San Jose is applying for a $3.3 million federal grant that would restore nearly a third of the firefighter positions lost in a round of layoffs in 2010.

Presidents Day means a day off for millions of school kids and some of their parents. All but a few government offices are closed. Patriotic and historical groups are staging re-enactments. Retailers are taking advantage of the holiday to lure in shoppers with sales.

San Jose Inside has learned that allegations of inappropriate relationships, threats of violence and overzealous internal investigations have split the city manager’s office into factions. On Friday, the office's third top-level executive will resign—but not before parting with a $100,000 severance package.

San Jose Inside has confirmed with multiple sources that Ed Shikada will resign from his post as city manager, the top appointed position in the city. (UPDATE: The city manager announced his resignation in an email to staff Wednesday afternoon.)

Shortly after returning from a holiday lunch party Thursday, City Manager Ed Shikada removed Alex Gurza as head of the Office of Employee Relations. But on Monday, Gurza surprised many by returning to work—just at a far lower rung on the totem pole.

Chuck Reed’s about to sunset his final term as mayor of San Jose, and he’s inviting the public to a farewell celebration. What’s that? You have plans? Oh, come on.

Following anecdotal reports of pedestrians getting jostled by passing cyclists, city officials will consider whether to ban bicyclists from downtown sidewalks.

When the next big earthquake strikes, hundreds of buildings in Silicon Valley are prone to collapse. Yet unlike other major Bay Area cities that have adopted policies to incentivize seismic retrofitting—namely Oakland, San Francisco, Berkeley and Fremont—San Jose has done nothing to fix the problem. A group of City Council officials want to create a program, similar to those in Oakland and San Francisco, encouraging property owners to make their buildings sturdier.

Columbus Day has been called “the strangest of American holidays,” the least-liked and least-respected, a commemoration of an egomaniac who wouldn’t ask for directions and launched a centuries-long era of cultural genocide. So, why do we still celebrate it in San Jose?

A handful of city leaders want to hike up penalties for illegal fireworks, given that complaints and injuries are becoming increasingly common. Also on Wednesday's Rules Committee agenda, the city's federal lobbyists will submit a mid-year report. San Jose Inside will be meeting with the lobbyists Thursday morning, and readers are invited to submit questions in the comments section.

San Jose officials want to travel to Copenhagen, which has branded itself the "City of Cyclists," to study how the area has adapted to cyclists and pedestrians. That and more will be discussed at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

In a bid to collect enough signatures for a referendum by the Friday deadline, cannabis clubs are offering free evaluations and medical marijuana to San Jose residents.

With a week left to gather signatures for two November referendums, local medical marijuana advocates attracted hundreds of San Jose residents Thursday with the offer of free evaluations. Naturally, a line stretched down the street.

Hundreds of historical documents were discovered in May, sealed in a combination safe on the second floor of San Jose’s City Hall. There is some debate about their authenticity, but an assortment of meeting minutes and letters provide a unique perspective of San Jose's rural roots.

There are currently at least three efforts to change the landscape and ambiance of St. James Park.

San Jose’s Election Code is, like all laws in our democracy, a work in progress. So while the intent of each and every provision may be benevolently intended to lead us toward a more perfect political paradigm, it’s not a stretch to say revisions are in order. With the first campaign finance reports for Mayoral and Council elections due today, it’s appropriate to start by following the money. Regulations governing limits on individual donations and campaign spending are both worthy topics. But there’s enough grist there to write a novel. Instead, I’d prefer to look at a policy that is relatively unique to San Jose: the 180-day fundraising window for council and mayoral candidates.