An East San Jose school district is responding to community safety concerns after a string of violent campus incidents, but teachers and parents want long-term preventive measures. East Side Union High School District Superintendent Glenn Vander Zee has agreed to establish a school safety task force comprised of teachers, administrators, parents, students and board members...
A win for San Jose: VTA approves homeless housing site
After a monthslong debate between local leaders, North San Jose is set to receive 200 temporary homes for homeless residents. The VTA board of directors unanimously approved building the homes at its Cerone bus yard on Thursday. The consensus by the 12-person board comes as a surprise after deep political divides and ongoing disputes threatened...
San Jose wants to stop bad police behavior before it happens
San Jose is spending half a million dollars to identify potentially problematic police officer behavior sooner—and work to swiftly correct it. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a three-year, $479,000 contract with Chicago-based Benchmark Analytics for its Police Early Intervention Solution system. Councilmembers also approved a $50,000 contingency for any possible change orders, bringing...
Will downtown San Jose church become historic landmark?
A downtown San Jose church is on the cusp of becoming a historic landmark, potentially ending a yearslong battle to shield the 1940s-era building from redevelopment. The San Jose City Council will vote in the next few weeks to designate Grace Baptist Church as a historic landmark—protecting it, ideally, indefinitely. Councilmember Omar Torres’ request for the...
Philbrick: How many people will die on our roads this year?
Stop for a moment and think of 40 people you know. Think of their names, their faces. Now imagine them gone from your life forever. Forty people have died this year in San Jose in road collisions. Last year, 42,795 people—the population of a small city—died in collisions across the United States. When we read these...
San Jose will grow urban canopy with federal funds
San Jose is about to get greener thanks to a federal grant to help expand its urban tree canopy. The U.S. Forest Service awarded San Jose $6.6 million on Sept. 22 to plant, maintain and restore trees across the city. It’s part of a $1 billion program funded by the U.S. Inflation and Reduction Act giving...
San Jose officials pressure VTA for homeless housing
Whether a result of politics or caution, San Jose’s hopes of opening an interim housing site at a public transit lot in the northern part of the city may not happen exactly how leaders want. The VTA board of directors is voting Thursday on where to build 200 homes for homeless residents. The 12-person board...
Silicon Valley homeless nonprofit accused of racial profiling
NAACP representatives have accused HomeFirst of racially profiling employees and voiced their anger in front of the homeless service provider’s headquarters. The allegations include displaying photos of former Black employees in a handbook “like criminal mugshots,” rescheduling Black employees who needed child care and recently firing a Black employee who is now facing homelessness himself...
UPDATE: Why is San Jose starting its own power utility?
As San Jose’s power needs increase with electrification and climate change solutions, the city will explore creating its own power utility. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the creation of San Jose Power, a city-run electric utility touted as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide power at lower rates and bring in more...
New Milpitas city manager wants to boost morale
Milpitas has a new city manager—the fourth in the past six years. The Milpitas City Council removed the word “acting” from Ned Thomas’ city manager title at Tuesday’s meeting and approved his permanent appointment through June 30, 2025, with an option to renew annually. His annual base salary is $279,000, according to his contract. Thomas previously...