Nine months after losing a bid for higher office, San Jose Councilmember Johnny Khamis is running for Santa Clara County supervisor. Khamis, who terms out from the council this month, is running for the District 1 seat held by Supervisor Mike Wasserman, who is terming out. So far, Khamis has raised $32,000 for his supervisorial bid...
Housing program for South Bay veterans marks milestone
During the past five years, Destination: Home and its partners have housed 1,940 homeless veterans, making strides towards eliminating veteran homelessness in Santa Clara County. By partnering with San Jose, Santa Clara County and nonprofit organizations, Destination: Home said it reached a milestone this year: for the first time, it housed more veterans — 341...
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 mayor apologizes for violating COVID-19 guidelines at Thanksgiving dinner
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo violated state public health regulations by attending a Thanksgiving dinner at his parents’ house alongside four other households. An updated state requirement issued Nov. 13 prohibits Californians from hosting private gatherings with more than three households, although it does not limit the number of people at a private gathering. The...
San Jose mayor and police chief push sanctuary policy changes following fatal stabbing
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and Police Chief Eddie Garcia are demanding Santa Clara County change its sanctuary city policy — for the second time in a little more than a year — after discovering the suspect arrested for a fatal stabbing spree at Grace Baptist Church is undocumented. The suspect, Fernando Lopez, allegedly stabbed five...
Matt Mahan prepares to take office as new District 10 councilmember
While dozens of local candidates battled it out in November, Matt Mahan quietly prepared to move into his council office and take the reins from termed-out Councilmember Johnny Khamis. The new Almaden Valley councilmember handily won his election in March and has since sat in on District 10 meetings to pick up where Khamis left...
San Jose invests in wind energy from New Mexico
By the end of 2021, thousands of San Jose homes will be powered by renewable wind energy — generated by a fleet of turbines 1,000 miles away in New Mexico. Since its launch in 2019, San Jose Clean Energy, the city’s electricity supplier, has invested in renewable energy such as solar and battery storage but the new...
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...
San Jose starts talks on police misconduct under Measure G
Now that voters overwhelmingly passed Measure G to expand the authority of the independent police auditor, city leaders are charging forward with plans to take police misconduct investigations out of the hands of the San Jose Police Department and ensure officers are fired or disciplined following abuses of power. The city’s Rules and Open Government...
San Jose to study how Google project might benefit residents
The San Jose City Council met on Monday to discuss evolving plans for the massive Google and transit projects set to reinvent the face of downtown. Changes to the area surrounding Diridon Station have triggered community anxieties—and most recently roused the concern of the San Jose Sharks. The hockey team worried the long-term construction could...