San Jose officials and residents are gearing up for the race to replace disgraced former Councilmember Omar Torres and lift downtown from a troubled past few years. The San Jose City Council has opted to hold a special election to fill Torres’ seat on April 8, with a June 24 runoff if necessary and results...
San Jose senior apartment tenants take issue with management
An affordable housing development near Willow Glen was supposed to give homeless older adults a safe place to live. Instead, a number of residents are clamoring to leave. Leigh Avenue Senior Apartments, located at Leigh Avenue and Southwest Expressway, provided housing to 63 older adults when it opened in 2021. Seven residents told San José Spotlight...
San Jose report shows ‘inhumane’ conditions at animal shelter
A critical city report highlighting deteriorating conditions at the San Jose animal shelter echoes concerns advocates and former volunteers have raised for years. San Jose’s Animal Care Center is the city-run adoption center that also serves residents in neighboring cities like Cupertino, Milpitas and Saratoga seeking dogs, cats or rabbits. But several residents with firsthand experience...
Historic San Jose trolley brings back holiday charm
Commuters pause and stare when the doors open along downtown San Jose’s light rail train stops. Before them isn’t the sleek white transit car they’re used to — but a time machine. VTA officials are reviving their most unique, 96-year-old holiday trolley car after a yearslong absence to run a brief stretch — free of...
San Jose holiday tradition needs the spirit of giving to stay afloat
Dozens of people crowd around hundreds of trees wearing Santa hats and reindeer antlers, hanging ornaments and laughing. San Jose’s beloved Christmas in the Park is about to enchant Plaza de Cesar Chavez. This year, the nonprofit that brings the holiday joy is asking people to pull out their wallets to fill a six-figure gap...
San Jose developer pays millions to reduce affordable housing
Plans for a San Jose urban village have shifted, after developers agreed to pay millions to offset their decision to build more affordable homes. The San Jose Planning Commission unanimously approved a downscaled plan for hundreds of apartments at the El Paseo de Saratoga shopping center Nov. 20 after developers agreed to pay $13.9 million...
Where Silicon Valley residents can get free Thanksgiving meals
Numerous organizations are making sure people looking for a hot meal this Thanksgiving don’t go hungry. CityTeam is preparing 50 turkeys, 300 pounds of mashed potatoes and 200 pounds of vegetables for Santa Clara County residents facing food insecurity, along with other nonprofits and faith groups that have banded together to distribute free food with...
San Jose hits some homelessness goals, misses others
San Jose is inching toward its housing and homelessness goals, but still has a ways to go before it can shelter thousands of unhoused residents. The city released its latest annual homelessness report in early November detailing its progress in cleaning up the streets and waterways, sweeping encampments and building temporary housing. It met some goals,...
San Jose LGBTQ+ community grapples with Omar Torres scandal
The allegations were hard to believe. Initial reports of a child sex abuse investigation into San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres reeked of a political smear to his supporters, who had yet to see key details, in early October. For more than a year, the District 3 official faced incessant online vitriol for being an openly...
San Jose tow-away zones threaten RV residents
People living in RVs along Almaden Expressway are worried they’ll be thrown onto the streets when San Jose begins its tow-away zone program next year. Under a new pilot program, the city will choose up to 30 temporary tow-away zones and 10 permanent sites to clear RVs for street sweeping and cleanup by the end...