Plus, have a happy new year.
 
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Today’s Forecast

57º | Mostly sunny | 5% chance of rain | Sunrise: 7:22 a.m. | Sunset: 5:06 p.m.
 

Important Message
Season’s greetings, San Jose. We’ll be out of office until the new year to spend time with our loved ones. Until then, we’re pausing our newsletter sends and reducing our social posts. We’ll see you in your inboxes at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024.
 

🫶 Thank you, San Jose

SJtoday Wrapped: The best of 2023
Downtown San Jose during sunrise.
Can you believe we’re already at the end of the year? | Photo via Jed Record
This year, we sent out 200+ newsletters and grew our social media following by 40,000+ followers with the goal of keeping our community informed, activated, and engaged.

So, before we celebrate the beginning of a new year, we wanted to look back at the top SJtoday stories and social media highlights from 2023 + give a huge thank you to our readers and members of the community who made this year so spectacular.

🗞️ Top stories

📱 Top social media posts

City Editor Alyson: The love story between DJ duo SOULMAT3S was one of my favorites because I continue to have such a great relationship with a pair of awesome human beings. There’s also nothing I love more than digging into our city’s expansive history + adding to our decades series.

City Editor Gregg: The biggest highlight of the year for me has got to be learning about low rider culture. Find me in all of the nostalgic places, like the truly bizarre Fry’s Electronics origins.
And that’s a wrap on 2023. Happy New Year, San Jose!
 
Events
Friday, Dec. 22
  • Jingle Jam | Friday, Dec. 22-Sunday, Dec. 24 | 6:30 p.m. | Nomikai, 48 S. First St., San Jose | Free | This holiday pop-up brings festive cheer with holiday performances + drink specials.
  • Mind Over Matter | Friday, Dec. 22 | 8 p.m. | The Art Boutiki, 44 Race St., San Jose | $15-$20 | Enjoy the symphony of grungy chaos with this local group performing songs from their new EP.
Saturday, Dec. 23
  • Vintage Market | Saturday, Dec. 23 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Garden at the Flea, 1590 Berryessa Rd., San Jose | Do last-minute holiday shopping at Pop-Up SJ’s fair of 50+ thrift sellers, creatives, and collectors.
  • The Menagerie’s Yuletide ODDventure | Saturday, Dec. 23 | 12-9 p.m. | Winchester Mystery House, 350 S. Winchester Blvd., San Jose | $5-$95 | Shop peculiar + odd treasures from artisan vendors each Saturday of the holiday shopping season.
  • Renaiddance: A Beyoncé Celebration | Saturday, Dec. 23 | 9 p.m. | The Ritz, 400 S. First St., San Jose | $20-$25 | Have you ever had fun like this? Enjoy Queen B’s hits inspired by ballroom, disco + techno scenes.
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
 
Shop

Seasonal

4 last-minute holiday gifts
The red and blue Nintendo Switch console.
Get two-day shipping on a Nintendo Switch. | Photo via Amazon
Not quite done holiday shopping? No judgment here. Browse digital gifts and gifts that, last we checked, ship in two days with Prime.

For college students: A Prime Student membership. They’ll get discounts on college essentials + free Grubhub delivery.

For family members: A Nintendo Switch. You can play games fun for the whole family, like Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

For “Star Wars” fans: A stormtrooper shaver.

For kids (or busy parents): An Owala kids bottle.
More last-minute gifts this way
News Notes
Plan Ahead
  • San Jose Jazz has announced its Winter Series happening at its Breakroom (310 S. First St.) from Friday, Feb. 2 to Saturday, March 9. Expect a lineup of local up-and-coming artists + musicians. Tickets start at $10, and performances mainly occur on weekend nights.
Community
  • Back in January, the San Jose-Pune sister city statue was stolen. Though it was quickly recovered, the city was recently told that it would cost $100,000 to re-erect it, despite being purportedly sold by the thieves for $800. The city is currently working on alternate ways to honor the sister city relationship. (SFist)
Featured
  • Let’s be honest, the street hot dog vendors are a lifeline in downtown SJ. Silicon Valley Business Journal talked to vendors outside Christmas in the Park to hear their sides of the story, from the fun interactions they have to the challenges they face on the street. (Silicon Valley Business Journal)
Regional
  • The counties of Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, and San Francisco grew in population from last July to this July, after a period of decline during the pandemic. Santa Clara County grew by 8,475 people (0.45%), ranking No. 1 in growth by number. (SF Gate)
Legacy
  • This week, San Jose officials gathered to remember + honor the lives of 201 people who were unhoused who died in 2023. That same number of candles burned on a memorial table to represent those individuals, aged 20-86. (KTVU Fox 2)
Community
  • Well, this is officially our last News Note of 2023. Thank you to our SJtoday community for staying connected with us this year. If you want to support us in 2024, consider becoming a member — you’ll support us directly and keep these newsletters coming. Until next year.
 
Elections

🗳️ Marchin’ on over to the ballot box

What’s on the March 2024 primary ballot in San Jose
A hand holding the mail-in ballot in front of a ballot drop-off center.
We made our voice heard for the Novemeber elections. | Photo via SJtoday staff
In March 2024, San Jose voters will submit their ballots for the offices of the mayor + City Council in districts 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10.

Here is a breakdown of who’s running.

Mayor

  • (Current) Mayor Matt Mahan
  • Tyrone Wade — Retired family counselor

District Councilmembers

District 2
  • Joe A. Lopez — Retired sheriff’s sergeant
  • Pamela Campos — Educator
  • Vanessa Sandoval — Public policy director
  • Babu Prasad — Businessman, healthcare professional
District 4
  • Kansen Chu — Education advisor
  • (Current) Councilmember David Cohen
District 6
  • Olivia Navarro — City commissioner, businesswoman
  • Alex Shoor — Housing nonprofit director
  • Angelo Pasciuti — Retired marine
  • Michael Mulcahy — Neighborhood business owner
District 8
  • Tam Troung — Police sergeant, parent
  • (Current) Councilmember Domingo Candelas
  • Sukhdev Sigh Bainiwal — Software engineer
  • Surinder Kaur Dhaliwal — Retired executive assistant
District 10
  • George Casey — Director, senior counsel
  • (Current) Councilmember Arjun Batra
  • Lenka Wright — Communications executive
Head to San José Spotlight for a comprehensive candidate guide.
The Buy

The Buy 12.22.23 (Affiliate + Six & Main)
This versatile wristlet from Avryn Co. that’s crafted with top-grade leather — because you’ve probably been buying for others this holiday season, and you deserve something nice too.
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The Wrap
 
Alyson Chuyang headshot

Today’s edition by:
Alyson
From the editor
I want to thank all the readers + social media followers for truly embracing SJtoday this year. We had a stunning year of growth + added a new city editor (love ya, Gregg). I can’t wait to see what new stories come in 2024, but if you already have ideas on what we can write about, pitch me your story.
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