San Jose can’t keep its story straight when it comes to opening a safe parking site for homeless residents at the Santa Teresa VTA light rail station parking lot. Initially, the project intended to offer refuge to RV dwellers in the surrounding South San Jose neighborhoods. But after the monthlong sweep at Columbus Park forced more...
Can Cindy Chavez catch up in San Jose mayor’s race?
With 90% of ballots counted by Tuesday afternoon, San Jose mayoral candidate Matt Mahan now leads opponent Cindy Chavez by 6,351 votes. As of election week, there were roughly 356,071 outstanding ballots in San Jose, though it’s highly unlikely all of them will be returned. The county mailed 524,698 ballots to registered voters in San...
San Jose could face audit over homeless funds
A California legislator is questioning whether San Jose is wasting millions of dollars in state and federal monies in its efforts to address the homelessness crisis. State Sen. Dave Cortese made a formal request with the state auditor this week to conduct a review of San Jose’s use of funding on emergency housing programs and...
Fact check: San Jose councilmember under fire for absences
San Jose Councilmember Maya Esparza’s attendance is the latest salvo fired by a realtors group backing her political opponent. The California Association of Realtors PAC sent at least two mailers claiming she missed four important votes since she took office on reducing gang crimes, affordable housing and utility hikes. The meetings, which were between June...
Outsiders pour millions into San Jose mayor’s race
Special interests’ spending on the San Jose mayoral race has exceeded $5 million—with most of the money coming from outside the city. After more than a year of campaigning, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez and San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan are locked in a heated, costly—and at times, ugly—competition, with Mayor Sam Liccardo terming out at the end...
San Jose wants to double pot shops to increase revenue
San Jose wants to more than double the number of cannabis dispensaries to increase tax dollars, but officials are struggling to find a policy that works. Last week, the San Jose City Council voted 10-1 to relax various regulations. Councilmember Matt Mahan was the lone dissenter. The new policy aims to change three issues to...
In Silicon Valley life after prison is a complex path
Joseph Vejar didn’t believe the phone call that ultimately led to his freedom. When he called his wife from a Solano prison in late 2020, she told him his case was being reviewed for early release. Vejar was skeptical. After three years in prison, he wasn’t used to getting good news. “I was waiting for...
Reader Panel: San Jose voters prepare for election day
With less than a week until election day, local voters participating in San José Spotlight’s reader panel have mostly made up their minds on key contests. San José Spotlight hosted its fifth panel of six readers on Wednesday to hear their thoughts on the election overall, the ways San Jose mayoral candidates have tried to differentiate...
Dozens of San Jose commission seats are empty
San Jose commissions play a significant role in city government, giving residents an official capacity to provide input on local policies and decisions. But with dozens of vacancies, some worry those voices are missing. San Jose’s 25 active commissions need 289 commissioners, and 59 seats are vacant. This means one out of every five seats...
Mysterious group wants to ‘Take Back San Jose’
A new group has emerged in San Jose politics just in time for a consequential election with an ominous message to “take back” the city—but no one seems to know who is behind it. It started two months ago when signs with a QR code began lining San Jose neighborhoods like Naglee Park. The signs...