residents
Neighborhoods stretching outside of immediate downtown San Jose will see cleaner streets and more job opportunities for homeless people in that area. Downtown Streets Team, a nonprofit that beautifies the city and offers a stepping stone for unhoused residents to reenter the workforce, is expanding its services into Luna Park, Alum Rock, Calle Willow and...
UPDATE: San Jose cop running for office to stay in race despite admin leave
A San Jose police sergeant and City Council candidate, Tam Truong, has been placed on administrative leave amid allegations of mortgage fraud. He said he plans to continue his campaign for elected office. Truong, who’s worked in law enforcement for two decades and is running against incumbent Domingo Candelas for the District 8 San Jose...