Vehicles won’t be towed or have their registration denied due to a few parking tickets if a proposed state bill passes. For low-income families, this could prevent the loss of livelihood and housing instability. Assembly Bill 1082, authored by San Jose Assemblymember Ash Kalra, would prohibit towing or immobilizing vehicles due to unpaid parking tickets. If approved,...
Silicon Valley’s Central Bikeway could be a game changer
Santa Clara County residents could soon ride on the region’s first bicycle superhighway. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority could approve the basic design of the Central Bikeway—a 10-mile stretch of protected bike lanes between San Jose and Santa Clara—as soon as next month. VTA’s bicycle advisory committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend the transit...
San Jose gives new airline room to fly
San Jose officials waived more than $1 million in fees for Spirit Airlines as the company takes off at San Jose Mineta International Airport. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to grant the airline approximately $1.7 million in fee waivers and marketing dollars. Airport and city officials said the waivers will incentivize more...
Will San Jose ever connect its two transit hubs?
In the year 2030, a woman walks from her apartment in downtown San Jose to Diridon Station, where she zips toward San Jose Mineta International Airport and arrives within five minutes for her flight. This is the future imagined by proponents of the airport connector, a direct shuttle service between San Jose’s main train station...
State bill would automate speed enforcement in San Jose
San Jose resident Limin Cao was walking with her daughter and their dog on a marked crosswalk on Blossom Hill Road on March 26 when Cao and the dog were struck and killed by a car, which fled from the scene. To help reduce deaths like these, the San Jose City Council is supporting Assembly...
State to audit Santa Clara County public transit agency
Santa Clara County’s largest public transit agency will be audited by the state as one lawmaker looks to change up how it’s run. A state committee voted Wednesday to have the California State Auditor review the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) related to concerns about the agency’s governance structure, planning and fiscal management. Assemblymember...
Amid ridership drop, VTA defends BART extension
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is working to reassure taxpayers their dollars are not going to waste after a federal agency undercut its ridership estimate for the BART extension through downtown San Jose by more than 20,000 passengers per day. “I want to make sure that the public understands concepts thoroughly and doesn’t have...
‘We will sue you’: VTA strong-arming San Jose property owners to sell
As the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority prepares to bring BART through downtown San Jose, some property owners claim the agency is refusing to negotiate terms. The second phase of the BART extension to San Jose brings the Bay Area rail line through downtown along Santa Clara Street, a stretch that will displace a number...
Deadly San Jose road to get makeover
San Jose is gearing up to address safety concerns along one of the region’s deadliest roads. Congressmembers Zoe Lofgren, Anna Eshoo and Jimmy Panetta announced last week San Jose will receive a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help convert Monterey Road from a highway into a boulevard in an effort to...
San Jose’s low-budget airline could boost tourism
San Jose Mineta International Airport is adding Spirit Airlines to its carriers—and some say that’s not necessarily the best news. “I’ve flown on Spirit a couple times, and it wasn’t a good experience,” said Christian Hoang, a San Jose resident going to school out of state. “If you’re looking for the best price, they have...