This strike is no longer about fair wages or working conditions. It’s about pay demands that would force route cuts, fare increases and layoffs.

Last year’s initial budget projection featured an estimated $53 million shortfall. The new budget projection unveiled by Maguire this week showed a projected $46 million shortfall, the equivalent of about 3% of the city’s $1.6 billion spending plan.

The City Council pledged an undetermined amount of new financial support for the Rapid Response Network, co-founded by the city in 2016 to track actions by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, providing on-the-spot counseling and legal assistance to undocumented immigrants.

Seven candidates qualified as candidates for the April special election. The council had decided that no person could seek election to the coveted downtown council seat if they also sought appointment to the interim seat.

For the last four years, Foley has chaired the Community and Economic Development Committee, a body focused on managing the growth and change of San Jose in order to encourage a strong economy.

The City Council today formally approved the dates for both appointing and electing a replacement for the disgraced former first-term council member, Omar Torres.

The City Council had the option of appointing a replacement for Omar Torres to serve out his full term until the 2026 elections, or to appoint an interim replacement in District 3 pending outcome of a special election in April for the remainder of the term.

Police Chief Paul Joseph said the arrest of Omar Torres on Election Day came just one day after a man told police that when he was a child, he had been sexually assaulted by Torres for several years. Torres sent a letter of resignation from the City Council just before his arrest.

Torres’ council chair was again conspicuously empty, and he continues to be a no-show at various boards and committees.

Joseph has served as acting chief of police since former Chief Anthony Mata’s retirement on March 31.

The mayor said that for the past two weeks, Torres has not shown up to any council meetings, community meetings or committees to which he has been assigned.

The pleas from business groups are based on revelations in an Oct. 1 police affidavit of sexually explicit comments by Councilmember Omar Torres about young boys.

The San Jose police union accused City Manager Jennifer Maguire of attempting to divert police resources from the investigation of Omar Torres to instead go after media for leaking an affidavit that was on file with the court.

Neither Torres or police gave any details about the allegations. Several media outlets have reported the allegations involve possible sexual misconduct related to online searches.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said Americans must commit to settling disagreements through tools of democracy rather than violence.

One year after Gov. Newsom promised 1,200 tiny homes to shelter residents in four cities, including San Jose, only 150 have been purchased and none are in place.