Santa Clara County is moving forward with closing the Reid-Hillview Airport in East San Jose, county lawmakers decided Tuesday after hundreds of pleas from the community to use the land for affordable housing and other community needs. The supervisors voted 4-1 to begin preparing for a potential airport closure and begin the planning process for...
How will David Cohen shake up the San Jose City Council?
As the newly-elected David Cohen gears up to represent San Jose’s District 4, political observers look to the past to see where local policymaking is headed. The council for years has been divided across business and labor lines, leading to a handful of 6-5 split decisions in favor of Mayor Sam Liccardo’s voting bloc, which...
Low-income housing gets boost in San Jose plan to spend Measure E tax
Strained to alleviate both pandemic-induced evictions and homelessness, San Jose leaders struggled with how to spend $30 million in new tax dollars before unanimously settling on prioritizing low-income housing over rental assistance. The City Council approved a plan Nov. 10 to allocate money from Measure E, a property transfer tax increase that was approved by...
Otto Lee charges ahead of Chu in Santa Clara County supervisorial race
After being out of office for nine years, former Sunnyvale Mayor Otto Lee appears to be headed for victory in the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors race. Chu faced Assemblymember Kansen Chu in the District 3 race. Lee is ahead with 60.2% of the vote as of 5 p.m. Nov. 5. Chu trailed with...
David Cohen poised to unseat San Jose Councilmember Lan Diep
Incumbant Lan Diep is running a slow and steady race, inching closer to challenger David Cohen, who is still leading the race for City Council District 4. As of 5 p.m. Nov. 6, with 100% of precincts reporting, Diep closed the gap by 73 votes. There are now 530 votes between the candidates, with 73%...
Who is responsible for The SVO’s racist image? They won’t say
Three days after a racist campaign image appeared on The Silicon Valley Organization’s website, the business lobby remains mum about who is responsible. Additionally, campaign finance records show the business group continues to work with a campaign consultant blamed for another racist campaign message posted in February. The most recent image, posted Oct. 27 and...
San Jose lawmakers approve plan to begin city’s redistricting process
After hours of heated debate, the San Jose City Council voted unanimously to create a more transparent redistricting process based on recommendations from California Common Cause, a statewide political advocacy group. Under the plan approved Oct. 28, all San Jose residents can apply to the redistricting commission through a public process where residents can comment...
San Jose City Council: Battle lines being drawn on redistricting
Tasked with the once-in-a-decade challenge of redrawing district lines in San Jose, city leaders are pushing to engage residents in the process. The conversation is important because redistricting could affect how residents, especially people of color, are represented in future elections. Every 10 years, after the U.S. Census is complete, the city must appoint one...
Balance of power on San Jose council hangs on November election
San Jose voters face a critical decision this election: vote in the new progressive candidates promising to shake the status quo on the City Council, or maintain the current leadership which has faced a number of split votes between business versus labor interests. Over the past four years, the council has voted 6-5 on many...
UPDATE: San Jose approves plan to keep homeless sheltered through winter and beyond
More than 200 San Jose residents seeking shelter this winter will be guaranteed meals and a place to rest following a decision by city leaders to keep emergency shelters up and running. The San Jose City Council is also looking beyond temporary solutions and unanimously voted Oct. 20 to purchase a 72-unit hotel to use...