Amid a housing crisis exacerbated by COVID-19, San Jose leaders approved a 10-part plan to provide rent relief and give nonprofits first dibs on property that goes on the market. The anti-displacement plan was approved Sept. 23 past the 12 a.m. curfew in a 10-1 vote. Councilmember Johnny Khamis cast the lone dissenting vote. Displacement...
UPDATE: San Jose City Council approves Bay 101 casino settlement
After years of legal battles between San Jose and the Bay 101 casino, the City Council voted 10-1 Sept. 22 to approve a 2020 settlement agreement and put a series of suits to bed. Most notably, Bay 101 sued the city in 2013 for charging “unconstitutionally excessive” fees. As a compromise, the city will consider...
The search for San Jose’s landmark narrows: Here are top three finalists
And then there were three. After years of planning, fundraising and community input, Urban Confluence Silicon Valley finally named the finalists in its international ideas competition to build an an iconic landmark in San Jose expected to draw tourists from around the world. Chosen from more than 900 entries originating in 70 countries, 13 expert...
San Jose makes dent in low-income housing shortage with grants, developments
San Jose made progress this week in securing housing for low-income, senior and homeless residents. Gov. Gavin Newsom awarded $14.5 million to the city on Sept. 16 to purchase property to house the homeless. Earlier this week the San Jose City Council approved three more affordable housing projects. The city also greelit a revamp of...
Update: San Jose police can continue to use rubber bullets for violent protesters
San Jose police can continue to use rubber bullets for crowd control if people are being violent, despite Mayor Sam Liccardo’s push to ban them in crowds altogether after protesters suffered serious injuries during demonstrations against the police killing of George Floyd in May. Liccardo was the lone dissenter in the City Council’s 10-1 decision,...
Update: Spend $3 million more to pick up San Jose trash, officials recommend
The mayor and three councilmembers are recommending San Jose dump another $3 million to help clean up the city’s trash problem. Mayor Sam Liccardo and councilmembers Lan Diep, Dev Davis and Sergio Jimenez announced the idea Sept. 14 amid mounting complaints about the city wide trash buildup. “There’s no shortage of San Jose property that...
San Jose police release body cam videos from protests
After pressure from the San Jose City Council, the city’s police department late Friday, released body-worn camera footage of recent protests over the police killing of George Floyd. “Body-worn camera video is an essential component in investigations and in maintaining the public trust,” Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in a statement. “Coming up with a...
Time of reflection, change as San Jose police chief nears retirement
Quoting Steve Jobs, San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia said he’s not out to please everybody. “If you want to make everyone happy, don’t be a leader — go sell ice cream,” said Garcia, 49, who announced last month he is retiring at the end of the year. Having worked in the city’s roughly 1,400-member...
How San Jose police union contracts shield officers accused of misconduct
As San Jose and cities around the country study how to reform police departments, the role union contracts play in obscuring information about officers under investigation is facing scrutiny. “I am concerned that over the years a number of issues have been put into (police union) contracts that limit the management decisions of the police...
San Jose mayor delivers harsh words but sees little action against PG&E
As thousands of people lost power in San Jose during a scorching August heat wave, Mayor Sam Liccardo condemned PG&E for having aging infrastructure and accused them of lying. “You are hearing messages from PG&E suggesting over the last several days we have been suffering from rolling blackouts prompted by decisions from the California Independent...