With more than a dozen data center projects taking shape in Santa Clara County, local leaders have offered assurances that potential environmental impacts will be thoroughly assessed before any new facility gets switched on. But when it comes to water usage, a group of Bay Area researchers is warning such environmental reviews have an alarming...
San Jose pumped over sporting events’ financial win
San Jose’s leaders are taking a victory lap following the release of new figures gauging the impact of two major sporting events that took place in the South Bay earlier this year — Super Bowl 60 and NCAA’s March Madness games. Across several business sectors — hotels, restaurants, retail and air travel — officials said...
San Jose budget proposal outlines millions in service cuts
After months of speculation about where the budget axe might land to balance a $50 million deficit, San Jose’s city manager has released a proposal for the upcoming fiscal year that includes broad cuts to city services but avoids layoffs. The $5.5 billion budget proposal submitted by City Manager Jennifer Maguire on Friday has come...
San Jose resident sues city over 7-story apartment project
Neighborhood opposition against a proposed seven-story apartment complex in Willow Glen has entered a new phase, after one resident launched a lawsuit intended to force the city into conducting a more thorough review of the development’s potential impact on the area’s sewer system. Jeffrey Yuille, who lives directly adjacent to the proposed development site at...
San Jose to name new park in honor of Chinese American pioneer
San Jose’s newest park will bear the name of a pioneering Chinese American business leader. Councilmembers unanimously approved a plan Tuesday to transform an undeveloped 1.2-acre parcel of land in southwest San Jose into a new park, named in honor of the late Bill Kee, who led a fight in the 1940s to preserve San Jose’s...
San Jose’s faulty formula zeroed out worker pay increases
An obscure wage formula used by San Jose is getting an update — bringing a pay bump to some of the city’s lowest paid workers following a year when their wages didn’t rise at all. The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved changes to its “living wage” policy, a measure covering workers employed by companies...
Residents push back against San Jose’s data center plans
San Jose’s plan to support the rapid development of new data centers in coming years is running into increasingly vocal pushback. What might have been a routine policy review session during Tuesday’s City Council meeting instead became a venue for a procession of angry residents to vent their concerns about the city’s efforts to attract...
Divided San Jose council approves police housing preference
A measure to allow San Jose Police Department personnel to jump to the front of the line in a new workforce housing effort has won approval. But the victory comes only after sharp dissent on the City Council, amid criticism the plan is unfair to other city workers. The amendment, which modifies a recently approved...
San Jose wants to spin off AI policy initiative
For many public officials, artificial intelligence holds the promise to massively boost government operations. But the emerging technology also faces serious questions about how it can be used without compromising data security and user privacy or displacing workers. For the past two years, San Jose has been helping government agencies across the globe navigate this...
San Jose deadlocked on divesting from companies with ICE ties
Despite growing calls for San Jose to divest public funds from certain companies, the City Council has decided to hold off — for now — on making any major changes to the city’s investment portfolio. The decision Tuesday came as a setback to supporters of a proposal that would have seen the city gradually phase...