Decades old art can be painted over in a matter of hours. This is what an emergency committee, assembled after the covering of the historic “Mural de la Raza” in East San Jose last year, is trying to avoid. Neighbors were outraged after the beloved mural on Story Road, which was more than three decades old,...
San Jose: Audit highlights need for gang task force improvements
A recent city audit suggests that San Jose Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force — a city-wide coalition aimed at addressing gangs and gang-related crime — is failing to meet expectations and could use some improvements. Formed in 1991, the task force is run by the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services and works with...
San Jose: Law enforcement leaders denounce ICE policy
Law enforcement officials condemned the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in a news conference Wednesday, following a vote Tuesday to not allow local authorities to notify ICE when detainees are released. The unanimous decision sparked outrage amongst police officers, who have been advocating for a change in policy for years. “We cannot protect our...
In split vote, San Jose lawmakers decide to study potential 2020 tax measure
Despite warnings from Councilmembers Johnny Khamis and Sergio Jimenez that San Jose residents are becoming overtaxed, a split City Council on Tuesday decided to move forward with researching a 2020 ballot measure to help build affordable housing and shelter the city’s homeless. Last month, San Jose administrators studied three potential tax measures – two of them were...
Santa Clara County lawmakers make no changes to ICE detainer policy
A nail-biting 56 days have passed since the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to explore changes to the county’s sanctuary city policy, but on Tuesday it voted unanimously against a notification policy preventing law enforcement from cooperating with ICE officials. Emotions ran high among the public at April’s grueling and nearly eight-hour long meeting...
Prime downtown San Jose tower sale to shatter records
One of downtown San Jose’s most prominent office towers, known as 50 West, or the KQED building, is set to sell to developer Jay Paul Co. in a deal that industry insiders say will break records and set a new high-water mark for commercial space in the city’s urban core. “It certainly as recognizable a...
San Jose: Major Alum Rock development spurred by unusual zoning law
For years, San Jose has taken a hard stance against using commercial land for housing — despite the region’s excruciating housing shortage — to bolster economic activity in a city desperately seeking to shed its image as a “bedroom community.” But in a East San Jose neighborhood whose streets are lined with minority-owned businesses, those...
San Jose mayor focuses on equity and blight in budget message
As San Jose lawmakers prepare to approve next year’s budget, Mayor Sam Liccardo announced in his budget message Monday that he wants to distribute public dollars equitably – focusing limited funding and resources on areas with the greatest needs. “All of us should agree that across several city program areas, high-poverty neighborhoods need greater resources,” Liccardo wrote. “In some...
San Jose is home to the nation’s second LGBTQ homeless shelter
Two months ago Kiabet Vivanco found refuge at San Jose’s New Haven Inn — a county-funded supportive home that’s now the nation’s second shelter for homeless and at-risk LGBTQ+ residents. Now, safe and sober, the 34-year-old landed a job and she’s able to see her three kids. “My plan is to keep my life like that,”...
Staedler: Let’s be realistic about retail in housing development
The unrealistic hopes and dreams for small and vibrant retail uses in housing projects have become a huge deterrent in the development of tragically-needed new housing. I will continue to use a variation of the word “tragic” when describing our region’s housing situation because we left “crisis” status years ago. We need a massive number of...