Gov. Gavin Newsom has, for reasons practical and political, shifted toward an increasingly aggressive effort to enforce the state's laws to promote affordable housing.

A new bill aimed at increasing affordable housing construction is back by California’s carpenters’ unions, but the Construction and Building Trades Council is opposed, saying it doesn't guarantee union wages.

The zoning changes will limit the number of single-family homes that can be built across the parts of Coyote Valley that do not fall within the boundaries of the cities of San Jose and Morgan Hill. 

Tax Base Erosion Night lived up to its name last Tuesday at the Council meeting as a truck drove through the Employment Lands Framework. Council voted 8-3 to amend the General Plan and allow new townhouses instead of reserving land for jobs next to Santana Row. Thank you to Rose Herrera and Sam Liccardo for voting to hold the line and retain our tax base.

It is that time of year again, with lobbyists circling City Hall in preparation for the General Plan hearings.

With the leadership of Mayor Reed, modifications to our General Plan (GP) have been reduced to once a year, for the most part. At the GP hearings, applicants make their case as to why current land-use designations should be changed to allow for the applicant to build what they want, regardless of how the land is currently zoned.

One of the most important responsibilities a councilmember has is working on constituent issues. So far, my office has managed 4,675 constituent issues, which I refer to as “cases.” I set up a web database that allows constituents to track our case work in real time online. In most cases we are successful in resolving the issue or concern. In other cases, constituents just want to share their comments on a particular matter.

Recently, I had a request that came from a constituent who is a professional in the commercial real estate industry and is a veteran at purchasing property.