Silicon Valley voters this November will cast ballots in one of the region’s most consequential elections: From deciding who to send to Washington to a historic county supervisorial election, there is no shortage of major decisions up and down the ballot.
Data center, hundreds of homes coming to downtown San Jose
Two major housing developments in San Jose are the first to be approved as part of Mayor Matt Mahan’s latest initiative to expedite projects that provide “extraordinary benefits” to the city. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously April 8 to accept proposals from Canada-based real estate company Westbank to develop 1,492 homes across two...
San Jose officials weigh ballot measure for maintaining parks
San Jose’s most passionate parks advocates say city leaders need to create a new stream of funding to address the multimillion-dollar maintenance backlog and ongoing disparity in park quality for residents who live in areas like East San Jose. On Tuesday, the San Jose City Council revisited the idea of a 2026 ballot measure that...
Grant aims to repair Santa Clara County independent living homes
Homes for people struggling with mental illness or recovering from substance use have long flown under Santa Clara County’s radar with substandard conditions and little to no accountability. The county is attempting to right some of those wrongs, starting with a grant to help landlords make much needed repairs to improve residents’ living conditions. Last...
Campbell quick to approve backyard homes
Campbell homeowners applying for a tiny home could get city approval in days. Campbell launched an express backyard home permit process this month that shortens approval time to a week or less — the fastest in Santa Clara County where approvals can average between two to three months. The city is accepting two qualifying applications...
Santa Clara County puts ranked choice voting on back burner
Santa Clara County officials aren’t killing the idea of ranked choice voting — they just need to sort out an “existential crisis” before seismically shifting Silicon Valley elections. Ranked choice voting proponents wanted the idea to gain momentum at a Tuesday meeting of the county Finance and Government Operations Committee meeting. But Supervisors Betty Duong...
UPDATE: San Jose officials approve park revitalization plans
San Jose has plans to transform a dilapidated park into a family-friendly area for sports, but will first clear the area of homeless residents. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to revitalize Columbus Park, located at Asbury and Irene streets. Once a place where youth gathered in an under-resourced area, the new 9.4-acre...
UPDATE: San Jose District 3 candidates still competing for second place
Two candidates continue to swap between second and third place nearly a week after polls closed in the special election for San Jose City Council District 3 — with ballots still being processed and a potential recount looming. As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, Gabby Chavez-Lopez, executive director of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley, still...
Cupertino sued over expired housing proposals
Housing advocates are suing Cupertino over two controversial development proposals the city claims can’t be built. Housing groups Yes in My Backyard (YIMBY) Law and California Housing Defense Fund filed two lawsuits against Cupertino April 8, claiming the city shouldn’t have deemed two housing project proposals expired. Developers filed the projects — 20 condos and...
Santa Clara politicians turn to ChatGPT for advice
Santa Clara officials said they’ve used ChatGPT at two public meetings, sparking concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to inform decision makers. Artificial intelligence tools have been growing in popularity as cities like San Jose use it to improve road safety or translate public meetings. But the technology is still plagued with misinformation problems,...
San Jose Downtown Association CEO departs
The dynamic leader of a nonprofit focused on revitalizing downtown San Jose has stepped down. After three years at the helm of the San Jose Downtown Association, CEO Alex Stettinski has left “to pursue his next professional chapter,” according to the organization. The association represents more than 2,000 businesses, nonprofits and property owners. It aids...