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...
San Jose’s Viva Calle faces chopping block
San Jose is planning cuts to a beloved parks program to compensate for raises for its unionized workers—a move that leaders warned would happen in the wake of contentious contract negotiations. Viva Calle returns for the final installment of the year Sunday. The event will shut down about six miles of streets to traffic through...
San Jose pickleball players upset over city rules
A skirmish has broken out on one of San Jose’s most popular pickleball courts between players and the city—and it can’t be settled with a score. Citywide Sports, an offshoot of the San Jose parks department that handles field reservations, is asking pickleballers at Paul Moore Park to break down their nets every day to keep...
San Jose political divide snarls mayor’s plans
The power dynamic between San Jose’s two political factions is shifting. For the first time in years, labor has the upper hand over business interests—and some believe it’ll stay that way. The political fight over raises for city workers ended earlier this month in what was presented as a united victory between the San Jose City...
San Jose’s Trash Punx brings new twist to garbage removal
One man is working to make San Jose and the world cleaner, one piece of trash at a time. All his life, San Jose resident Justin Imamura has been motivated to give back to the community and care for the environment. He leads The Trash Punx, a San Jose nonprofit dedicated to both. It hosts waterway...
Why don’t all San Jose elected officials pay their interns?
Student interns eagerly enter San Jose City Hall year-round with dreams of launching their political careers, but only some leave with a paycheck. On the 18th floor of city hall, there are currently 66 student interns who work for councilmembers or the mayor—and about 60% are paid for their time. Just seven interns receive hourly pay...
New Silicon Valley leader to tackle bike safety
Clarrissa Cabansagan began riding a bicycle at seven years old. Fast forward 30 years and not only is biking part of her daily life, she has also spent her adult years finding ways for bike transit to be safer across the Bay Area. It’s that same commitment she carries with her as she takes charge of...
San Jose leaders back legislation for speed cameras
Over the last several years San Jose has watched its traffic fatalities in the city increase exponentially. Now city officials are banking on a state bill to move those numbers downward. In an effort to lower fatalities, city leaders are supporting Assembly Bill 645, which would establish a pilot program for speed safety cameras in San...
The first six months: San Jose Councilmember Domingo Candelas
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a San José Spotlight series examining the newest San Jose councilmembers and their first six months in office. District 8 San Jose Councilmember Domingo Candelas hasn’t moved far from his Evergreen childhood home. Growing up in the Brigadoon neighborhood in southeast San Jose, the freshman councilmember attended Evergreen Valley High School...
San Jose residents are obsessed with pickleball
Pop, shuffle, whoops of victory. Those are the sounds of San Jose’s latest sport on the rise: pickleball. Pickleball, a combination of tennis, table tennis and badminton, ranks as the fastest growing sport nationwide for the last three years by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association—and San Jose has thousands of fans. With 58 courts...