San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan supporting harsher penalties for criminals

Proposition 47 greatly reduced penalties for drug offenses and petty crimes. Unfortunately this resulted in dramatic increases in retail theft, which have all but shuttered large parts of San Francisco and other California cities. San Jose has been less impacted, as SJPD has still been aggressive about enforcing what they can.

Now there is a new proposal on the table, Proposition 36, that would bring back more severe penalties for smaller crimes. Instead of any theft less than $950 being categorized as a misdemeanor, repeat offenders could be charged with a felony. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is now fully championing Proposition 36 as a way to combat retail theft and improve safety across San Jose.

Prop 36 also takes a tougher stance on some drug crimes and gives prosecutors the ability to charge someone with a treatment-mandated felony. This will give some alternatives to prison for those that need medical assistance in combating addiction.

Some, including Governor Newsom, have pushed back citing potential increases in our prison population and costs associated with that. However, continuing to just do the same thing is clearly not working. Mahan believe that Prop 36 is not about mass incarceration but addressing repeat offenses and the need for more government accountability to create treatment services.

Having lower crime has significantly benefited San Jose recently, which has seen more and more businesses and shoppers heading south.

Source: The Mercury News

San Jose installing speeding cameras in late 2025

San Joseans with a lead foot will have to pay extra attention towards the end of next year. San Jose is placing 33 speed cameras in high-collision rate areas, which will automatically mail tickets to speeding drivers.

Traffic deaths doubled in San Jose from 29 in 2012 to 65 in 2022. The primary goal of these cameras is not revenue, but safety. All revenue from citations is required to be used for traffic calming measures.

The estimated cost of the equipment is $7 million, with an additional $3.6 million for data collection, public engagement, and racial equity analysis. That last item is specifically to avoid having these cameras only target specific ethnic communities or low-income neighborhoods.

Potential locations will be provided to the San Jose City Council this fall and the system is expected to go live by the end of 2025. 

Source: San Jose Inside

San Jose's most dangerous streets

A study was recently completed by 1Point21 Interactive and Henshaw & Henry, PC to find the most dangerous streets in San Jose. Five years of data was sourced from the California Highway Patrol's SWITRS database to compile the number of crashes, injuries, severe injuries, and fatalities at various intersections in San Jose. Over that period, there were 8,000 intersection-related crashes in San Jose, which sadly led to 10,118 injuries and 103 deaths.

The most dangerous regions are Alum Rock, Central San Jose, and South San Jose. Of those, the intersection of McLaughlin and Story is the most notorious, followed by Almaden Expressway and Blossom Hill. Capital Expressway and Ocala Avenue was third on the list.

To see the full study, head over here.