Politically-active landlords are coordinating a campaign to stop a proposal from California lawmakers to slash yearly rent control caps — and it appears to have worked. While Assemblymember Ash Kalra successfully advocated for his “Affordable Rent Act” proposal Thursday at the state Housing and Community Development Committee, further discussions with the Judiciary Committee led Kalra...
UPDATE: VTA’s legal request to stop strike denied
VTA’s request for the courts to immediately intervene in a weeklong strike has been denied, delaying the potential return of bus and light rail public transit service in the region. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Daniel Nishigaya denied VTA’s request for an injunction Monday afternoon. Nishigaya also ordered representatives from Amalgamated Transit Union Local...
San Jose protest against President Trump draws hundreds
Hundreds of protesters from around Silicon Valley marched through downtown San Jose Monday as part of demonstrations taking place across the country over President Donald Trump and his policies. Holding signs that read “Not my President” and “Fight the Fascists,” roughly 1,500 people gathered outside the San Jose Museum of Art on Presidents Day. More...
San Jose ‘responsible landlord’ initiative could return
San Jose residents want a neighborhood improvement initiative to restart after it sunsetted last June due to lack of funding. Community organizer Jaime Angulo created the Responsible Landlord Engagement Initiative (RLEI) in 2010 to help neighbors resolve issues they faced on their block — whether it was an unruly tenant, a group home where neighbors...
New laws affecting Silicon Valley in 2025
A new year brings new state laws, with Gov. Gavin Newsom signing hundreds of bills addressing many of California’s pressing issues. The bills range from cracking down on crime to creating safer spaces in schools for LGBTQ+ students, all of which will affect Silicon Valley. Here’s a list of some laws that take effect in...
San Jose’s beloved civil rights leader Rev. Jeff Moore dies
Silicon Valley leaders are reeling after the sudden death of the Rev. Jethroe “Jeff” Moore II, a beloved civil rights activist who devoted his life to fighting for social justice and human rights. Moore laid down for a nap a day after Christmas in his favorite chair, friends and family said, and never woke up....
Here’s who’s leading West Valley city council races
The West Valley’s city council races are tight this election season, with some candidates trailing just a few hundred votes behind the leaders — leaving the seats open to change with hundreds of thousands of uncounted ballots remaining. In the contentious race for Cupertino City Council, Councilmember Kitty Moore and former Planning Commissioner R “Ray”...
Meet the candidates running for Campbell City Council
Campbell voters are slated to choose a fresh councilmember this November, with housing among the top issues. Two spots are up for grabs on the Campbell City Council in Districts 1 and 2. Candidates Juan Rodriguez and Terry Hines are vying for the open District 1 seat, with Mayor Susan Landry terming out in December. Vice...
Election 2024: Silicon Valley lawmaker wants to make history in Congress
Congressional candidate Evan Low was driving to a Friday night meet-and-greet when he got the alert. An out-of-state billionaire put seven figures behind Low’s opponent. The news that former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg threw $1.5 million at former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo fired him up. He arrived at the the fashionable Menlo...
Fact check: San Jose congressional candidate’s cop claims disputed
San Jose police staffing levels have become a key dispute in Silicon Valley’s hottest and most unusual election. In a recent campaign TV ad, Congressional District 16 candidate and former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo boasts of adding 200 police officers while representing the city. But the city’s police union and state Assemblymember Ash Kalra,...