Despite growing calls for San Jose to divest public funds from certain companies, the City Council has decided to hold off — for now — on making any major changes to the city’s investment portfolio. The decision Tuesday came as a setback to supporters of a proposal that would have seen the city gradually phase...
UPDATE: San Jose prepares to strip public tributes to Cesar Chavez
San Jose leaders are advancing plans to start scrubbing late labor leader Cesar Chavez’s name from the city following recent allegations of abuse. The San Jose Rules and Open Government Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved moving forward with the early stages of taking Chavez’s name off city-owned sites, such as Plaza de Cesar Chavez in...
Rifts emerge in San Jose budget talks
The fault lines are beginning to show as San Jose leaders continue budget talks that must balance a $56 million deficit. After lengthy deliberations Tuesday, the City Council ultimately approved Mayor Matt Mahan’s March budget message — a document that will set the terms of the city’s budget debate in the coming months. However, the...
San Jose candidates share plans at District 9 forum
Candidates running to represent District 9 on the San Jose City Council shared competing visions for public safety, housing and the city’s finances during a candidate forum. The March 9 discussion, hosted by San José Spotlight and the League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara, brought five candidates to the Camden Community Center to...
San Jose District 9 candidate promises ‘data driven’ leadership
As Rick Ator drives around the quiet tree-lined streets that crisscross District 9’s picturesque suburban neighborhoods, he notices the problems that aren’t getting solved — derelict cars left unmoved for months and unsightly plastic “quick-build” road improvements that never seem to get replaced with permanent materials. In such moments, he said he often asks himself the...
Mallon: Six years later, speeding up San Jose transit is finally paying off
In 2019, I learned about transit signal priority — a technology that gives buses priority at intersections so they don’t sit at red signals unnecessarily. At the time, I was a 22-year-old college student who rode VTA every day and wished the buses would run faster. At the time, there was a lot of discussion...
Serial entrepreneur seeks District 9 San Jose council seat
Serial entrepreneur, classic car collector, TV host, civic organizer — lifelong San Jose resident Mike Hennessy has worn a lot of hats over the years. Now, he said that wide-ranging experience has prepared him well to step into yet another role: District 9 councilmember. “I know I can add some common sense,” Hennessy, 70, told...
San Jose faces tough choices to balance budget shortfall
San Jose leaders are warning of “tough” financial decisions and “hard choices” as this year’s budget season officially gets underway. The months-long process kicked off Thursday with a special study session considering how to balance a projected deficit of up to $65 million. While the city managed to balance last year’s shortfall without laying off any workers,...
Follow the money in San Jose’s City Council races
A political newcomer is leading the fundraising pack in the race for this year’s sole open seat on the San Jose City Council, as incumbents in other districts raise funds to fend off rivals. The first round of campaign filings for the 2026 election cycle, submitted ahead of a Monday deadline, show candidates have raised...
San Jose wants industrial land exempt from housing law
With just five months before landmark housing legislation takes effect throughout California, San Jose officials are racing to exempt broad swaths of the city from the law. Sen. Scott Wiener’s Senate Bill 79, signed into law in October, aims to encourage denser housing construction around transit hubs. In San Jose, the law would cover 40,000...