A San Jose housing operator is receiving millions in funding to address homelessness, despite growing concerns by city officials about the nonprofit’s performance and racial profiling allegations. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to allocate $6.2 million to HomeFirst to continue operating four interim housing sites through next June. Several councilmembers shared...
San Jose landmark faces pushback from Chavez family
It’s been four years since officials unveiled an ambitious proposal to build a world-class landmark in Silicon Valley, but a new dispute over who should manage Plaza de Cesar Chavez may further delay the project. The organizers of the “The Breeze of Innovation”—a design that would use hundreds of swaying rods powered by wind to...
San Jose officials to consider easing cannabis fines
San Jose will consider reducing fines for regulated cannabis dispensaries to help them become more financially lucrative. The Public Safety, Finance and Strategic Support Committee, composed of five San Jose councilmembers, unanimously recommended reducing fines on legal dispensaries, among other ideas to ease the burden on cannabis sellers. The city council on Nov. 14 will...
San Jose is one of the nation’s greenest cities
San Jose places in the top 10 overall “greenest” cities in the country. The city ranked sixth out of the 100 most populous cities in the country based on a combination of four factors — environment, transportation, energy sources, and lifestyle and policy — according to a new ranking from personal finance outlet WalletHub. San...
Beloved San Jose burger joint set to close
A Blossom Hill burger joint that has been a go-to since before fast food was even a thing is calling it quits. The Burger Pit, a South Bay staple since the 1950s, will close its doors for good next April, according to co-owner Paul Berger. He’s been working the grill and serving the eatery’s half-pound...
Full transcript: San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s 2023 State of the City
Editor’s Note: This is a transcript of Mayor Matt Mahan’s full 2023 State of the City address. Welcome everyone! I see so many familiar faces here in the audience today. Thank you for showing up again and again to create the change we need in the place we all call home. Over the past few...
The Biz Beat: Milohas in San Jose makes divine empanadas
As you enter Milohas Pastries in San Jose, the enchanting aroma of fresh-baked empanadas fills your senses long before you can take in the display cases packed with a bounty of the golden brown pastries. They range from sweet and savory Colombian standards to imaginative takes on calzone ingredients. “People would come in, thinking we...
San Jose mayor tough on crime in first formal address
Drawing on violence in the Middle East, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan on Saturday doubled down on a promise to bolster public safety by hiring more cops, holding repeat offenders accountable and cracking down on drugs during his first formal address. “We’ve recently collaborated to update the booking process to ensure that the DA and...
Union leaders reject San Jose mayor’s olive branch
It looks like no matter what San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan does, he cannot win favor in the eyes of his labor counterparts. Mahan invited four labor groups representing VTA workers to receive an award for collaborating to secure more housing options for homeless people in San Jose at the Cerone VTA yard earlier this...
San Jose wants to be the center of the AI boom
San Francisco is the self-proclaimed artificial intelligence capital of the world—but San Jose is looking to clinch that title in the coming years. In an effort to attract the next generation of AI startups to the South Bay, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan wants San Jose to explore creating incentives for AI companies to move or...