A San Francisco law firm and a free speech advocacy group are demanding San Jose City Hall release emails from the mayor’s private account after San José Spotlight reported on his attempt to skirt public records law last month. Prominent San Francisco media attorney Karl Olson and the First Amendment Coalition separately have filed two public records...
San Jose City Hall reopens, in-person meetings resume
After almost 17 months, San Jose City Hall reopened Monday—but you’ll need a mask to step inside, even if you’re vaccinated. Also Monday, the Martin Luther King Jr. Library reopened its doors after shuttering in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All visitors to a city building, including libraries and community centers, must wear a mask regardless...
Masks will be required indoors in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County and seven other Bay Area counties have issued a new health order requiring masks indoors in public places. The mandate applies to everyone regardless of vaccination status. Officials announced the health order during a news conference on Monday. The order, which takes effect midnight on Tuesday, applies to most public settings, with...
Exiled Santa Clara County deputy DA considers running for office
Prosecutor Daniel Chung has excoriated Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen in print, and now he wants to take his job. Chung, a deputy district attorney on paid administrative leave, is strongly considering entering the 2022 race for Santa Clara County District Attorney. He told San José Spotlight that he intends to make a...
Staedler: We must stand up against blighted properties
The H.G. Wade Warehouse caught fire in the Alviso district of San Jose on June 25. This made me think about another structure that is vulnerable to fire, the historic Church of Christ Scientist building. It’s located just north of St. James Park and looks like a background building in a dystopian movie. Calling it...
Housing assistance hard to obtain in Santa Clara County
When the city evicted a group of tenants from a cluster of mobile homes in south San Jose, Santa Clara County put them up in a hotel within a day. Getting this treatment doesn’t come easy, though—you pretty much need to have your house condemned. That’s what happened to several individuals who lost their homes...
How does the eviction ban protect Silicon Valley tenants?
For tenants behind on rent during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, experts advise following the three “S” rules: stay in your home, submit a declaration and seek rental assistance now. “We know that this is a very difficult time for many renters and small property owners,” said Emily Ann Ramos, a preservation and protection associate at...
Owner of troubled San Jose apartments is a lawsuit magnet
After residents at Foxdale Village Apartments complained about their water being shut off without notice, KDF Communities offered tenants a three-day rent credit and reimbursement for hotels. This might be too little, too late. If history is any indicator, KDF and its property manager, VPM Management, may soon have lawsuits on its hands. KDF Communities,...
San Jose Speaks: A conversation with Congressman Ro Khanna
San José Spotlight hosted an exclusive conversation with Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna in the latest San Jose Speaks series, which features interactive conversations with South Bay leaders, influencers and decision makers. Khanna discussed federal gun control policy in the wake of a mass shooting at a VTA rail yard, universal health care, the housing crisis,...
Santa Clara County Board of Education looks to fill vacant seat
The Santa Clara County Board of Education will appoint a new trustee next month to fill a seat recently left vacant. “There are families even in District 2 which need services just as much as any families in the county,” said Anjali Kausar, CEO of the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce and a candidate for the...