A coalition of powerful Silicon Valley leaders want to name the new BART station in San Jose after ex-Mayor Ron Gonzales. After all, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown gave Gonzales the nickname “Mayor BART.” Pete Carrillo, principal of consultancy Silicon Valley Advisors, this month launched an email campaign, gaining support from political leaders, activists...
San Jose musician shot in the eye while playing music during protests
Armed with his Ibanez guitar and a harmonica around his neck, Joseph Cañas happily strummed protest songs on May 29, boosting morale and lifting spirits amid a chorus of Black Lives Matter chants. The 25-year-old was one of hundreds of demonstrators marching on the first day of weeklong protests in San Jose over the police...
Silicon Valley trade school that trains essential workers at risk of closure
A longtime Silicon Valley trade school that trains essential workers such as electricians, mechanics and nurses could soon close its doors, the latest casualty of the coronavirus pandemic that’s swept the world. But its leaders are fighting for a chance to survive another year. Officials from the Metropolitan Education District (MetroED) are asking the city of San Jose and...
San Jose lawmakers to propose ban on rubber bullets in crowds
A San Jose lawmaker learned someone is always listening over Zoom — and he revealed not-yet-public plans to ban rubber bullets by city police to break up crowds. Councilmember Raul Peralez was overheard discussing a plan with Mayor Sam Liccardo to restrict rubber bullets in crowds after he left himself unmuted on Zoom during the City...
Public rallies to defund San Jose police
A San Jose schoolteacher asked city leaders at Tuesday’s City Council meeting if Police Chief Eddie Garcia thought it was OK for teachers to use rubber bullets on students throwing water bottles in class after the city’s top law enforcement leaders justified officers’ use-of-force at recent protests. Following a presentation on police use-of-force, the comment...
San Jose lawmaker proposes reallocating district funds for citywide use
Facing the perils of a looming $71.6 million deficit, a San Jose lawmaker is proposing to divert councilmembers’ unused district funds into the city’s budget. For the 2019-2020 fiscal year, each councilmember received $661,272 to pay for staff salaries, supplies, services and programs for residents in their districts. But the funds, which are replenished every year,...
San Jose approves sweeping changes to the planning commission
Major changes are coming to one of San Jose’s most powerful commissions after lawmakers earlier this month approved long-awaited reforms to make it more inclusive. After facing widespread criticism stemming from San José Spotlight’s reporting on the lack of geographic and ethnic diversity on the San Jose Planning Commission, the City Council approved expanding the...
San Jose mayor supports police department reform, not defunding
The San Jose Police Department won’t be defunded anytime soon if Mayor Sam Liccardo has his way. Instead, the mayor is pushing for reform through policy changes and a critical review of the department’s use-of-force policies. A proposal introduced Friday would require the department to explain its decision to use rubber bullets, tear gas, riot gear, batons, flash-bangs and other...
Santa Clara County health officials criticized for rollout of latest shelter-in-place order
Santa Clara County and San Jose elected leaders this month criticized local public health officials over a lack of clarity and adequate notice in their plans to ease shelter-in-place restrictions due to COVID-19. The criticism, which follows relative strong support for local measures taken to stop the coronavirus spread by health officials, began at the...
From the editor: San Jose police detention of journalists is City Hall’s problem
The morning after one of our freelance reporters covering the George Floyd protests was detained by San Jose police and left on the ground, my phone lit up from a text message from Police Chief Eddie Garcia. “Ramona, saw you tweet last night,” he wrote. “Getting more information on all of that. Let me know...