As California lawmakers shelve legislation restricting evictions statewide, San Jose passed a similar “just cause” ordinance two years ago which requires landlords to cite a legitimate reason for terminating a lease. But is the law working here? Since the local law’s adoption in April 2017, San Jose City Hall has received more than 12,800 notices...
More students face homelessness as SJSU school year ends
As San Jose State University’s school year comes to an end and the Martin Luther King Jr. library – where countless homeless students sleep – closes for the night, university administrators have yet to come up with a plan to house the school’s homeless population. The end of the school year also means students living...
A day after Virginia Beach shooting, Bernie Sanders pushes gun control in San Jose stop
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democrat from Vermont and a 2020 presidential candidate, talked health care, prison reform, free college and unseating President Donald Trump during a campaign stop in downtown San Jose on Saturday. “The message of our campaign is us, not me,” Sanders told a crowd of several hundred supporters at San Jose’s Arena...
Amid criticism, Santa Clara County moving ahead on $5M women statue fund
Santa Clara County is starting to dip into $5 million it set aside for monuments that celebrate women, but it’s unclear when the work might come to fruition and some critics say taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be spent on women statues. The idea for the fund sparked while planning an International Women’s Day event last year,...
San Jose political foes join forces against new taxes
Two very unlikely San Jose political leaders joined forces Friday against one common enemy: New taxes. In a memo released late Friday, San Jose Councilmembers Johnny Khamis and Sergio Jimenez — who are often on opposite sides of most social issues — directed city administrators to stop studying placing any new tax measures on the...
Top takeaways from blistering state audit of Alum Rock School District
Another chapter in the long history of mismanagement and financial woes in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District was written this week in the form of an audit from state officials. The story was a familiar one for those following the troubled East San Jose district: ARUSD officials’ mismanagement of contracts cost the district...
San Jose mayor one step closer to suing over overnight trains
In an effort to combat the blaring horns of trains that have been waking San Jose residents from slumber, Mayor Sam Liccardo, along with four of his council colleagues, have signed on to explore legal options against Union Pacific Railroad and consider designating the land along the rail line as public open space. According to...
Rapes in San Jose tripled in ten years; lawmakers want answers
San Jose elected leaders on Thursday called for a series of public hearings to address an alarming rise of reported rapes and sexual assaults in San Jose. All five female members of the San Jose City Council — Magdalena Carrasco, Sylvia Arenas, Dev Davis, Maya Esparza and Pam Foley — gathered in front of San...
San Jose to pay six-figure settlement in traffic death case
San Jose City Hall will shell out a six-figure settlement to the family of a man who was killed while walking near a dark overpass with broken lights — which should’ve been maintained by the city. The settlement, which will be formally approved by the City Council on Tuesday, awards $100,000 to the parents of...
Mason Fong breaks barriers as a South Bay councilman
At 27 years old, Councilmember Mason Fong is believed to be the youngest person elected to the Sunnyvale City Council. His captivation with politics started at a young age as his parents fostered the importance of civic engagement, taking him to rallies like the ones held against the Iraq War. The grandson of Chinese immigrants, Fong’s political voice...