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School’s starting, heat’s soaring and more than 10,000 people were out of power in San Jose on Aug. 18 as PG&E blackouts shrouded downtown homes in darkness. “We are in the middle of a pandemic and we cannot even stay at home comfortably,” said Luis Ortiz, a downtown San Jose resident. “The heat is unbearable...
UPDATE: Divided San Jose City Council gives whopping break to high-rise developers
Downtown high-rise developers will receive a huge discount during the pandemic but their savings will come at the expense of low-income housing. As COVID-19 worsens economic conditions for those looking to build in San Jose, city leaders voted 7-4 Aug. 18 to eliminate a fee that helps fund affordable housing. Councilmembers Sergio Jimenez, Magdalena Carrasco,...
South Bay labor unions vote for their next leader — for now
Silicon Valley’s labor leaders selected Jean Cohen as their new interim executive officer, a little more than a month after Ben Field stunned political insiders by abruptly resigning. The executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council, a powerful coalition of more than 100 unions, resigned July 13, less than two weeks after a heated,...
Democrats show united front as National Convention begins
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Democratic National Convention kicked off this week with San Francisco resident Kristin Urquiza solemnly telling audiences her father died of the coronavirus in May after he listened to President Donald Trump’s advice and ignored social distancing guidelines. “My dad was a healthy 65-year-old. His only pre-existing condition was trusting Donald Trump,...
PG&E power outages burn out San Jose
As thousands of people lost electricity in the South Bay on Monday, some are enduring hours of a scorching heat wave waiting for power to be restored. PG&E said excessive heat and power use have caused the outages, which started over the weekend. But some people say the energy supplier has been ill-prepared for heat waves...
UPDATE: San Jose City Council demands release of more police videos
After the police killing of George Floyd sparked protests nationwide filled with tear gas and rubber bullets, San Jose lawmakers demanded transparency from the police department — and, to an extent, they got it. The public can now view footage capturing police use of force at recent protests. On Tuesday, the City Council reviewed which...
San Jose mayor wants unauthorized Black Lives Matter mural to stay
A Black Lives Matter mural spanning three blocks of San Jose sidewalk is still standing despite being painted illegally — and the city’s mayor wants to keep it. “I’d be happy to leave the mural right where it is actually, in my neighborhood,” Mayor Sam Liccardo told San José Spotlight. “I’ve got a Black Lives...
Bad cops: Why can’t San Jose just fire them?
“Why are you on that side?” yelled a protester at San Jose Police Officer Jared Yuen. “Shut up, b—-!” Yuen shouted back. Months have passed since Yuen’s comments during this year’s protests against the police killing of George Floyd went viral. A petition demanding the city fire Yuen has circulated since June and gathered nearly...
Silicon Valley Democrats salivate over Biden-Harris ticket
Silicon Valley politicians and community leaders reacted Tuesday to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s selection of Sen. Kamala Harris to be his running mate, with many praising her career-long dedication to California and the Bay Area. The former vice president announced his long-awaited and much-speculated vice presidential pick via text and a tweet. Harris, who...
San Jose breaks ground on emergency housing for homeless
San Jose took another step to alleviate its homeless housing shortage by breaking ground Monday on the first of three emergency interim housing sites that will accommodate more than 100 beds each. Citing building restriction waivers that made it easier to get the project off the ground, Mayor Sam Liccardo said the houses are being...