San Jose will spend millions to upgrade dirty and dilapidated elevators at three downtown parking garages. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved a $4.5 million contract yesterday to refurbish 11 elevators at three city-owned parking garages. About half are more than 50 years old, with two built in 1965. The typical lifespan for elevator...
UPDATE: San Jose offers to reevaluate police reforms
San Jose leaders are reopening talks on the status of hundreds of proposed police reforms to ensure they are swiftly addressed and true to their original intent. The goal is to broker a meeting between city officials and advocates pushing to modernize policing in San Jose in the next month, said Peter Hamilton, an assistant...
San Jose political divide snarls mayor’s plans
The power dynamic between San Jose’s two political factions is shifting. For the first time in years, labor has the upper hand over business interests—and some believe it’ll stay that way. The political fight over raises for city workers ended earlier this month in what was presented as a united victory between the San Jose City...
San Diego, Hawaii, San Jose? Top cities for babymooning
San Jose is home to many tourist attractions—whether it’s strolling through the famous rose garden or playing with gadgets at the Tech Interactive — but a new study has named the city as one of the best places to squeeze in a last vacation for soon-to-be parents. San Jose ranks No. 11 in top places...
How much are the top San Jose employees paid?
As San Jose braces for budget deficits in the coming year, the city broke its record in employee compensation last year with 63 employees earning an annual salary of more than $400,000. Of the top 100 highest-paid city employees, 93 work in public safety—69 in the police department and 24 in the fire department. The only...
San Jose closing the digital divide one home at a time
San Jose leaders are delivering resources directly to residents’ front doors to help close the digital divide. Mayor Matt Mahan and Congressman Jimmy Panetta canvassed around Edenvale in South San Jose today, where a third of residents could qualify for a federal program that subsidizes Wi-Fi bills by $30 a month. There are 30,000 households in...
Police shooting hits home for San Jose legislator
Assemblymember Evan Low, like other San Jose residents, first heard of yesterday’s officer-involved shooting on the news. Then he received a phone call from his older brother, Officer Ryan Low, 42, who’s been with the San Jose Police Department for eight years. “(He said) ‘I’m involved in an incident, I can’t tell you any more, talk...
San Jose’s oldest park remains in disrepair
One of California’s oldest municipal parks in San Jose is still in disrepair after suffering damages from historic rain storms and ongoing neglect by the city. Alum Rock Park in the foothills of the Diablo mountains was one of the hardest hit areas by the January storms and has yet to make a full recovery....
How Live Nation almost took over San Jose venue
Newly obtained information reveals how Live Nation, a large live entertainment company, attempted to take over a key entertainment venue in San Jose in 2021. Emails withheld by the city and released to San José Spotlight after a judge’s ruling show Live Nation approached Team San Jose, a nonprofit that manages the city’s arts and...
Advocates say San Jose homeless ban at schools doesn’t solve problem
San Jose officials are considering banning homeless encampments and RVs around schools even as homeless advocates decry the move, saying it further criminalizes an already marginalized group of people. A proposal to prohibit homeless people and their vehicle dwellings within 150 feet of most city preschools, day cares and K-12 schools will go before the San Jose City Council in coming weeks after it...