A public interest lawsuit that paints one property owner as an unrepentant slumlord reflects a growing power imbalance between landlords and tenants.

As housing costs soar and incomes remain relatively stagnant, San Jose aims to pass a new rent control ordinance by the start of 2016.

As new figures show average rents in San Jose have soared 54 percent since 2010, city officials are moving forward with plans to bolster rent control and tenant rights.

As San Jose's burgeoning rents price out longtime residents, force some into homelessness and others to double-up with parents in multi-generational households, city officials are talking about how to bolster local regulations to help tenants.

Mountain View has no rent control, leaving many long-time residents feeling helpless as housing costs have skyrocketed. While the city has subsidized construction of hundreds of affordable units since 2005, using below-market-rates in lieu of fees from developers, it’s not doing enough to meet the needs of thousands of residents struggling financially, according to housing activists.

A report about the cost of living in Silicon Valley goes before the Board of Supervisors next week. Also on the agenda: a "living wage" ordinance, pro bono legal help for migrant children and a digital security program proposed by Supervisor Joe Simitian.

Given the overwhelming focus on crime statistics and dearth of sworn officers, a San Jose councilman wants the city to take a deeper look at the state of the San Jose Police Department.

With the rental market heating up, more people are asking for the city’s help to mediate lease rate hikes. The City Council on Tuesday will decide whether to pay more for a program to mediate and arbitrate cases between landlords trying to keep up with the market and tenants getting priced out of their homes. Other items on the agenda include a code enforcement audit, a historical landmark designation for a fruit stand and a trash-reduction plan.