{"id":2599,"date":"2026-06-20T13:38:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T13:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2599"},"modified":"2026-06-20T13:38:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T13:38:40","slug":"parking-at-a-meter-in-downtown-san-jose-better-pay-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2599","title":{"rendered":"Parking at a meter in downtown San Jose? Better pay attention."},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you\u2019re parking at a meter in downtown San Jose, you\u2019d better pay close attention or it\u2019s gonna cost you.<\/p>\n

Read more Photos: Juneteenth fashion show celebrates culture, creativity and community at Bay Street Emeryville<\/a><\/p>\n

The San Jose City Council is poised to approve a resolution Tuesday that would extend the hours of operation for 1,600 meters in the downtown core from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. And most of those \u2014 which are within two blocks of a city parking garage or surface lot \u2014 will charge $4 an hour instead of the current $2.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a good thing the \u201csmart\u201d meters were upgraded a few years ago to take credit card and app payments because that would be a lot of quarters to carry around.<\/p>\n

The changes don\u2019t affect meters on East Santa Clara Street east of Fourth Street, those in Japantown or other parts of the city. Sundays and holidays will remain free, too.<\/p>\n

A memo to the council from John Ristow, the director of transportation, estimated the changes would generate approximately $1.2 million in revenue. Oh, and that\u2019s not counting a potential $70,000 in citation revenue from drivers who overstay their time.<\/p>\n

The reasoning makes sense, even if it is pretty mercenary. As downtown has rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the activity has taken place at night and finding an unoccupied metered space downtown after 6 p.m. is like finding a unicorn.<\/p>\n

The $4 per hour matches what the city\u2019s garages charge, which also might incentivize people planning for a night out to park at a garage since the first 90 minutes are free. And the Convention Center garage has finally been added to the 90-minutes free list, which opens up another option for people visiting the SoFA district.<\/p>\n

The council memo notes that meters in San Francisco run until 10 p.m. and charge up to $13 an hour and Sacramento meters also run until 10 p.m. and charge up to $6 an hour, while Oakland charges up to $4 an hour \u2014 but only until 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

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Those comparisons are all fine, except visitors to downtown San Jose are probably more likely to go to Campbell, Los Gatos or Palo Alto than any of those cities. We\u2019ll see what, if any, impact it has over the summer.<\/p>\n

And while you would expect a lot of downtown business owners and maybe even visitors voicing their thoughts on this issue at Tuesday\u2019s meeting, there\u2019s almost no way the council will reject the plan. The extra revenue was already figured into the budget passed this month and if the council says no to the meter changes, they\u2019ll either have to find the $1.2 million in revenue or make cuts to bridge the gap.<\/p>\n

SUMMER SOUNDS:<\/strong> Sunday isn\u2019t just the first day of summer and Father\u2019s Day. It\u2019s also Make Music Day, a nationwide celebration that encourages people to play an instrument, hum along or just enjoy music made by someone else.<\/p>\n

Read more American revolutionaries depended on seed saving for their freedom<\/a><\/p>\n

In San Jose, there\u2019ll be more than 175 free performances at 45 venues around the city, including various library branches as well as History Park, the Circle of Palms downtown, Hobee\u2019s downtown location, PowerHouse (684 S. Second St.), Sonic Runway and the San Jose Museum of Art.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

CityDance San Jose will bring the moves to Parque de los Pobladores, buskers will be doing their thing on the Paseo de San Antonio and the Levitt Pavilion series will be filling St. James Park with music. The San Jose Police Emerald Society Pipe and Drum band will be piping and drumming at Willow Glen Town Square on Lincoln Avenue, and a pop-up choir will be roaming VTA light-rail trains and stations throughout the day.<\/p>\n

You can check for times and locations at www.makemusicday.org\/sanjose (and drop the \u2018sanjose\u2019 to find out about other cities).<\/p>\n

PARTNERSHIP AGAINST HUNGER:<\/strong> Two nonprofits \u2014 Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen and Hunger at Home \u2014 announced a joint venture this week to tackle their shared mission to end hunger.<\/p>\n

Loaves & Fishes will receive recovered protein and produce at no cost from Hunger at Home, which will be reimbursed for the cost of recovering and delivering the ingredients. It\u2019s a win-win for the two organizations, with Loaves & Fishes food costs reducing by about 20 percent and Hunger at Home being able to provide an additional 2,000 meals a month to people in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.<\/p>\n

\u201cFood recovery is one of the smartest and most effective ways to fight hunger, but it has long been an underfunded part of the food assistance system,\u201d Hunger at Home CEO Ewell Sterner said in a statement. \u201cBy combining our strengths, we can rescue more nutritious food, serve more people, and build a stronger, more sustainable food recovery system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loaves & Fishes CEO David Hott agreed, saying the model strengthens both organizations. \u201cThe need in our community continues to grow, and collaboration is essential,\u201d Hott said.<\/p>\n

NONPROFIT ON THE MOVE:<\/strong> Cancer CAREpoint, the nonprofit that provides free support for people affected by cancer, has outgrown its headquarters on Samaritan Drive and next month will move to new digs at the Garden Theater building in Willow Glen.<\/p>\n

More than 12,000 people have been helped since the Cancer CAREpoint Resource Center opened 14 years ago, receiving counseling, support groups, wigs, nutrition classes and even emergency funding. The new space will allow the agency to expand its programs and should provide a lot more visibility in the community, given its location on Lincoln Avenue.<\/p>\n

And Cancer CAREpoint should just have enough time to get settled before its annual Garden Party fundraiser on Aug. 30 at Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga. Strong attendance and lots of donations are the best housewarming presents Executive Director Pam Klaus could hope for. Get more information at www.cancercarepoint.org\/gardenparty.<\/p>\n

Read more Today in History: June 20, race-related rioting erupts in Detroit<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The city is poised to raise the hourly rate and extend the hours of operation for most metered parking spaces downtown.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nParking at a meter in downtown San Jose? Better pay attention. - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=2599\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Parking at a meter in downtown San Jose? 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