A South Bay senator is hoping to speed up affordable housing production statewide with a new bill aimed at trimming back red tape in California’s main environmental law. State Sen. Dave Cortese’s bill, SB 406, would grant local agencies who help fund affordable housing an exemption from a provision of California’s Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that...
San Jose closing the digital divide one home at a time
San Jose leaders are delivering resources directly to residents’ front doors to help close the digital divide. Mayor Matt Mahan and Congressman Jimmy Panetta canvassed around Edenvale in South San Jose today, where a third of residents could qualify for a federal program that subsidizes Wi-Fi bills by $30 a month. There are 30,000 households in...
Silicon Valley official wants to speed up apartment construction
A bill sailing through the state Legislature could help build more homes across San Jose and the rest of California, but safety concerns are being raised. Assembly Bill 835, spearheaded by San Jose Assemblymember Alex Lee, would enable developers of new apartment buildings higher than three stories to build only one stairway—eliminating the two stairway...
Santa Clara County helps Salvation Army add housing
A long-standing homeless shelter north of downtown San Jose is planning an expansion and Santa Clara County officials are hoping to coordinate support for the project. The Salvation Army’s Emmanuel House shelter at its 359 N. Fourth St. campus is set to grow from 70 beds to 112 during a 10-month renovation project slated for...
Police shooting hits home for San Jose legislator
Assemblymember Evan Low, like other San Jose residents, first heard of yesterday’s officer-involved shooting on the news. Then he received a phone call from his older brother, Officer Ryan Low, 42, who’s been with the San Jose Police Department for eight years. “(He said) ‘I’m involved in an incident, I can’t tell you any more, talk...
San Jose’s oldest park remains in disrepair
One of California’s oldest municipal parks in San Jose is still in disrepair after suffering damages from historic rain storms and ongoing neglect by the city. Alum Rock Park in the foothills of the Diablo mountains was one of the hardest hit areas by the January storms and has yet to make a full recovery....
San Jose officials want to expedite toxic spill cleanup
Toxins from a fuel spill eight years ago at an abandoned East San Jose building continue to pollute the soil, and city leaders are pushing to expedite cleanup efforts before another environmental disaster. Councilmember Peter Ortiz is rallying support from colleagues to form an intergovernmental committee to create a timeline for removing the contamination at...
How Live Nation almost took over San Jose venue
Newly obtained information reveals how Live Nation, a large live entertainment company, attempted to take over a key entertainment venue in San Jose in 2021. Emails withheld by the city and released to San José Spotlight after a judge’s ruling show Live Nation approached Team San Jose, a nonprofit that manages the city’s arts and...
Santa Clara County solidifies cement plant closure
A cement plant near Cupertino that provided material for landmark Bay Area structures will remain closed permanently, following an agreement with Santa Clara County. Hanson Permanente Cement and Lehigh Southwest Cement Company, corporations that own and operate the Lehigh Cement Plant, have signed a deal with the county to ensure the cement kiln at their Permanente Quarry...
Advocates say San Jose homeless ban at schools doesn’t solve problem
San Jose officials are considering banning homeless encampments and RVs around schools even as homeless advocates decry the move, saying it further criminalizes an already marginalized group of people. A proposal to prohibit homeless people and their vehicle dwellings within 150 feet of most city preschools, day cares and K-12 schools will go before the San Jose City Council in coming weeks after it...