Racism for thee, but not for me

CM Sylvia Arenas raised eyebrows earlier this year when she harshly questioned historical designations for homes in SJ's Garden Alameda neighborhood because, over half a century ago, the neighborhood had race-based covenants applied to it. Arenas inaccurately accused the current neighborhood and neighbors of racism and ongoing segregation (here, here, here, and here). Mayoral hopeful CM Dev Davis represents the Garden Alameda district as its councilmember. However, when a home in the Naglee Park neighborhood was recently considered for historical preservation, Arenas supported it. According to the City of San Jose's Housing Dept., Naglee Park properties--including the home being granted historical preservation--had precisely the same type racial covenants applied to them as did the homes in Garden Alameda. Keen-eyed observers could not help but notice that Naglee Park is represented by mayoral hopeful CM Raul Peralez, whom Arenas has endorsed in the mayoral race. The Merc covered the story.

A small piece of San Jose’s rock music history will be preserved for years to come, as the San Jose City Council has designated the home where The Doobie Brothers made their name as a historic landmark.

Located at 285 S. 12th Street, the Craftsman-style home in the city’s Naglee Park neighborhood is a three-bedroom, two-bath house worth more than $1 million. But long before the region’s soaring housing market and the home went through some upgrades, Tom Johnston, singer and songwriter for the Doobie Brothers, rented it from 1969 to 1973 while attending San Jose State University, where he studied graphic design. The current owners of the Doobie Brothers house in San Jose submitted applications in May 2021 to designate the house as a city landmark and created a ten-year plan to restore and rehabilitate the home, which will include repainting the exterior, upgrading plumbing and installing a bronze plaque on the front of the home explaining its historical significance.

Under a statute known as the Mills Act, the city will enter a historic property contract with the homeowners that grants them a reduced property tax rate in exchange for the preservation of the historic property.

Read the whole thing here.

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