Two Silicon Valley officials are teaming up in an effort to help homeless and drug addicted residents who they said are scaring and attacking people living in downtown San Jose. At a town hall meeting Friday, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and Santa Clara County District 2 Supervisor Betty Duong, who’s district encompasses the downtown,...
San Jose lags on state homeless audit recommendations
It’s been over a year since the state ordered San Jose to improve the way it collects and displays data on its homeless services, but the city still has work to do. A 2024 state audit released last April gave the city seven recommendations to improve how it tracks expenses and measures effectiveness for its...
San Jose leaders aim to build pride in downtown
Pedestrians traversing one of San Jose’s busiest downtown corridors will discover a more inviting area. City officials and the San Jose Downtown Association unveiled a $795,000 beautification project Monday, where color and vibrancy are taking hold. The makeover includes 17 projects along Santa Clara Street between Market and Fourth streets, with new murals, re-painted building...
Is San Jose’s mayor hitting the mark on his promises?
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has set himself on a launchpad for higher office, from TV interviews in other cities to big policy promises that have chafed the left. But the mayor’s political future will rely on the state he leaves San Jose in — and whether he’s fulfilled his promises to bring people indoors,...
San Jose mayor and Trump aligned in homeless response
When it comes to homelessness, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and President Donald Trump see eye to eye: get homeless people off the streets and into treatment centers. Trump signed an executive order last Thursday calling to prioritize funding for cities and states that prohibit homeless encampments and drug use in public, and directing more...
San Jose mayor uses AI for work
By Matt O’Brien, AP Technology Writer Before the mayor of San Jose, California, arrives at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new business, his aides ask ChatGPT to help draft some talking points. “Elected officials do a tremendous amount of public speaking,” said Mayor Matt Mahan, whose recent itinerary has taken him from new restaurant and...
San Jose mayor redefines ‘Responsibility to Shelter’ policy
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is changing his tune when it comes to arresting homeless people who refuse shelter. Mahan held a news conference Wednesday to talk about how he is redefining his “Responsibility to Shelter” initiative. When it first rolled out in March, Mahan said those who refuse shelter three times within an 18-month...
Santa Clara County critical of plan to arrest homeless people
Despite San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s claim his policy to arrest homeless people for refusing shelter is meant to connect them to treatment, there isn’t a plan for how it’s supposed to work. Since Mahan rolled out his “Responsibility to Shelter” policy in March, Santa Clara County officials and a former judge have pushed back on the...
Housing in North San Jose is underway on former Japanese farmland
Construction is underway on the first installation of a multifamily housing and retail project in North San Jose on former Japanese-owned farmland. Mayor Matt Mahan and North San Jose Councilmember David Cohen broke ground on the 0 Seely Ave. site Friday, as the area once surrounded by trees and farm structures was flattened to make...
San Jose mayor endorses Newsom’s push to illegalize encampments
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to ban homeless encampments across California, echoing San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s goal to end the era of tents and camps lining city streets, parks and waterways. In Newsom’s proposal announced Monday, he laid out a blueprint for cities to make it illegal to camp on public property for more than...