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A controversial plan for a 6-story hotel on Winchester Boulevard in San Jose will not move forward after strong opposition from nearby residents. On Tuesday, councilmembers unanimously approved rezoning a 0.69-acre parcel at 1212 S. Winchester Blvd. from residential to commercial development, but rejected a plan to build a 119-room hotel on the plot. The...
UPDATE: San Jose to explore extending voting rights to noncitizens
San Jose will explore a proposal to allow immigrants who are not U.S. citizens to participate in local elections. After hours of passionate public testimony, the City Council voted 10-1 Tuesday night to explore a plan proposed by Councilmembers Magdalena Carrasco and Sylvia Arenas to extend voting rights to noncitizen residents. Councilmember Dev Davis casted...
San Jose Vietnamese residents celebrate new community garden
Although plans to resume construction at the Viet Heritage Garden remain on hold, residents can now enjoy farming vegetables and herbs at a community garden at the corner of the vacant land. Roughly 50 residents joined Councilmember Maya Esparza in celebrating the opening of the community garden Saturday morning. “Happy New Year, and thank you...
San José Spotlight receives half-million grant from American Journalism Project
San José Spotlight has received a $500,000 grant from the American Journalism Project, the nation’s largest venture philanthropy dedicated to local news. The grant will allow the South Bay’s only nonprofit newsroom to hire a revenue development professional and audience growth specialist to expand its reach—both topically and geographically. The American Journalism Project (AJP) announced four new...
San Jose extends Coyote Creek Trail, adds patrol program
In an effort to encourage residents to use a new section of the Coyote Creek Trail, San Jose is partnering with Valley Water to start a police patrol around the area that was once the region’s largest homeless encampment. The patrol program, which costs $800,000, is part of the city’s new safety plan for the...
San Jose lawmakers move domestic violence records request behind closed doors
Advocates are upset that San Jose lawmakers have spent months denying body camera footage to a survivor of domestic violence, forcing her to argue her case in a public forum. The city’s Rules and Open Government Committee agreed Wednesday to address a California Public Records Act request filed by a survivor of domestic violence in...
San Jose shop owners hope for revival as Post Street reopens to cars
A stretch of Post Street in downtown San Jose closed for outdoor dining since 2020 will reopen to traffic by the end of this week, while other streets in the Al Fresco program will remain closed. On Thursday early afternoon, the one-way street between First Street and Lightston Alley sat almost empty, as barrels used as...
Longtime political figure joins race for San Jose City Council seat
Rosemary Kamei, who’s represented Silicon Valley in a variety of public roles, is throwing her hat into the District 1 San Jose City Council race. Kamei brings 30 years of experience in local politics from having served on Morgan Hill’s Planning Commission and Valley Water board to most recently sitting on the Santa Clara County...
San Jose’s idea to launch a public bank is off the table
San Jose lawmakers explored forming a public bank a few years ago, but it went nowhere. The idea was introduced by Councilmembers Magdalena Carrasco, Sergio Jimenez and Raul Peralez in a 2019 memo, after San Jose received information that led to the city exploring a banking contract with JPMorgan Chase. The institution had been accused...
San Jose committee halts Charcot Avenue extension
Contentious plans for the Charcot Avenue Extension project in North San Jose are reaching the end of the road. San Jose’s Rules and Open Government Committee on Wednesday unanimously recommended the city halt plans to build an overpass that would cross over Interstate Highway 880 from Paragon Drive to Oakland Road and divert the remaining...