A judge on Friday allowed a prominent Silicon Valley leader and former pastor to post bail at a reduced amount after he was arrested and charged with six felony counts of child sex abuse. Prosecutors asked Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Hector Ramon to keep former River Church youth ministry leader Brett Bymaster in jail, arguing...
UPDATE: San Jose names new independent police auditor
San Jose has appointed a new independent police watchdog after months of scandal and instability plagued the office responsible for investigating officer malfeasance. Eddie Aubrey, who heads the office of professional accountability for the Richmond Police Department, is taking his expertise down south as San Jose’s independent police auditor (IPA). The San Jose City Council...
San Jose community college’s newest chancellor is familiar face
After a national search, a local community college district has selected one of its own as chancellor. The San Jose-Evergreen Community College District board of trustees unanimously appointed Beatriz Chaidez — who’s acted as interim chancellor since July — as permanent chancellor last week with an annual salary of $385,360. Board President Tony Alexander said...
San Jose park maintenance has multimillion-dollar backlog
A multimillion-dollar work backlog in San Jose is leaving empty spaces where playground equipment used to be, basketball courts eroded and turf riddled with holes from squirrels and gophers. San Jose’s parks department has a more than $554 million infrastructure backlog, according to a 2024 city status report — with many East Side parks in disrepair. Most of...
San Jose airport adapts to new world of travel
Ridership is climbing back up across Bay Area airports after COVID-19 sent traffic plummeting, and the battle for airway dominance is intensifying. Oakland officials this week approved renaming its airport to include “San Francisco” in the title, provoking a lawsuit from the region’s dominant competitor across the bay, San Francisco International. But it also raises...
Former San Jose church leader arrested for alleged child abuse
A prominent Silicon Valley leader and former pastor has been arrested and charged with six felony counts of child sex abuse, after being under investigation this year for allegations that surfaced about his time as a youth ministry leader at a popular South Bay church. Brett Bymaster faces time behind bars for alleged lewd acts...
San Jose to launch smarter 311 app to handle vehicle complaints
San Jose is updating its 311 app that tracks resident complaints to more efficiently address thousands of requests about abandoned vehicles. The 311 app is designed to be a one-stop shop for residents to report a variety of issues including blight, graffiti and potholes, or request other supportive services. Residents depend on the city to resolve issues pertaining to...
State finds San Jose lacks accountability with homeless spending
San Jose has until September to formulate a succinct plan on how it will address homelessness and begin publicly reporting spending data, according to an audit requested by a local legislator. The California State Auditor has published its findings and recommendations after an audit of the city’s spending and coordination of its homeless support services. Auditors...
UPDATE: San Jose sets tougher RV restrictions near schools
San Jose leaders hope a slew of new policies make schools safer by pushing homeless people out of nearby encampments and limiting where they can park. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved three different policies to limit where large vehicles can park, where people living in their RVs can sleep overnight and...
Is San Jose one of the healthiest U.S. cities?
San Jose has made the top 25 in a nationwide healthiest city survey, but advocates say deep inequities still persist. San Jose ranks 22nd in a study compiled by personal finance outlet WalletHub, which pitted 182 of the nation’s most populous cities against each other on various health metrics, such as available health care, healthy...