Eric Nelson’s concern for Willow Glen merchants is legitimate. Broken glass, repeated theft and fear deserve a serious response. But his proposed solution does not fit his opening example. A person riding a bicycle and throwing rocks through storefronts would not ordinarily be identified by automated license plate readers. At least, that is what communities...
State dollars ease Santa Clara County public hospital cuts
Public hospitals in California have been thrown a lifeline thanks to the advocacy work of Silicon Valley lawmakers, but more is needed to save the bleeding caused by federal budget cuts. State Assemblymembers Patrick Ahrens, who represents North San Jose, Sunnyvale and Cupertino, and Ash Kalra, whose district includes East San Jose and South County,...
Mountain View residents face eviction to make way for condos
On a recent summer afternoon, an ice cream vendor pushed a brightly colored cart along a residential street in Mountain View. But the chiming music did not draw any customers outside, not even a child — likely because most of the homes on the street sat vacant. For the past several years, tenants have been...
Bramson: What Hollywood can teach us about California’s housing crisis
Summer blockbusters are built around a pretty straightforward idea: spend a lot of money to make something people will pay to see. Movies like “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” involve enormous investments because studios believe there is an audience large enough to generate an even larger return. When that calculation works,...
East San Jose school district plans workforce housing
An East Side school district is moving forward on its efforts to provide affordable housing for teachers and other employees. Alum Rock Union School District’s $71.5 million bond known as Measure S is materializing five years after voters approved it to fund workforce housing and other capital improvements. Since then, affordable housing has worsened in...
San Jose airport plans sensory room for neurodivergent children
A trip through the airport can be a lot to handle. But the stress and anxiety from crowded queues and unfamiliar sights and sounds can be even more pronounced for children with autism or other sensory sensitivities. San Jose Mineta International Airport will soon be opening a room specially designed to provide these young travelers...
San Jose wants to set standards for data center development
As San Jose begins to create standards for building data centers, residents, advocates and researchers warn the city needs to develop robust safeguards for community health before approving any new projects. San Jose is kickstarting its community engagement process this month through September, gathering input on what these standards should look like. Outreach will consist...
Palo Alto train horn ‘quiet zone’ delayed over traffic concerns
Palo Alto residents living near the city’s northernmost Caltrain crossing will have to wait a bit longer for relief from the horn that blares each time a train passes by. The city has been pursuing “quiet zones,” a federal designation, at each of its four rail crossings where car and bike traffic intersect with the...
Editorial: San Jose tried to sneak more money out of locals and got caught
When San Jose approved its $5.5 billion budget for this fiscal year, one department digging around for revenue streams tried to pull a fast one on downtown businesses and residents by doubling the hourly rate for parking meters. It almost worked because the item was buried on the City Council’s consent calendar in a pile with...
San Jose metro area ranks No. 1 in lawyer salaries
San Jose tops the nation in lawyer salaries, but the high pay masks a tradeoff with steep living costs and student loan debt pushing more graduates toward private practice — making public service work harder to sustain in one of the country’s most expensive markets. The San Jose metro area ranks No. 1 among 70...