With Election Day little more than a month away, it’s time to make sure you’re registered to vote, you know what will be on the Nov. 3 ballot and how to cast your ballot. To register, go to www.registertovote.ca.gov. Voters must also re-register to vote if they are changing political parties. All registered voters in...
UPDATE: San Jose council OKs anti-displacement plan to protect renters, landlords
Amid a housing crisis exacerbated by COVID-19, San Jose leaders approved a 10-part plan to provide rent relief and give nonprofits first dibs on property that goes on the market. The anti-displacement plan was approved Sept. 23 past the 12 a.m. curfew in a 10-1 vote. Councilmember Johnny Khamis cast the lone dissenting vote. Displacement...
San Jose candidates for local, state offices face off on racial justice, affordable housing
Eight South Bay candidates competing in state and local races tackled questions on economic recovery, climate change, racial justice, housing and transportation in a two-and-a-half hour discussion hosted by San José Spotlight. The Sept.16 forum was held virtually and moderated by City Hall reporter Carly Wipf and Michael Lane, San Jose director for SPUR. The forum...
San Jose makes dent in low-income housing shortage with grants, developments
San Jose made progress this week in securing housing for low-income, senior and homeless residents. Gov. Gavin Newsom awarded $14.5 million to the city on Sept. 16 to purchase property to house the homeless. Earlier this week the San Jose City Council approved three more affordable housing projects. The city also greelit a revamp of...
Update: Spend $3 million more to pick up San Jose trash, officials recommend
The mayor and three councilmembers are recommending San Jose dump another $3 million to help clean up the city’s trash problem. Mayor Sam Liccardo and councilmembers Lan Diep, Dev Davis and Sergio Jimenez announced the idea Sept. 14 amid mounting complaints about the city wide trash buildup. “There’s no shortage of San Jose property that...
New developer fee to fund art in San Jose? District 6 candidates answer in face-off
District 6 City Council candidates took on art — specifically making it more culturally equitable and charging developers a fee to fund it — in a debate hosted by the collaborative San José Arts Advocates. The online discussion between incumbent Dev Davis and challenger Jake Tonkel took on importance given the city has seen a...
What are lobbyists doing at San Jose City Hall? That’s a good question
For months, lobbyists from some of San Jose’s most powerful organizations have privately met with politicians and government officials — and nobody knows why. Week after week, two prominent business groups — the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) and the San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA) — have filled out weekly lobbying disclosures, which require them...
After years of debate, San Jose OKs commercial development fees for affordable housing
After more than five years of stalled talks, San Jose will begin charging commercial developers fees to fund affordable housing — a move housing advocates said is long overdue. Following hours of debate past the 12 a.m. curfew on Sept. 2, the City Council implemented the controversial fees in a 7-4 vote. Councilmembers Raul Peralez,...
Bustamante: Black and brown families can’t afford another giveaway to developers
Today, the San José City Council faces a choice: Will they create thousands of much-needed affordable homes or will they hand yet another giveaway to corporate developers that write big campaign checks? Right now, San Jose is the only major city in Santa Clara County that doesn’t have a commercial linkage fee — a fee...
How did South Bay campaign fundraising fare during the pandemic?
With less than 75 days left before the Nov. 3 general election, recent campaign filings show less than $500,000 in contributions raised between six candidates for San Jose City Council and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors — a potential sign that COVID-19 is draining people’s political giving. Six-figure sums typically are commonplace for...