California’s housing crisis dominated headlines in 2019, but one San Jose legislator’s effort to alleviate its impact left Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk without a signature. Last year’s Senate Bill 5, authored by state Sen. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, aimed to support Newsom’s goal of building 3.5 million housing units by 2025 by establishing an Affordable...
San Jose to consider investing $9.4M for Alum Rock housing project
Tucked away into a far corner of the city, the San Jose City Council’s approved Alum Rock Avenue Urban Village project seeks to revitalize a predominantly Latino neighborhood of San Jose. An 87-unit mixed-use affordable housing complex located in the heart of the neighborhood is included in those plans, and that building may soon move...
Salesforce founder donates $25K to boost San Jose tax measure
A hotly-contested real property transfer tax was placed on the 2020 ballot by the San Jose City Council just weeks ago, but already the proposal — now dubbed Measure E — has received its first major financial contribution. But the first publicly-reported donation, which will likely support mailers and other public advocacy for Measure E,...
Ten new California laws that could affect Silicon Valley residents’ lives
As we say farewell to 2019 and hello a new year (and a new decade), a slew of new laws will go into effect that could significantly impact Silicon Valley residents’ lives. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first year in Sacramento was a momentous one: He signed 870 landmark bills, impacting everything from cannabis use to circus...
New San Jose survey highlights poor quality of life
For the fourth year in a row, less than half of San Jose residents surveyed by the city would rate their quality of life positively or recommend San Jose as a place to live, according to the 2019 National Community Survey. The new report found only 44 percent of those surveyed would recommend San Jose...
San Jose residents can now text anonymous complaints about police
For the first time in San Jose’s history, residents can share anonymous feedback about their experience with police via text message or online and file official complaints about alleged police misconduct online. In a move toward improving police and community relationships in San Jose, the city’s Independent Police Auditor announced this month the launch of...
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...
From the editor: San Jose mayor’s office should change outdated media policy
When we launched San José Spotlight nearly a year ago, we came ready to work hard to earn — and keep — the public’s trust. This doesn’t happen overnight; it comes only with time and consistently covering important local stories in a fair, ethical and transparent way. Those are the cornerstones of good journalism, whether...
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...
Silicon Valley’s minimum wage workers will see bigger paychecks in 2020
The lowest wage earners across Santa Clara County will get a boost in pay in 2020, with workers in Sunnyvale and Mountain View due to get the biggest bump as both cities increase their minimum wages to $16.05 in January. And San Jose, once a leader in raising the minimum wage, will fall in last...