Despite San Jose spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to explore ways to assist domestic violence survivors without involving law enforcement, the group who conducted the study came back empty-handed with no solutions. The city released its “Community-Led Solutions to Domestic Violence” study May 20, conducted by Minnesota-based Battered Women’s Justice Project. The nonprofit directed...
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San Jose streamlines social media policy for politicians
San Jose leaders are updating the city’s social media policy to ensure elected officials relinquish their online communication channels once their term ends. City officials began drafting the “Transition of Elected Officials” policy after San José Spotlight reported in 2023 that former Councilmember Maya Esparza refused to turn over social media pages affiliated with District...
San Jose officials push for South Vietnam flag emoji
As emojis become a widespread form of global messaging, San Jose leaders are calling on the world’s leading text encoders to add a symbol for the Flag of South Vietnam. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to urge the Unicode Consortium — the Mountain View-based organization overseeing the digitized use of text in all of the...
San Jose to dress buildings in large ads for major sports events
City officials want San Jose to reap the economic benefits from the World Cup and Super Bowl when they come to the region next year, and large-scale advertisements attached to buildings is part of the plan. The San Jose City Council has unanimously approved bringing back “supergraphic” signs to broadcast ads on buildings in downtown...
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San Jose relaxes drinking rules in entertainment zones
San Jose economic officials want to allow the sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks outside downtown’s most popular plazas and public streets during next year’s major sports events. With the economic impact from the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl 60 in nearby Santa Clara, the San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to...
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San Jose extends housing developer tax breaks
San Jose leaders are signing off on additional tax breaks available to new builders this year in an effort to attract housing developers. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously May 13 to increase the number of new homes qualifying for a 50% reduction in commercial, residential, mobile home park taxes and building and structure taxes...
PG&E executive helped run San Jose council candidate’s campaign
A top PG&E executive helped run San Jose City Council candidate Gabby Chavez-Lopez’s campaign for this year’s District 3 special election — while a special interest group funded by the powerful utility company spent independently to support her candidacy. Emails obtained by San José Spotlight show Teresa Alvarado, a regional vice president of the Bay...
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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 District 3 candidates ramp up fundraising for June runoff
The top two vote getters for the District 3 City Council seat in San Jose are back on the fundraising trail. The two contenders in the special election — Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley Executive Director Gabby Chavez-Lopez and San Jose Planning Commission Chair Anthony Tordillos — have raised thousands of dollars in preparation for...
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San Jose activists oppose diverting affordable housing funds
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan opened up the floor to critics of his initiatives to address homelessness Tuesday for the first time since the 2025-26 proposed budget included a reduction of funds prioritized for affordable housing. The property transfer tax known as Measure E was passed by San Jose voters in 2020 to fund permanent...