The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors is preparing to debate a countywide proposal that once again unfairly targets local restaurants and immigrant business owners — piling new, unnecessary burdens on more than 1,600 small businesses already struggling to survive. I know how damaging it can be when new regulations target one industry while leaving...
Valley Water land sees reduction in San Jose homeless camps
As efforts to clean up trash and clear homeless residents from local waterways continue, officials are working to make sure people don’t just move from one location to the next due to lack of housing. Valley Water has removed 462 homeless encampments from its land since implementing a no camping policy at the end of...
The Biz Beat: Downtown San Jose clothing store suitable for all occasions
For more than 105 years, Hammer & Lewis Clothiers has existed in an indefinable place in culture and time. Its two San Jose locations offer Cary Grant-worthy suits, the shiniest of dress shoes, classic flannel Pendletons and jackets flamboyant enough for Burning Man celebrants. It is de rigueur for zoot-suited pachucos and aficionados of fine...
Cupertino residents pick backyard fruit for people in need
Cupertino resident Vidula Aiyer’s idea to address food waste and hunger in her community is simple — gather volunteers to pick fruit that would otherwise rot on residents’ trees and give it to people in need. All she requires is an 8-foot ladder, buckets and free access to strangers’ backyards. Aiyer, who leads the Rotary...
San Jose police officer sues property owner over injuries
A new lawsuit could stage a battle between landlords and police in Silicon Valley, as a San Jose officer blames the owner of a property for injuries she sustained during a critical incident at the site. Her lawyer says more lawsuits are coming. San Jose police officer Erin Allen suffered life-threatening — and career-ending —...
BART voices frustrations about lack of transparency from VTA
The partnership between two Silicon Valley transit agencies is souring amid accusations of a lack of communication involving the region’s most significant expansion project. BART leaders say they’re frustrated that VTA failed to share critical updates about the Silicon Valley expansion project before announcing them publicly, according to recent letter obtained by San José Spotlight. The two agencies are...
Lawsuit challenges Santa Clara County sales tax measure
Santa Clara County leaders already face an uphill battle convincing voters to pay more taxes to keep their public hospitals afloat — but a fast-moving lawsuit and pushback from wealthier cities will steepen the climb. A judge next Wednesday could decide the fate of the county’s proposed five-eighths cent sales tax increase, known as Measure A, after local...
San Jose homeless residents wait for temporary housing
Homeless residents from Columbus Park are beginning to move into temporary housing as San Jose continues clearing the city’s largest encampment. While they said they’re thankful for shelter, they worry how they’ll stay housed long term. San Jose started sweeping Columbus Park Monday and clearing out trash, vehicles and tents. The park has been home...
Los Gatos plans renovation to resolve pickleball noise dispute
Dozens of Los Gatos residents and pickleball players spoke over each other, cussed under their breath and rolled their eyes at a community meeting Monday — all over a yearslong noise dispute that’s led to vandalism and verbal threats. Town officials at the meeting, hosted on Los Gatos’ outdoor pickleball courts at La Rinconada Park, laid...
San Jose Viet Museum remains closed amid lawsuit
San Jose’s Viet Museum has been closed for months due to a political power struggle. Now its leaders are suing each other in an attempt to settle the matter for good. The Immigrant Resettlement and Cultural Center — the nonprofit managing the old farmhouse in History Park that stores precious artifacts, photographs and art from...