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Longtime civic entrepreneur and organizer Harbir Kaur Bhatia threw her name into the ring for Santa Clara City Council Tuesday. Running for the District 1 seat held by Councilmember Kathy Watanabe, she said her background in grassroots organizing would be an asset at City Hall. Bhatia said she’d push for a better quality of life, more diverse voices...
San Jose lawmaker faces heat after describing George Floyd protests as ‘race wars’
San Jose Councilmember Pam Foley came under fire this week for saying the protests around the country against George Floyd’s death highlight people’s frustration over “race wars.” She made the comment as lawmakers on Tuesday questioned Police Chief Eddie Garcia on San Jose’s curfew during the City Council meeting. “People are frustrated for a lot...
d’Souza: Closing the digital divide can also help clean up the air
Can you imagine schoolchildren learning unrestricted by the complications of asthma because the air is clean every day? Ten weeks into the historic pandemic, and clean air looks like the new normal. Sheltering in place has resulted in a significant drop in traffic that has cleaned up the air. The shutdown has achieved in 10...
In pricey Silicon Valley, homebuyer perceptions — not prices — have changed
Silicon Valley’s notoriously expensive residential real estate sales may have seen a slump in March and April during the region’s restrictive shelter-in-place orders, but industry insiders say it’s still a seller’s market. The major change in the market during the pandemic has been perception by those hoping the novel coronavirus has helped to plunge sky-high...
Coronavirus LIVE BLOG: May 21 to June 3
Catch up on our current Coronavirus LIVE BLOG here. 10 p.m. June 3: Santa Clara County supervisors approve child care, financial assistance On Tuesday, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a proposal to devote more than $2.5 million for child care programs in the county, drawing from the federal government’s $2.2 trillion coronavirus...
San Jose lawmakers vote to end curfew Thursday morning
After a widespread community outcry, San Jose lawmakers approved ending the citywide curfew at 5 a.m. Thursday and requiring city administrators to seek City Council approval to reinstate it. Under a motion by Councilmember Raul Peralez, police would still enforce the curfew Tuesday and Wednesday, but would assess how San Jose fares without it Thursday night....
Hundreds volunteer to clean vandalism from San Jose protests
Hundreds lined up to volunteer outside San Jose City Hall on Tuesday to clean up graffiti downtown from the ongoing George Floyd protests. The supply of roughly 150 cleaning kits that staff from Beautify SJ and San Jose’s anti-graffiti and anti-litter programs distributed to volunteers ran out less than an hour after the event kicked...
San Jose-based Cisco promises $5M for charities fighting racism, discrimination
As nationwide protests over racism and police brutality continue into a second week, Silicon Valley companies are starting to jump into the fold — with cash. San Jose-based Cisco Systems Inc. was the latest Monday to announce it would give $5 million to charities fighting racism and discrimination, a decision announced by CEO Chuck Robbins...
I’m a journalist who was detained by San Jose police for doing my job
When I woke up Sunday morning, I didn’t expect to be detained by police in a stranger’s backyard later that day. I was called in to cover the third straight day of George Floyd protests in San Jose for San José Spotlight, but this time there was a citywide curfew starting at 8:30 p.m. until...
Affordable housing: San Jose fee deadline may get pushed amid coronavirus
San Jose has been transitioning the way housing developers contribute to affordable units for years, but the coronavirus may stretch the process out even longer. The South Bay city has been working to move from a fee-based system to one that promotes actually building low-income units whenever possible and often comes with higher fees for...