May 20, 2020 San Jose Teams Up with East Side Schools to Close ‘Digital Divide’ By Grace Hase The City Council also voted to have the California Emerging Technology Fund divvy up tens of thousands of dollars in grants to the neediest students. Read More 7
May 19, 2020 Beloved Downtown Arts Group Works/San Jose Faces Eviction By Jennifer Wadsworth The nonprofit gallery, which set so many on a creative course in life, faces a roadblock on its own path—and it couldn’t come at a worse time. Read More 23
May 14, 2020 San Jose Leaders Propose Mandatory Face Masks By Grace Hase Vice Mayor Chappie Jones and Councilman Sergio Jimenez want the city to align with neighboring counties that have stricter rules in place. Read More 66
May 12, 2020 San Jose Projects $71.6 Million Deficit in Next Year’s Budget By Grace Hase Officials forecast a 9 percent drop from 2018-19 totals—a steeper downturn than the one hastened by the Great Recession. Read More 17
May 8, 2020 San Jose Lawmakers Propose ‘Al Fresco’ Dining Initiative to Aid Small Business Recovery By Grace Hase The proposal will be heard at 2pm Wednesday during the City Council’s next Rules and Open Government Committee session. Read More 15
May 7, 2020 Op-Ed: San Jose’s Digital Inclusion Plan Misses the Mark By Ken Pyle Why isn’t San Jose more aggressively working with Comcast/Xfinity and AT&T to use their existing broadband infrastructures? Read More 4
May 6, 2020 San Jose Finally Pays Back Sacred Heart for Flood Relief—Years After the Fact By The Fly Jeff Scott, spokesman for the city’s housing department, acknowledged that “it doesn’t typically take this long” to pay folks back. Read More 4
April 24, 2020 San Jose Races to Close the ‘Digital Divide’ as Coronavirus Moves Learning Online By Grace Hase Census data from the latest American Community Survey estimates that more than 20,000 households in the city lack internet access. Read More 6
April 22, 2020 San Jose Approves Emergency ‘Bridge Housing’ for Homeless Amid Coronavirus Outbreak By Grace Hase Old tensions ran high at Tuesday’s meeting over a proposed site for emergency shelter for the homeless at Monterey and Bernal roads. Read More 12
April 17, 2020 San Jose Considers Reinstating ‘Sunshine Law’ Provisions By Grace Hase After suspending some “sunshine laws” to fast-track proposals related to the coronavirus outbreak, the city now wants to bring them back. Read More 2
April 9, 2020 San Jose Rent Suspension Proposal Ruled Out Over Constitutional Concerns By Grace Hase Council members Raul Peralez and Magdalena Carrasco opted to withdraw their proposal to instead pursue a citywide rent freeze. Read More 26
April 7, 2020 San Jose Leaders Brace for Deep Cuts in City’s 2020-21 Budget By Grace Hase The city manager is expected to roll his budget proposal in May before the council approves the final 2020-21 spending plan in late June. Read More 10
March 27, 2020 San Jose Tweaks Transparency Rules Amid COVID-19 Outbreak By Grace Hase In light of the public health crisis that’s upended so many rules already, local leaders have relaxed some of the city’s transparency guidelines. Read More 1
March 19, 2020 San Jose Explores Paid Sick Leave Law For ‘Essential Employees’ By Grace Hase As the U.S. tries to “flatten the curve” of the pandemic, the city mulls a paid sick leave policy so workers can stay home if they fall ill. Read More 1
March 18, 2020 COVID-19 Expected to Impact San Jose’s Next Budget Cycle By Grace Hase A lot has changed since Mayor Sam Liccardo authored his annual March budget message a little less than two weeks ago. Read More 2
March 12, 2020 FPPC Slaps San Jose Councilwoman Magdalena Carrasco with $3,000 Fine By The Fly The California Fair Political Practices Commission says the D5 rep and treasurer for her 2018 re-election blew past reporting deadlines. Read More 12