The mayor said the city can use repeat, non-violent misdemeanor charges to work with the Mental Health and Drug Courts to help compel people to engage in treatment.

Gabby Chavez-Lopez led Anthony Tordillos by 706 votes in the special election, but won just 30% of the overall vote.

The New York Times today put the mayor in the national spotlight for leading the city council in a plan to threaten homeless people who don’t accept offers of shelter, saying it’s  the latest sign of frustrations over tent encampments in California.

A one-day recount will begin on April 24, with certification of the final two candidates to be announced on April 28.

This strike is no longer about fair wages or working conditions. It’s about pay demands that would force route cuts, fare increases and layoffs.

Last year’s initial budget projection featured an estimated $53 million shortfall. The new budget projection unveiled by Maguire this week showed a projected $46 million shortfall, the equivalent of about 3% of the city’s $1.6 billion spending plan.

The City Council pledged an undetermined amount of new financial support for the Rapid Response Network, co-founded by the city in 2016 to track actions by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, providing on-the-spot counseling and legal assistance to undocumented immigrants.

Seven candidates qualified as candidates for the April special election. The council had decided that no person could seek election to the coveted downtown council seat if they also sought appointment to the interim seat.

For the last four years, Foley has chaired the Community and Economic Development Committee, a body focused on managing the growth and change of San Jose in order to encourage a strong economy.

The City Council today formally approved the dates for both appointing and electing a replacement for the disgraced former first-term council member, Omar Torres.

The City Council had the option of appointing a replacement for Omar Torres to serve out his full term until the 2026 elections, or to appoint an interim replacement in District 3 pending outcome of a special election in April for the remainder of the term.

Police Chief Paul Joseph said the arrest of Omar Torres on Election Day came just one day after a man told police that when he was a child, he had been sexually assaulted by Torres for several years. Torres sent a letter of resignation from the City Council just before his arrest.

Torres’ council chair was again conspicuously empty, and he continues to be a no-show at various boards and committees.

Joseph has served as acting chief of police since former Chief Anthony Mata’s retirement on March 31.

The mayor said that for the past two weeks, Torres has not shown up to any council meetings, community meetings or committees to which he has been assigned.

The pleas from business groups are based on revelations in an Oct. 1 police affidavit of sexually explicit comments by Councilmember Omar Torres about young boys.