There are some “bright spots” in San Jose’s housing crisis plan, but officials say more needs to be done to reach the city’s ambitious goals to prioritize affordable housing. “The affordable housing pipeline had its best year in 2020 out of the years tracked,” reads a city memo. Despite that outlook, completed units fall far...
Bay Area mayors, advocates urge Congress to invest in housing
Local lawmakers and housing advocates are calling on Congress to invest in more housing to help end homelessness and housing insecurity in the Bay Area. A coalition of more than 20 city officials, nonprofits and philanthropy organizations sent a letter to the region’s congressional delegation Tuesday. It urges federal lawmakers to address the ongoing housing shortage...
San Jose councilmember raises concern with survey
National Night Out was one of the first opportunities for San Jose councilmembers to meet voters face-to-face since the pandemic started. But for one lawmaker, it might have been time to get a leg up on his mayoral aspirations. District 10 Councilmember Matt Mahan used some of his office employees to hand out flyers across...
How will San Jose enforce its proposed gun laws?
San Jose lawmakers proposed first-in-the-nation gun measures in June, mandating that gun owners carry insurance and pay into a public fund to cover gun violence costs. But enforcing the measures might be more difficult than the city anticipates. “The devil is in the details. Sure, gun violence is a very serious problem for the community and that’s true...
San Jose Councilmember Dev Davis kicks off mayoral campaign
San Jose Councilmember Dev Davis’ streak of rustic campaign events continued Wednesday as the District 6 lawmaker launched her mayoral campaign at Hapa’s Brewing Company near Willow Glen. “We have to tackle homelessness, we have to recover from the pandemic economically and frankly as a city. And we need to clean up our city,” Davis told San José Spotlight. Wednesday’s...
San Jose employees must vaccinate or be tested
San Jose employees will be required to show proof they’ve had a COVID-19 vaccine or take weekly tests, following the lead of the county and many other public agencies. In an email to employees on Wednesday, including the police and fire departments, the city’s Office of Employee Relations said by Aug. 23, it will require...
San Jose mayor’s private emails spark response from watchdogs, attorney
A San Francisco law firm and a free speech advocacy group are demanding San Jose City Hall release emails from the mayor’s private account after San José Spotlight reported on his attempt to skirt public records law last month. Prominent San Francisco media attorney Karl Olson and the First Amendment Coalition separately have filed two public records...
UPDATE: San Jose continues talks on stripping felons of retirement benefits
A proposal by San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo to shut felonious city workers out of their retirement benefits will move to a future “closed session” meeting, a San Jose committee decided Wednesday. The city’s Rules and Open Government Committee ultimately decided with a 4-1 vote to move the proposal to a closed-door meeting with the...
Collins: Where can we build housing? Here are some ideas
In a recent poll sponsored by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a business trade association, 82% said the cost of housing is a very serious concern. Regional housing affordability is at an all-time crisis level. With the median house price in Santa Clara County now approaching nearly $2 million, regional stakeholders must take aggressive action...
Will San Jose move its mayoral election to 2024?
San Jose could soon change the date of its mayoral elections to coincide with presidential election years. Residents overwhelmingly spoke in favor of moving San Jose’s mayoral elections at the Charter Review Commission meeting last night. “The current system results in low voter turnout in mayoral elections and gives undue power to corporate special interests...