December 1, 2020 SJ Set to Expand Natural Gas Ban—With Controversial Exception By Jennifer Wadsworth Bloom Energy—a publicly traded fuel cell manufacturer—wants the city to give it a pass from its climate-smart policy. Read More 2
November 16, 2020 San Jose May Ban Natural Gas in Almost All New Construction By Grace Hase The Climate Smart-aligned proposal expands on a 2019 policy that banned natural gas in new residential construction. Read More 11
September 11, 2019 San Jose Lawmakers Ask to Declare a Climate Emergency By Grace Hase If the council approves the plan, San Jose will join nearly 1,000 local governments across 18 countries that have issued similar declarations. Read More 18
May 6, 2019 San Jose Can Barely Keep Up with Demand for Trash Clean-Up By Jennifer Wadsworth In a way, BeautifySJ has become a victim of its own success, as service requests continue to outpace the city’s ability to meet demand. Read More 7
October 29, 2018 San Jose Talks Climate Change, Surveillance, Litter and Pensions at Tuesday’s Council Meeting By Jennifer Wadsworth Since launching its climate action plan, San Jose has created its own clean energy system and won a $2.5 million Bloomberg grant. Read More 5
August 20, 2018 Waste Piles Up in San Jose as China Limits Recycling Imports By Jennifer Wadsworth Paper and plastics tossed by U.S. consumers into their blue bins have been piling up ever since China tightened import restrictions. Read More 13
December 8, 2017 China’s Recycling Crackdown Will Make Waste Disposal a Whole Lot Harder in Silicon Valley By Jennifer Wadsworth China’s crackdown on imported scraps is about to shake up the global market and will likely bring major changes to local waste management. Read More 7
September 25, 2017 Audit Finds that San Jose’s Dept. of Environmental Services Has Poor Oversight of Contracts By Jennifer Wadsworth Weak controls over consulting contracts in San Jose’s Environmental Services Department put the city at risk of cost overruns, an audit found. Read More 7
September 11, 2017 City Council to Discuss San Jose Water Company’s Overbilling By Jennifer Wadsworth The investor-owned water company that serves about half of Santa Clara County owes a fortune to ratepayers. The only question is: how much? Read More 7
May 19, 2017 San Jose Approves Clean Energy Program Set to Launch in 2018 By Silicon Valley Newsroom San Jose approved a plan this week to pool money from residents to buy energy from clean sources. It will cost $55 million to get started. Read More 2
March 20, 2017 San Jose Council Weighs Locally Controlled Clean Energy Plan By Jennifer Wadsworth San Jose is exploring the idea of forming its own power agency to offer residents a higher mix of renewable energy at a slightly lower cost. Read More 17
December 8, 2016 Rising Seas, Federal Inaction and Donald Trump Turn Climate Change into a Local Issue By Jennifer Wadsworth Faced with a science-averse president-elect, local communities have no choice but to fend for themselves in the fight against climate change. Read More 38
June 16, 2016 San Jose Agrees to Spend $100 Million on Creek Cleanup By Jennifer Wadsworth San Jose agreed to spend $100 million to cut down the amount of trash and sewage that flows into local creeks and rivers. Read More 7
February 3, 2016 Recycling Rates Lag as San Jose Fights its Biggest Hauler By Jennifer Wadsworth San Jose has been at odds with its biggest recycling hauler, California Waste Solutions, for failing to meet its contractual obligations. Read More 8
October 26, 2015 San Jose City Council Considers Crackdown on Illegal Dumping By Jennifer Wadsworth To crack down on illegal dumping, San Jose may enact steep fines for people who leave their junk on the streets. Read More 18
April 20, 2015 San Jose Weighs Strict Drought Plan, Echoing State Restrictions By Jennifer Wadsworth To step in line with unprecedented state mandates limiting water use, city of San Jose officials will consider a long list of local restrictions on lawn-watering, car-washing and serving water at restaurants. Read More 8