A divided San Jose City Council voted 6-4 to appoint outgoing Councilmember Lan Diep to a critical city commission created to significantly challenge San Jose’s government. The council voted unanimously Dec. 15 to appoint 22 other members to the newly-formed Charter Review Commission, but opted to vote for Diep separately because he is a sitting...
San Jose mayor picks defeated councilmember for key panel, raising questions
A last-minute decision by Mayor Sam Liccardo to appoint defeated Councilmember Lan Diep to a critical city commission has some community leaders crying foul. The leaders also allege the mayor might have violated open meeting laws in the process. As mayor, Liccardo is allowed to appoint three people to serve on the 23-member Charter Review...
UPDATE: ‘I am not trying to cripple my successor’ Diep says about San Jose spending plan
After losing re-election, San Jose Councilmember Lan Diep wants to give $440,000 in district funds to the city’s general fund — a move Councilmember-elect David Cohen is calling a Trumpian political ploy. In a memo to the city’s Rules and Open Government Committee, Diep detailed his intent to give his District 4 funds — meant...
San Jose bans natural gas in new commercial buildings
San Jose became the largest city in the country to ban natural gas in commercial buildings, but its plan to keep businesses running during a power outage was criticized by activists and lawmakers. The City Council voted 8-3 on Dec. 1 to approve the ban but in the wake of a public health crisis and...
San Jose talks campaign finance after dramatic and costly election
As San Jose winds down from a feisty and expensive election season, Councilmember Sergio Jimenez asked lawmakers to rethink campaign finance regulations to help restore public trust in local government. “We’ve seen an astonishing amount of money spent on negative, divisive and often — as we all recall — misleading or outright false advertisements,” Jimenez...
How will David Cohen shake up the San Jose City Council?
As the newly-elected David Cohen gears up to represent San Jose’s District 4, political observers look to the past to see where local policymaking is headed. The council for years has been divided across business and labor lines, leading to a handful of 6-5 split decisions in favor of Mayor Sam Liccardo’s voting bloc, which...
What the failure of Prop. 16 means for the future of affirmative action in San Jose
On Election Day, California voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot proposition which would have reversed the state’s 24-year ban on affirmative action programs that use race or gender to decide who deserves a leg up in public employment, contracting and college admissions. Fewer than 44 percent of voters in the state voted to approve Prop. 16...
David Cohen poised to unseat San Jose Councilmember Lan Diep
Incumbant Lan Diep is running a slow and steady race, inching closer to challenger David Cohen, who is still leading the race for City Council District 4. As of 5 p.m. Nov. 6, with 100% of precincts reporting, Diep closed the gap by 73 votes. There are now 530 votes between the candidates, with 73%...
Residents tell San Jose what they want in new police chief as search begins
In its quest to hire its next police chief, San Jose hosted its first virtual community meeting to see what residents are looking for. After months of heated debate surrounding police reform at city council, residents came to the Oct. 21 meeting with a unified message: San Jose needs a police chief who will engage...
UPDATE: San Jose approves plan to keep homeless sheltered through winter and beyond
More than 200 San Jose residents seeking shelter this winter will be guaranteed meals and a place to rest following a decision by city leaders to keep emergency shelters up and running. The San Jose City Council is also looking beyond temporary solutions and unanimously voted Oct. 20 to purchase a 72-unit hotel to use...