OAKLAND – The difficult cuts long promised by city officials to combat a historic local financial crisis are at the doorstep — and layoffs are now officially on the table. A new report released Friday said city officials are contemplating up to 91 layoffs early next year, though an unknown number of those could end … Read more
California lawmakers kicked off a special session of the state Legislature on Monday. The reason? To fund a $25 million war chest for anticipated legal battles with incoming President Donald Trump’s administration. As nearly 30 new state lawmakers were sworn into office at the state Capitol in Sacramento, legislative leaders gaveled in a special session … Read more
OAKLAND — Breaking away from other prominent East Bay Democrats, retired Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley became the second former leader this past week to call for their successor to be yanked from office during the Nov. 5 election. O’Malley’s endorsement of the recall campaign targeting current District Attorney Pamela Price came just days … Read more
BERKELEY — After spreading their footprint in Berkeley, the groups behind multiple protest encampments in the city are encouraging others across California and the nation to use the same form of civil disobedience to bring to light what activists have described as aggressive encampment policies implemented at the local and state level. Demonstrators with the … Read more
As he continues to defy calls for his ouster, San Jose City Councilmember Omar Torres could lose his committee assignments as an investigation into sexual misconduct involving minors shrouds the District 3 representative. Torres has disappeared from the public eye — missing a City Council meeting and shirking his other responsibilities on local and regional … Read more
Former President Donald Trump weighed in on the polarizing debate about transgender athletes on Wednesday, an issue that has engulfed San Jose State’s volleyball team, saying if he’s elected he’ll use an executive order to outlaw transgender competitors at all levels. “You just ban it,” Trump said during a town hall that aired Wednesday on … Read more
San Jose city leaders have signed off on a plan to attract new businesses downtown — including a two-year business tax exemption — hoping that the short-term benefits offered will lead to long-term growth and vibrancy. The leasing incentive program, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, includes a temporary business tax exemption for … Read more
Facing the possibility of a major earthquake over the next few decades, San Jose is requiring older “soft-story” buildings to be seismically retrofitted to avoid the catastrophic damages the region saw during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. But housing advocates have raised the red flag over fears that rents for some of the city’s most vulnerable … Read more
With home affordability in the Bay Area already out of control, a federal antitrust lawsuit against a property management software company has prompted San Jose officials to consider ways to protect renters from unfair pricing strategies. City Councilmembers Peter Ortiz, Omar Torres and David Cohen have proposed an ordinance that would ban rent or occupancy-setting … Read more
As “Dancing With the Stars” launches its 33rd season, the beloved ABC dance competition show faced fan backlash Wednesday for announcing that con artist and “notorious ankle bracelet fashionista” Anna Delvey would be included in its lineup of celebrity contestants. Delvey’s participation in the show was announced Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America;” she’ll join … Read more
