Pat Dando, a former San Jose vice mayor remembered for her advocacy and tireless work ethic, will be honored with a bronze sculpture at the Almaden Library and Community Center next year. The idea for the sculpture took shape at Dando’s memorial service held after the beloved politician and community advocate died from lung cancer in July 2017...
‘Spotlight Series’ features robust debate over height limits
Above a noisy jazz cafe in a small, packed room, a crowd sat attentively Thursday evening as a panel of experts –an advocate, a policymaker, and an industry professional — spoke on raising building height limits in downtown San Jose. The first-of-its kind educational forum, hosted by San José Spotlight, touched on the hot policy debate dividing...
Mayor Sam Liccardo unveils plan to strengthen local gun laws
California is home to some of the most stringent gun laws in the nation, but San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo says they don’t go far enough. The mayor on Tuesday announced a plan to strengthen the city’s decades-old gun safety law to fight straw purchases and stop black-market gun sales. “A significant percentage of guns are entering our community from legal gun...
New survey: Quality of life has ‘fallen’ in San Jose
A new city survey shows San Joseans say their overall quality of life has dropped to record lows and only 44 percent would recommend San Jose as a place to live. “While two thirds of residents expected to remain in San José over the next five years,” the report said, “ratings for the overall quality...
Google in San Jose: Who signed non-disclosure agreements?
Nearly 20 San Jose officials signed non-disclosure agreements in 2017 at the behest of Google as the tech giant explored building a massive campus in downtown San Jose. The agreements became a major sticking point for advocates who claimed the massive land deal was cloaked in secrecy and that the public deserved to know the...
Mayor Sam Liccardo failed to disclose property near Google development
Over the last two years, the San Jose City Council has held a series of votes to pave the way for Google’s move downtown. Now, records show that Mayor Sam Liccardo voted twice on the project without disclosing that his wife owned a rental property less than a mile away from the future development. In four state-mandated Form 700...
San Jose pensions: Unfunded liabilities expected to soar
The money that San Jose is paying to fund pension plans for employees is on a major upward trajectory that’s taking a larger share of the city budget, largely because depressed investment return forecasts have city retirement plans lowering their expected rate of return. Payments to retirees of the two pension plans, the Police and...
San Jose lawmaker asks: What does it cost to build affordable housing?
Just a week after the San Jose City Council approved spending millions of dollars on five affordable housing projects, Councilmember Johnny Khamis wants to know: “Are we really getting the biggest bang for our buck?” Khamis on Wednesday proposed studying the costs of building affordable housing in San Jose at a council committee meeting, saying the city is...
San Jose City Council talks Measure T, closing the ‘digital divide’
As San Jose prepares to roll out millions of dollars in Measure T funding this summer, city leaders on Tuesday discussed their plans to divvy up the money across the city. Measure T – a $650 million bond that was passed in November by nearly 70 percent of voters – is earmarked for public safety, infrastructure and...
Measure T funding plans top San Jose City Council agenda
From 388 miles of street repairs to two new fire stations, flood protection and an emergency operations center, San Jose elected leaders on Tuesday will discuss projects funded by a newly-passed bond. Measure T, a $650 million bond for infrastructure, public safety and disaster preparedness, was approved by nearly 70 percent of voters in November....