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....
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New #SanJoseSong featuring New Zealander raises concerns
San Jose’s tourism leaders are trying to get more people talking about and visiting the city. People are definitely talking now. For many in the 10th largest city in America, San Jose is their hometown. For Grace Kelly, that’s not the case. That’s why people are sounding off about the city’s new music promo, featuring...
Silicon Valley has no women in state Capitol. This group is changing that.
While the Bay Area is known for its diversity in language and ethnicity, the state legislators representing districts from San Francisco to San Jose have at least one thing in common. They’re all men. As elections for the California State Legislature approach next year, Close The Gap, a group that scouts and grooms women to run...
San Jose: Hundreds rally for charter schools amid scrutiny from Sacramento
With charter schools increasingly under scrutiny in Sacramento, hundreds of charter school families, dressed in purple, orange and green, rallied in downtown San Jose Friday to stand up for their rights. The state Legislature is considering two bills, AB 1505 and AB 1507, which would further regulate charter schools. AB 1505 would repeal provisions allowing the state...
Top takeaways from blistering state audit of Alum Rock School District
Another chapter in the long history of mismanagement and financial woes in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District was written this week in the form of an audit from state officials. The story was a familiar one for those following the troubled East San Jose district: ARUSD officials’ mismanagement of contracts cost the district...
San Jose could be exempt from CEQA for homeless housing under proposed bill
In what could be another tool to address homelessness in San Jose, state representatives for the city are hoping to pass an amended bill that will exempt certain regulations for building homeless shelters. Assembly Bill 143 amends existing laws to grant cities and counties an exemption from certain building regulations and environmental analysis under the...