Vicente Vera

2 weeks ago | sanjosespotlight.com | Vicente Vera

San Jose leaders are updating the city’s social media policy to ensure elected officials relinquish their online communication channels once their term ends. City officials began drafting the “Transition of Elected Officials” policy after San José Spotlight reported in 2023 that former Councilmember Maya Esparza refused to turn over social media pages affiliated with District 7. Her successor Councilmember Bien Doan described it as a “revengeful” act.

2 weeks ago | localnewsmatters.org | Vicente Vera |San Jose Spotlight

SAN JOSE LEADERS are signing off on additional tax breaks available to new builders this year in an effort to attract housing developers. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously May 13 to increase the number of new homes qualifying for a 50% reduction in ​​commercial, residential, mobile home park taxes and building and structure taxes from 1,500 to 1,800.

2 weeks ago | localnewsmatters.org | Vicente Vera |San Jose Spotlight

A SILICON VALLEY NONPROFIT raised more than $3.3 million to build a towering art installation in downtown San Jose — but the group’s funding has dwindled to about $35,000 and the project never got off the ground. Since 2017, Urban Confluence executive director Steve Borkenhagen has touted a plan to create a landmark in the city’s downtown core to draw visitors and tourists. The nonprofit’s leaders likened the monument to San Jose’s equivalent of the Golden Gate Bridge or Eiffel Tower.

2 weeks ago | sanjosespotlight.com | Vicente Vera

City officials want San Jose to reap the economic benefits from the World Cup and Super Bowl when they come to the region next year, and large-scale advertisements attached to buildings is part of the plan. The San Jose City Council has unanimously approved bringing back “supergraphic” signs to broadcast ads on buildings in downtown and North San Jose for the first time since phasing them out two years ago.

2 weeks ago | sanjosespotlight.com | Vicente Vera

San Jose economic officials want to allow the sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks outside downtown’s most popular plazas and public streets during next year’s major sports events. With the economic impact from the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl 60 in nearby Santa Clara, the San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve “entertainment zone” designations at six locations within downtown business districts.