An Ohio media company spent thousands of dollars lobbying San Jose officials to vote in favor of new digital billboards downtown — and succeeded. Public lobbying reports show Orange Barrel Media spent as much as $30,000 in January and February to hire lobbyists who met with everyone on the San Jose City Council or their staff, excluding...
Santa Clara County asks state to help fund affordable housing
State funding could be the answer for a long-awaited affordable housing development to begin construction. Santa Clara County is applying for up to $40.5 million in Project Homekey+ funding for the Algarve Apartments at 1135 E. Santa Clara St. next to Roosevelt Park in San Jose. When completed, the development will have 91 homes —...
UPDATE: San Jose approves digital billboards to boost revenue
Digital billboards will soon be part of Downtown San Jose’s landscape. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to allow digital billboards to be placed in various downtown locations with advertising company Orange Barrel Media responsible for upkeep and operational costs. The city will receive 15% of the advertising time. The billboards are projected...
Downtown San Jose street becomes permanent pedestrian mall
San Jose officials have approved the permanent restriction of vehicle traffic at a popular downtown street in an effort to increase fast-growing economic vibrancy in the business district. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to permanently close Post Street to cars, which began during the pandemic when the Al Fresco dining and shopping pilot programs...
San Jose mayor wants to permanently shift affordable housing funds
Amid a budget shortfall, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan wants to move money allocated to affordable housing toward temporary housing solutions — indefinitely. San Jose is facing a potential $60 million deficit for the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year, due in large part to a drop in sales tax revenue. At a City Council meeting earlier...
San Jose to rezone land near airport for business development
San Jose is eyeing patches of vacant land underneath the San Jose Mineta International Airport flight path for commercial use. San Jose planning department officials want to rezone about 11 acres of unused, city-owned land along Coleman Avenue and West Hedding Street from open space to commercial. The proposal is expected to go before the Planning...
UPDATE: San Jose officials pull $10M to soften budget deficit
San Jose officials have reshuffled this year’s budget and agreed to a hiring freeze after deficits forced them to identify millions in savings — but next year’s financial “headwinds” are still yet to come. The San Jose City Council voted 10-1 Tuesday to update the 2024-25 budget and dip into at least $10 million in...
San Jose advances plans for downtown music pavilion
San Jose’s historic St. James Park is one step closer to joining a national nonprofit’s network of outdoor music venues fashioned from neglected public spaces. The City Council unanimously authorized negotiations Tuesday for a three-party operating agreement for the future downtown concert venue between the city, the national Levitt Foundation and Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose,...
Meet the candidates running for District 3 San Jose City Council
San Jose voters living downtown will decide in April who they want to represent them on the City Council for the next two years. Seven candidates are running for the District 3 seat, including San Jose Planning Commission Chair Anthony Tordillos, Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley Executive Director Gabby Chavez-Lopez, mayoral staffer Matthew Quevedo, pro...
San Jose council appointment helps mayor’s agenda
The mayor of the Bay Area’s largest city may have scored a limited window to push through his agenda with the temporary appointment of District 3 Councilmember Carl Salas. Salas — San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s pick during last month’s appointment process — potentially secures the business-backed mayor a six-vote majority amid the City Council’s...