In a stunning move Sunday night, a leading Evergreen education leader revoked her endorsement of San Jose City Councilmember Sylvia Arenas, who is facing re-election in 2020. Evergreen School Board President Bonnie Mace announced she’s withdrawing her support for Arenas and opting instead for a sole endorsement of her challenger Jim Zito, also an Evergreen...
Dueling endorsements in San Jose City Council race
San Jose Councilmember Sylvia Arenas and her opponent Jim Zito have nearly nothing in common. She’s a progressive Democrat. He’s a fiscally-conservative Republican. He’s earning the backing of the business lobby, including the Silicon Valley Organization, while she continues to be a labor union favorite. They differ ideologically on some social issues, how the city...
San Jose approves plan to double electric charging stations
As greenhouse gas emissions hike up the earth’s temperature, San Jose leaders eagerly push for greener energy initiatives to combat the region’s increasingly warmer climate. As a result, the City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously in favor of implementing the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP), a state-sponsored program that allows qualifying cities across California to...
Evergreen trustee Jim Zito is running for San Jose City Council
San Jose Councilmember Sylvia Arenas dodged a rival earlier this month when Rose Herrera confirmed she won’t challenge Arenas’ re-election next year. But that relief didn’t last long. About a week later, a new, formidable opponent jumped into the San Jose City Council District 8 race — Republican Jim Zito. He told San José Spotlight...
National and state leaders endorse San Jose’s fair elections initiative
State and national lawmakers from Silicon Valley gathered in front of San Jose City Hall on Friday to announce their support for an initiative top labor leaders in the South Bay say will put a cap on money in politics and increase voter turnout by shifting mayoral elections to presidential years. The measure, called the...
San Jose legislator’s bill to ban tiny toiletries signed into law
Those tiny bottles of shampoo inside California hotel rooms will soon be a thing of the past after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed a landmark bill crafted by a Silicon Valley legislator. Assembly Bill 1162, authored by San Jose Assemblymember Ash Kalra, bans single-use plastic bottles used for personal care products in an attempt...
Hundreds marched through downtown San Jose for climate strike
Hundreds of climate protestors marched from Diridon Station to City Hall in a climate strike Friday afternoon, one of dozens of environmental protests planned around the Bay Area. “We need to save our world,” said Devon Johnson, 22. “Nothing’s really working, so we need to pull out all the stops. We need to be making this...
The future of Coyote Valley a hot topic during San Jose forum
The fate of Coyote Valley has been looming over San Jose residents’ heads for more than 40 years, dividing the city on whether to preserve or develop the 7,000 acre plot of mostly undeveloped land out on the fringes of south San Jose. Thursday night, that debate sparked to life as experts and policymakers gathered...
San Jose mayor proposes mandatory gun liability insurance
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo unveiled a gun safety proposal Monday that he knows won’t “suddenly end gun violence” — but will ensure the nation’s 10th largest city will stop paying for it. Liccardo is suggesting San Jose require gun owners in the city to carry mandatory liability insurance for weapons or pay an in-lieu...
Youngest contender emerges in San Jose Council race
Marshall Woodmansee is expected to become the youngest candidate in the 2020 local elections after he filed papers on Wednesday to run for San Jose City Council. In an interview with San José Spotlight, Woodmansee said he wants to inspire the youth in his community to know they hold the power in deciding their future....