San Jose’s new iconic landmark has cleared another hurdle but will now face environmental analysis. Councilmembers on Tuesday unanimously approved “The Breeze of Innovation,” a project that won an international competition launched in 2019 for a new landmark at Arena Green, located at the southern tip of Guadalupe River Park. The council’s unanimous vote will...
San Jose lawmaker to moonlight as a realtor
San Jose Councilmember Sergio Jimenez is starting a new venture as a realtor for Abitano Group at Compass — and he’s not the only Silicon Valley lawmaker moonlighting on the side. Jimenez said he is a part-time realtor, and his “number one priority” is his work at City Hall. “I have a deep obligation I take very...
What stocks do San Jose lawmakers own?
San Jose elected officials can hold stocks, but at what point does it interfere with their work? Stock ownership became an issue for the San Jose City Council in February when two members abruptly recused themselves from a vote on hazard pay for grocery workers due to a potential conflict of interest. “That was a learning lesson for me,”...
How San Jose mayor’s ally helped Bloom Energy skirt a natural gas ban
Two weeks before San Jose passed a landmark ban on natural gas for new commercial buildings, city officials introduced an exemption that benefited a local energy company, Bloom Energy, whose vice president is a personal friend to the mayor. And the way they did it shows the stark difference in access granted to political insiders...
San Jose trash rates expected to increase due to household waste, improper recycling
San Jose residents will likely pay more to get their garbage and recycling picked up from the curb next year. Thanks to increased single-family household waste and contaminated recyclables during the pandemic, the San Jose City Council accepted a report Monday that higher garbage rates are likely unavoidable, despite the financial strains residents are feeling....
South Bay residents worry Opportunity Housing will worsen parking and traffic
South San Jose residents voiced fears about parking, traffic and development during a Monday night community meeting on Opportunity Housing, a controversial initiative to increase the number of homes that can be built in single-family neighborhoods. “I don’t care who lives in my neighborhood,” resident Christina Ferrigno said. “What I do mind is if a...
San Jose will draft new law to stop illegal sideshow promoters
Many residents around San Jose may know the sounds of illegal street racing all too well: cars revving, tires screeching and even worse, guns firing. On Tuesday, the San Jose City Council unanimously approved drafting a new law that seeks to put an end to the chaos before it even starts. Police data shows people...
Behind closed doors: These are San Jose’s top 10 lobbyists
In the heart of Silicon Valley, local policies and laws, especially on land use and the economy, shape our way of life. But key policy discussions don’t always happen in public. Despite a global pandemic shuttering in-person meetings for more than a year, a data analysis by San José Spotlight found lobbying remains to be...
San Jose development leaves residents, local groups wanting more
Renee Heymann, owner of K9 Keep Fit, a dog daycare across the street from the Cambrian Park Plaza in San Jose, relies on the plaza’s iconic carousel sign to tell customers where her business is. “It’s nostalgic,” Heymann said of the plaza. “Everyone knows this place. It has a quaintness to it.” A massive redevelopment of...
San Jose police expect rise in sexual assault reports as shelter in place lifts
As Santa Clara County moves into the less restrictive orange tier, San Jose police are bracing for an alarming uptick in reports of sexual violence. Police suspect many cases of sexual violence that took place in 2020 behind closed doors have gone unreported due to shelter in place orders. “When the COVID-19 pandemic began, there was...