City of San Jose Government News and Articles

A homeless housing project is coming to South San Jose, and city officials want to clear the area of unsheltered encampments before it's built.
The San Jose City Council this month unanimously approved a 10-year lease for $1 annually from …

San Jose councilmembers are supposed show who they’re meeting with behind closed doors — but their public calendars lack vital details and skirt the spirit of transparency.
San José Spotlight has reported on inadequate lobbyist disclosures for years, but a …

Eddie Aubrey, currently working with the Richmond Police Department, has been investigating police misconduct since 2016

San Jose has appointed a new independent police watchdog after months of scandal and instability plagued the office responsible for investigating officer malfeasance.
Eddie Aubrey, who heads the office of professional accountability for the Richmond Police Department, is taking his …

A multimillion-dollar work backlog in San Jose is leaving empty spaces where playground equipment used to be, basketball courts eroded and turf riddled with holes from squirrels and gophers.
San Jose’s parks department has a more than $554 million infrastructure …

San Jose is updating its 311 app that tracks resident complaints to more efficiently address thousands of requests about abandoned vehicles.
The 311 app is designed to be a one-stop shop for residents to report a variety of issues including …

San Jose has until September to formulate a succinct plan on how it will address homelessness and begin publicly reporting spending data, according to an audit requested by a local legislator.
The California State Auditor has published its findings and …

San Jose has made the top 25 in a nationwide healthiest city survey, but advocates say deep inequities still persist.
San Jose ranks 22nd in a study compiled by personal finance outlet WalletHub, which pitted 182 of the nation’s most …

Progressive and labor-friendly politicians have enjoyed a majority on the San Jose City Council for the past two years, but the November elections may flip the balance.
Formidable business-backed candidates advanced in every council race during the March 5 primaries, …

Hundreds of granny units are popping up everywhere in San Jose due to a successful city program implemented five years ago.
The city has issued nearly 3,000 permits and seen 1,451 granny units, also known as backyard homes or accessory …

A long-awaited landmark policy will preserve housing specifically for residents at risk of displacement in hopes of keeping them in San Jose.
The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the first policy in the city to give tenant …

San Jose is struggling to divert 911 calls related to mental and emotional distress away from police, despite the county adopting the 988 mental crisis hotline two years ago to handle those situations.
A recent report shows county mental health …

Two San Jose councilmembers have an ambitious plan to house thousands of the city's homeless residents — but some of their colleagues say it will move the city backwards.
Councilmembers Bien Doan and Arjun Batra have proposed a pilot program …

San Jose officials have a daunting task of balancing the budget as they attempt to preserve city services with a $52.1 million shortfall.
The San Jose City Council unanimously approved Mayor Matt Mahan’s March budget message on Tuesday, but not …

Weeks before the San Jose City Council sat down to discuss this year's budget, advocates and residents sounded the alarm about gaps in mental health services and asked officials to expand access to a non-police response program.
Councilmembers on Tuesday …

The plan to turn a historic-yet-blighted downtown San Jose park into a major event venue as part of the city's revitalization plans faces a major delay.
After a four-year battle over a redesign of St. James Park between the city …

A looming multimillion-dollar deficit will force San Jose to make cuts in the next budget. Instead of detailing what will be lost, Mayor Matt Mahan has outlined his nonnegotiables.
His March budget message prioritizes addressing street homelessness and blight, increasing …

Santa Clara County officials may help finance San Jose’s multimillion-dollar safe parking efforts and set up more sites on unused public property for the region's homeless residents.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed on Tuesday to look into both possibilities …

A development site for homeless residents in South San Jose is blanketed in blue tarps to get rid of mold from months of neglect.
After San José Spotlight broke the story on Sunday about pre-built homes arriving unfinished and in …

A multimillion-dollar project to put homeless people in pre-built housing — that San Jose officials championed as cheap and revolutionary — is delayed due to homes arriving unfinished.
The $70-million three-story modular housing project that San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan …