East San Jose school leaders have made the final decision about which campuses in the financially struggling district will close. The Alum Rock Union School District board of trustees voted unanimously on Monday to close six schools for the 2025-26 school year, but plans to reopen one of them the following year, while closing two...
Cupertino council race recount decided by 63 votes
R “Ray” Wang has won a spot on the Cupertino City Council in a tight race that triggered a recount for one of two open seats. Wang will take the second open council seat with 7,641 votes, or 18.5% of the vote, as of Dec. 2 at 4:30 p.m. He got 63 more votes than...
Santa Clara County ex-officers boast about jail beatings
Santa Clara County deputies bragged in online groups about beating incarcerated people “between floors” and partaking in brutal behavior at the county’s embattled jail, according to screenshots shared with San José Spotlight. In a private Facebook group that includes 270 former correctional officers and deputies, the members banter about the jail’s elevators making suspicious stops...
Paz-Cedillos: Embracing a founder’s mindset
At the Kresge Foundation’s Centennial Year National Convening, I listened to PolicyLink CEO Michael McAfee deliver a powerful message about embracing a founder’s mindset. Gathered with change-makers striving to build equitable and thriving communities, I recall the anticipation as he took the stage. McAfee, a veteran in the fight for equity, centers his work on...
Santa Clara electricity rates are going up
Santa Clara residents will see their electricity bill inch upward in the next year, as the city works on improving its power grid. While much of Silicon Valley relies on Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the vast majority of Santa Clara residents get power from Silicon Valley Power. The Santa Clara City Council on Nov....
The Biz Beat: Standout pizza at San Jose’s The Last Round Tavern
Sandwich shop by day and pizza parlor by night, The Last Round Tavern in San Jose manages its split personality exceptionally well. Owner Caleb Orozco uses his homemade sourdough bread and thin-crust pizza dough as a base for identical ingredients, such as in-house braised brisket and pulled pork, to create two distinct and delicious menus...
San Jose senior apartment tenants take issue with management
An affordable housing development near Willow Glen was supposed to give homeless older adults a safe place to live. Instead, a number of residents are clamoring to leave. Leigh Avenue Senior Apartments, located at Leigh Avenue and Southwest Expressway, provided housing to 63 older adults when it opened in 2021. Seven residents told San José Spotlight...
San Jose report shows ‘inhumane’ conditions at animal shelter
A critical city report highlighting deteriorating conditions at the San Jose animal shelter echoes concerns advocates and former volunteers have raised for years. San Jose’s Animal Care Center is the city-run adoption center that also serves residents in neighboring cities like Cupertino, Milpitas and Saratoga seeking dogs, cats or rabbits. But several residents with firsthand experience...
Major Santa Clara housing project clears development hurdle
Santa Clara has been bulking up housing in its northern neighborhoods and officials just approved plans for thousands more homes. The Santa Clara City Council unanimously approved an environmental impact report, rezoning and a developers agreement for a 48.6-acre mixed-use development in North Santa Clara on Nov. 19. Real estate firm Kylli Inc. has owned...
Collins: Vacant land property scams on the rise
In recent months, reports have been coming in from across the country, including locally in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, regarding an alarming rise in vacant land property scams. This crime wave has become so prevalent that the California Department of Real Estate has issued a formal warning, urging all real estate licensees to...