San Jose elected leaders Tuesday unanimously approved beefing up anti-graffiti efforts with a new policy that reduces the time it takes to paint over tagging on private property when more than one complaint has been filed. The new shortened process means city officials can re-inspect a private property site where graffiti was previously reported and immediately issue...
Rule change prompts San Jose lawmakers to reduce travel
San Jose lawmakers have significantly reduced city-funded travel, a San José Spotlight analysis found, and some say it’s because of a trip five elected officials took to Japan nearly two years ago. The city has since implemented a new travel policy, which restricts how many councilmembers can travel at a given time. The policy, approved in...
Chavez: We must double down on our affordable housing investment
In my recent State of the County address, I highlighted the county’s success with the voter-approved Measure A housing bond. Measure A is ahead of schedule, almost halfway to building more than 4,000 new permanent homes for the homeless. This week, I called for the county to double down on Measure A — to put...
San Jose lawmakers vote against supporting Measure B funds reallocation
Silicon Valley climate activists are urging the VTA to declare a climate emergency and reallocate funds from a 2016 half-cent sales tax to public transit projects in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But the San Jose City Council on Tuesday, which has five directors on the VTA board that includes Mayor Sam Liccardo...
Major changes coming to San Jose’s upcoming elections
WASHINGTON. D.C. — Preparations are underway across California for the upcoming March 3 primary election, which for the first time since 2008, will allow California voters to participate near the beginning of the presidential primary process. Plus, a new law called the California Voter’s Choice Act takes effect in Santa Clara County this year. That...
UPDATE: State to transfer downtown property to SJSU for student, faculty housing
San Jose State University leaders, along with state and local officials, have announced a suit of new initiatives to address homelessness and housing issues at the university, including a slew of grants to help with near-term needs and a plan to redevelop a nearby state office building site into 800 to 1200 new homes. “Our...
Political power struggle is the ‘elephant in the room’ at VTA board meeting
The VTA’s Board of Directors had a study session Friday to consider more than two dozen recommendations from an outside consultant to improve how the authority is governed, and newly-elected board chair Cindy Chavez closed the meeting by addressing the “elephant in the room.” The recommendations — which include setting expectations for board member attendance,...
South Bay attorney Sal Liccardo promotes book fighting for blind woman
It was a sleepy Sunday morning in 1969 when a 29-year-old San Jose mother of three woke up to a surging headache, unbearable to the point where she rushed herself to the hospital. The woman’s mysterious and ferocious pain perplexed doctors, who were stunned by the sight of her head swelling up like a balloon —...
‘It’s just politics’: Ann Ravel wins backing from Dave Cortese colleagues
An unusual trend of Silicon Valley lawmakers endorsing political newcomers – instead of their own colleagues – has spread to statewide races. San José Spotlight first reported on the shift last year, highlighting how San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and many other councilmembers backed outsiders over their council colleagues. And in the crowded race for...
San Jose lawmakers approve plan to keep Winchester Ranch seniors housed
For seven tumultuous years, the residents of a west San Jose mobile home park dueled with the city over razing their community of mobile homes to build 700 units of luxury housing. But last week, the uncertainty the park’s residents faced for nearly a decade was put to rest. Lawmakers unanimously approved a plan that...