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...
San Jose council throws support behind latest plan to address homelessness in county
More than 6,000 people last year were homeless in San Jose — a number that keeps rising amid the coronavirus outbreak— prompting city leaders to set a goal of housing 20,000 people and doubling the number of shelter beds within the next five years. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Aug. 25 to endorse...
San Jose officials support densifying single-family neighborhoods
San Jose took the first step to approve “opportunity housing,” an initiative to increase housing density in single-family neighborhoods — and it could be enacted citywide. “We are voting to explore a process,” said task force member Juan Estrada, who called the motion that was voted on hours later. “We can do better to undo...
UPDATE: San Jose City Council demands release of more police videos
After the police killing of George Floyd sparked protests nationwide filled with tear gas and rubber bullets, San Jose lawmakers demanded transparency from the police department — and, to an extent, they got it. The public can now view footage capturing police use of force at recent protests. On Tuesday, the City Council reviewed which...
San Jose breaks ground on emergency housing for homeless
San Jose took another step to alleviate its homeless housing shortage by breaking ground Monday on the first of three emergency interim housing sites that will accommodate more than 100 beds each. Citing building restriction waivers that made it easier to get the project off the ground, Mayor Sam Liccardo said the houses are being...
San Jose City Council waives outdoor business fees, extends free food, improves virtual meetings
As virtual meetings become the new norm, San Jose leaders voted unanimously Tuesday to make local government more efficient and accessible. Attendees of the July 28 and Aug. 3 City Council sessions might have noticed the meetings are now translated into Spanish and Vietnamese. However, to listen to the Vietnamese translation, Zoom users must select...
Downtown San Jose residents may soon get relief from blaring train horns
To stop blaring train horns from waking San Jose residents at night, a “quiet zone” proposed by city leaders could be created as early as November. According to San Jose Councilmember Raul Peralez, the city submitted a Notice of Intent to designate a partial quiet zone around crossings from Horning Street to North Montgomery Street...
Obama backs local State Senate candidate Ann Ravel
State Senate candidate and attorney Ann Ravel’s list of supporters now includes a prominent national voice and a former U.S. president – Barack Obama. Ravel is set to face off against Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese for the open District 15 seat, which includes San Jose, Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga,...