San Jose Mercury News

Peter Docter, director of the animated film 'Monsters Inc.', has submitted plans to build a series of artificial tree houses on his land in Lafayette, CA to be his family's home. The Planning Commission is currently considering the project.

After significant debate, the Pacheco pass route has been approved for the high-speed train between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Next step: pass a $10 billion proposition on the November ballot.

Transit agencies around the U.S. offered free rides on a single day, and large crowds follow. But observers aren't sure they'll stick around when they have to pay again.

Cities like San José, CA are moving away from modern methods to keep grass down and going back to traditional methods like grazing sheep and goats.

The latest population and housing estimates for the San Fransisco Bay Area show that urban areas are equaling, if not exceeding, the growth of suburban communities -- with more multifamily homes being built in lieu of detached single-family homes.

Two ballot measures -- one sponsored by property owners, the other by local government groups and businesses -- seek to tighten the rules around eminent domain, and potentially end rent control in the state.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, two public transit agencies are conducting trials with "Zero Emission Buses", or ZEBs. They are using different types of hydrogen fuel cell technologies, with very different results.

A new report from a non-profit, non-partisan California think tank finds that immigrants, both legal and undocumented, have lower rates of incarceration and criminal activity in California than the U.S.-born population.

San Jose, California is considering a plan to require all new private developments to follow strict environmental standards. Builders and developers are opposed and claim the move will be bad for the city as it tries to encourage business growth.

A dispute over two possible routes for California's high-speed rail line has elevated to members of Congress formally opposing federal funding for a route that does not include their districts.

This editorial calls on the city of San Jose, California, to bend recently-passed planning process rules to keep hopes alive for a mixed-use soccer stadium project.

Residents in San Jose, California, are calling on the city to do something about a recent increase in speeding on residential streets, but officials feel there is little that can be done.

Planners in San Jose, California, say the massive conversion of industrial lands is eroding the city's jobs and tax Base. Housing developers disagree.

Transit planners are hoping to nail down a route for the long-sought high speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Many in San Jose say the route must run through the Silicon Valley, a major driver of California's economy.

A flea market space located adjacent to a planned expansion of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system in San Jose, California, may be replaced with a mixed use transit village.

North San Jose's redevelopment plan calls for 32,000 apartments and 7 million sq.ft of industry along the light rail line, but demand for the latter has dropped. Now the school district wants 4 new schools while the city insists only 1 is necessary.

Many modern day manufactured homes have upgraded their looks, attracting both buyers looking for value as well as style and sustainability.

While San Jose's light rail ridership has soared, its bus ridership has plummeted over 33% in six years. In an unprecedented effort to restore ridership, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has decreased day and monthly pass prices.

Amid a flurry of subsidies in other states offered to companies like Microsoft and Yahoo!, Google plans to open a $600 million data center in Lenoir, North Carolina, population 17,000. The city will offer a generous tax break and a state grant.

Home prices in the British capital have made London the most expensive place to buy a home, supplanting New York City.