A resolution to support San Jose’s LGBTQ+ community sparked an emotional outcry from residents and politicians. The San Jose City Council this week unanimously declared its support for transgender and broader LGBTQ+ communities after a wave of hateful remarks from a conservative parents group, Informed Parents of Silicon Valley. Councilmembers Pam Foley and Omar Torres...
San Jose affordable housing for families to break ground
A busy San Jose thoroughfare will see an infusion of affordable housing as the city faces a lofty goal to build tens of thousands of low-income homes. The San Jose City Council this week approved the last piece of financing for a $61 million affordable housing project on South Bascom Avenue called Dry Creek Crossing....
Full transcript: San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s 2023 State of the City
Editor’s Note: This is a transcript of Mayor Matt Mahan’s full 2023 State of the City address. Welcome everyone! I see so many familiar faces here in the audience today. Thank you for showing up again and again to create the change we need in the place we all call home. Over the past few...
San Jose leaders condemn anti-LGBTQ group
San Jose officials are supporting LGBTQ+ communities against discriminatory organizations causing conflict in local schools. Councilmembers Pam Foley and Omar Torres have drafted a resolution supporting LGBTQ+ students in reaction to the efforts of Informed Parents of Silicon Valley to ban LGBTQ+ themed books and encourage parents to opt out of LGBTQ+ supportive school curriculum....
San Jose could allow homeless residents to sleep outdoors
San Jose is considering adding safe sleeping sites to its long-running list of homelessness responses—an idea officials have shot down before. Amid the city declaring homelessness an emergency last week, local leaders want supervised outdoor living spaces with supportive services for the city’s unhoused residents. Safe sleeping sites are already in place in San Diego and...
A win for San Jose: VTA approves homeless housing site
After a monthslong debate between local leaders, North San Jose is set to receive 200 temporary homes for homeless residents. The VTA board of directors unanimously approved building the homes at its Cerone bus yard on Thursday. The consensus by the 12-person board comes as a surprise after deep political divides and ongoing disputes threatened...
San Jose officials pressure VTA for homeless housing
Whether a result of politics or caution, San Jose’s hopes of opening an interim housing site at a public transit lot in the northern part of the city may not happen exactly how leaders want. The VTA board of directors is voting Thursday on where to build 200 homes for homeless residents. The 12-person board...
San Jose spent $58M on police overtime last year
Scores of San Jose police are making six-figures from overtime pay due to a shortage of sworn officers, and it’s straining the city’s tight budget. The city paid out $58 million in overtime to San Jose Police Department officers last fiscal year, according to City Auditor Joe Rois—a 19% spike compared to the $47 million...
San Jose and unions at odds over program cuts
San Jose leaders voted to eliminate vacant jobs, trim retiree sick leave payouts and claw back outdoor events to close a $2.8 million deficit from pay raises—but policymakers and union bosses can’t agree on whether those cuts were necessary. The cuts to patch up the shortfall and rebalance San Jose’s budget came after a contentious,...
UPDATE: San Jose officials sign off on higher union pay
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan was the lone official to downvote a new contract for unionized city workers, after months of contentious discussions over how the city will afford pay raises for thousands of its employees. The San Jose City Council today ratified labor contracts after coming to a deal with two of the city’s...