San Jose Inside

New details emerged this week regarding the San Jose Police Department's purchase of a drone, which has been described as a tool to assist the bomb squad. Privacy advocates aren't so sure.

San Jose’s parking enforcement officers are a notorious bunch. The cash-strapped city, not too proud to strip the couch cushions as it scavenges for revenue, has an army of these ticket punchers at the ready, ruthlessly hunting down the tardy. But a recent Smart Meter malfunction had me questioning what kind of program they're running over there.

Members of San Jose’s Levitt Pavilion Exploratory Committee recently had the opportunity to visit two sites in Southern California: Pasadena’s Memorial Park and Los Angeles’ Macarthur Park.

San Jose Inside has obtained an internal bulletin San Jose police chief Larry Esquivel sent out July 14, explaining that the status quo on smart phone searches has to change. But that could be the tip of the iceberg regarding 4th Amendment issues in Santa Clara County.

At first blush, a new poll makes it look like San Jose voters overwhelmingly support a sales tax increase. But a closer look shows that the poll is "a prescription for disaster."

Summer brings a brief reprieve for local elected officials—for some more than others.

State regulators fired off warning letters to a San Jose council member-elect, the city's firefighters PAC and a local community college district for failing to file timely campaign disclosure forms.

An excessive-force complaint against San Jose police has reignited a years-old controversy about the way the department handles claims of officer misconduct.

North county residents apparently don't enjoy the same access to public services as the rest of the region. Supervisor Joe Simitian intends to change that.

San Jose voters appear open to paying higher taxes to restore services and doubling the tax on pot clubs, according to a new survey commissioned by the city.

Exactly how does the San Jose Police Department intend to use an $8,000 bomb-sniffing drone? That’s just one question that could be answered by Muckrock’s three-year project to peel back the curtain on local law enforcement agencies deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones.

Hoping to stopgap a critical staffing shortage, San Jose Police Department hired a cadre of civilian cops.

The November election will either shift the body politic in San Jose toward change or provide a continuation of the status quo. With the problems facing the city, change should be in the air.

Considering the national obesity rate and the health benefits of playing outdoors, parents have every incentive to encourage their children to get off the couch and under the sun.

County Supervisor Dave Cortese has taken an unusual approach to email in recent months. But perhaps more worrisome for the San Jose mayoral candidate, Cindy Chavez' successful run for a county supervisor seat last year could cut into funds that were expected to help him get elected.