San Jose city officials and business leaders on Thursday unveiled a new “innovation zone” on the city’s west side, where companies can test new technology and the onetime Century 21 theater building may become a new “Innovation Hub.” The new innovation zone, announced by San Jose Vice Mayor Chappie Jones and Councilmember Dev Davis will...
Khamis: Potential highway/streets funding diversion — and how I’m fighting it
We have an important vote coming up at City Council on Jan. 28 when we will decide whether to discuss a memo I authored, along with my colleagues, Vice Mayor Chappie Jones and Councilmembers Dev Davis and Pam Foley. We are calling on VTA to keep its commitment to the voters who approved 2016’s Measure...
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UPDATE: San Jose approves purchase of affordable Curtner Studio Apartments
The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the purchase of an apartment complex to convert it to a 100 percent supportive housing development at its last meeting of the year, securing nearly $15 million in funds for the project from Santa Clara County. Mayor Sam Liccardo was absent from Tuesday’s meeting. The councilmembers...
San Jose City Council candidates rally for support in San José Spotlight forum
Fourteen candidates vying for a seat on the San Jose City Council fielded rapid-fire questions about homelessness, public safety, environmental issues, taxes and development in a two-hour discussion hosted by San José Spotlight. The Dec. 5 forum, held at CreaTV San Jose’s downtown studios and moderated by San Jose City Hall reporter Nadia Lopez, was...
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UPDATE: Lawmakers approve San Jose mayor’s spending plan for proposed tax
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo’s support for a real property transfer tax has been gaining more traction, as several community leaders, housing advocates and formerly homeless people lined up to speak next to the mayor at a news conference Tuesday to support using the funds generated from the tax toward affordable housing projects and homeless...
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San Jose lawmakers approve new tax for primary ballot
A hotly contested real property transfer tax will be placed on the March 2020 ballot, but it wasn’t easy getting there. Several lawmakers reignited a debate Tuesday around putting the measure on the ballot before settling on a draft. In a 8-3 vote, the councilors approved the ballot draft language for next year’s primary election,...
Sam Liccardo endorses Jim Zito over his colleague Sylvia Arenas
Self-described fiscal conservative Jim Zito is eyeing San Jose Councilmember Sylvia Arenas’ seat and a powerful coalition of endorsements — including from Mayor Sam Liccardo — might help him score a spot on the 11-member council. The mayor joined Zito to officially kick off his campaign to unseat Arenas last week at the Curry Pizza...
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After heated debate, San Jose approves drafting new property tax measure
San Jose lawmakers Tuesday voted 8-2 to put a new property transfer tax applying to all properties valued at $2 million or more on the March 2020 ballot, following a heated debate on tax burdening residents and how city funds are used to solve the region’s housing crisis. Councilmembers Johnny Khamis and Sergio Jimenez voted...
Split San Jose housing vote highlights political divide
Silicon Valley’s biggest business lobby and its largest labor special interest group are rarely on the same side of contentious public policy issues. And last week’s 6-5 vote of the San Jose City Council on a suite of housing policy changes was no exception to that rule. So it’s no surprise The Silicon Valley Organization...
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San Jose lawmakers study sexual assault data amid spike in rapes
In a heavy-hearted conversation on sexual assault Tuesday, the City Council unanimously approved the findings of two reports from the San Jose Police Department on the spike in rapes and child molestation across the city, where at least half of the reported victims are children under the age of 14. Councilmembers Johnny Khamis, Dev Davis,...