Those following Mayor Sam Liccardo’s push for — and subsequent dropping of — a strong mayor ballot measure are likely to feel whiplash after Tuesday’s City Council meeting. A fiery debate culminated in a unanimous vote that left some councilmembers wondering why they had to fight so hard in the first place. Prior to Tuesday’s...
San Jose, mayor sue Trump over Census policy that excludes undocumented immigrants
The city of San Jose filed a lawsuit Monday night against the Trump administration over a memorandum that aims to ban undocumented immigrants from being counted in the 2020 Census. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, is among several lawsuits over the president’s Census policy. King County,...
Coronavirus LIVE BLOG: July 16 to July 29
Catch up on our current Coronavirus LIVE BLOG here. 3:15 p.m. July 29: With San Mateo, entire Bay Area now on state watchlist With Wednesday’s addition of San Mateo, all Bay Area counties are on the state’s watchlist, affecting more than 7 million people in the Northern California region. Collectively, nine counties — Alameda, Contra Costa,...
San Jose hires a new innovation chief to bridge digital divide
Growing up in Texas near the border with Mexico and close to large Black and Latinx populations gave San Jose’s new Chief Innovation Officer Jordan Sun a very diverse image of America. Now he is working in one of the country’s most diverse cities — San Jose — as Mayor Sam Liccardo’s new innovation chief....
A San Jose commission will decide on strong mayor, moving mayoral elections
After a month-long debate over a proposed ‘strong mayor’ measure and outrage over lack of community involvement in the decision, San Jose leaders unanimously approved putting decisions about the city’s future into the hands of community members. The Charter Revision Commission, created Tuesday, will consist of residents appointed by Mayor Sam Liccardo and the City Council....
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo drops his ‘strong mayor’ plan
After a month of pressure and community outcry, Mayor Sam Liccardo on Monday quietly dropped his push for a ‘strong mayor’ initiative that would extend his term by two years and increase his powers. In a memo released Monday — a day before the San Jose City Council was set to vote on the controversial...
‘Enough is enough’: Activists reimagine public safety in San Jose
Sunday was not a day of rest in downtown San Jose. Instead, a faith-based coalition of South Bay community leaders lept into action, recounting personal histories with law enforcement and reimagining public safety in San Jose. Dozens of attendees and thousands of online viewers listened to speeches from Santa Clara County organizations, including the NAACP, CAIR,...
Gonzales: ‘Strong mayor’ strong-arms people into voting on unvetted city constitutional amendments
During an unprecedented global pandemic and civil protests over police brutality and systemic racism, Mayor Sam Liccardo, Vice Mayor Chappie Jones and Councilmembers Lan Diep, Dev Davis, Pam Foley and Johnny Khamis are missing the mark and a genuine opportunity to rebuild trust, and foster collaboration and equity with their constituents. Pursuant to the Code...
UPDATE: San Jose officer involved with kicking, dragging woman placed on leave
An officer involved with a traffic stop that ended with a woman being kicked and dragged through the parking lot of a San Jose McDonald’s was put on administrative leave on Friday. San Jose resident Josh Gil shot the video Wednesday while picking up a DoorDash order. He said he was organizing the meals he...
South Bay Labor Council votes to oppose ‘strong mayor’ measure
The South Bay Labor Council and its coalition of 101 unions — more than 100,000 members locally — will not support the controversial ‘strong mayor’ measure that’s revealed a deep rift in the labor movement. The council’s delegates — which represent all unions affiliated to the labor council — met on Monday and overwhelmingly voted...