With San Jose recently becoming the first California city to allow the sale of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as condos, affordable housing advocates say it increases the supply of living spaces for residents once priced out. The state long restricted the sale of ADUs, also known as granny flats and backyard homes, as separate residences...
Ireland trip almost costs San Jose its ability to govern
The San Jose City Council has avoided voting against its own travel policy with two of six elected officials suddenly backing out of a trip to Ireland. The city clamped down on how many councilmembers can travel during council sessions back in 2018 when more than half of the city council took a trip to...
San Jose nonprofit faces worker complaint amid union bargaining
A well-known San Jose nonprofit is being accused of not doing enough to address claims of verbal and physical abuse in the workplace. A former employee of Sacred Heart Community Service alleges their manager verbally and physically “assaulted” them. The worker, who asked not to be named due to fear of retaliation, quit a week...
San Jose health foundation hands off services as CEO leaves
One of Silicon Valley’s premier nonprofit foundations will no longer provide direct community services as its leader steps down amid the sudden change in mission. Michele Lew, CEO of The Health Trust, first announced the foundation’s decision to hand off its community service programs, including Meals on Wheels and the Food Basket, through a news release in May. But her resignation...
San Jose school districts forced to consider campus closures
Declining enrollment rates are forcing school districts across San Jose to stare down campus closures and sharp budget cuts. California education data shows almost every school district in the city has faced enrollment declines over the past decade. Families are being priced out of San Jose because of increasing costs of living — and as...
San Jose mayor opposes rent control expansion measure
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has come out against a November ballot initiative that could vastly expand rent control to cover any type of housing in California. State law has for decades barred cities from limiting rent hikes on single-family homes and apartments built after 1995. Proposition 33 would repeal that law and also let...
Santana Row parking no longer free
Max Shandeh has been frequenting Santana Row since it opened more than two decades ago to enjoy a cup of coffee or a delectable meal. When he came for his late afternoon run to a French-style bakery, he was surprised to find parking would no longer be free. “I’m not happy with it. We come...
UPDATE: San Jose drops parks maintenance tax measure
San Jose city officials have delayed plans to put a measure to fund parks maintenance on the November ballot after multiple surveys showed it would likely fail to gain support from residents. The San Jose City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday to reconsider the idea for the 2026 election, or possibly later. The proposed ballot...
San Jose mayor’s staffer sues over communist label
A worker in the San Jose mayor’s office is caught in a political storm surging through Little Saigon’s war refugee generation over claims of communist sympathies. Tara Dang, who conducts neighborhood outreach for Mayor Matt Mahan in a city with the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, sued 8 people in May for defamation. The list ranges...
San Jose cultural leader’s death shocks community
Chris Esparza always wanted to run a nightclub in his hometown of San Jose, friends and business partners told San José Spotlight — and not only did he make it happen, he went on to shape the city’s cultural image through decades of event organizing within the growing Mexican American community. Esparza, 57, died unexpectedly...