East San Jose Residents Press to Close Reid-Hillview After Crashes

East San Jose residents and neighborhood advocates are renewing calls for Santa Clara County to shut down Reid-Hillview Airport ahead of its scheduled 2031 closure date following two plane crashes within five days in October, according to San José Spotlight. Across the city on Tuesday, Valley Water announced the completion of pre-winter maintenance along five San Jose waterways (San José Spotlight), the San Jose City Council prepared to vote on renaming its central downtown plaza (NBC Bay Area), and a minor 2.6-magnitude earthquake struck east of the city (NBC Bay Area).

October Crashes Reignite Push to Close Reid-Hillview Airport Before 2031

Community concern intensified after a small plane crashed near the Reid-Hillview runway on Oct. 19—leaving the pilot with minor injuries—followed four days later on Oct. 23 by the fatal crash of a twin-engine Beechcraft Baron 58 off the coast of Monterey that had departed from Reid-Hillview Airport, killing all three people aboard.

“Our families live, go to school and play directly under the flight path,” said Saul Ramos, executive director of East San Jose nonprofit SOMOS Mayfair, urging officials not to wait for a catastrophic crash in a dense neighborhood before closing the 180-acre airport.

Santa Clara County supervisors voted in 2021 to stop selling leaded aviation fuel at Reid-Hillview after a county-commissioned study found elevated blood lead levels in children living near the airfield, and the county plans to close the airport in 2031 when federal grant obligations with the Federal Aviation Administration expire. Aviation groups and pilots have opposed early closure, arguing the airport provides essential general aviation training and emergency staging.

Valley Water Completes Maintenance Across Five San Jose Waterways

Ahead of winter rains, Valley Water announced it has completed annual sediment removal, bank stabilization, and vegetation management along Coyote Creek, the Guadalupe River, Upper Penitencia Creek, Ross Creek, and Alamitos Creek, reducing flood risks for thousands of South Bay homes and businesses while wrapping up the first phase of the Coyote Creek Flood Protection Project.

Council Votes on "Plaza del Pueblo de San Jose" After 10,000 Survey Responses

In downtown San Jose, the City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on renaming the former Plaza de Cesar Chavez to “Plaza del Pueblo de San Jose.” The city covered the late labor leader’s name and removed a memorial plaque following credible allegations of sexual abuse, then gathered more than 600 name suggestions and over 10,000 public survey responses before recommending the new name honoring the broader labor and community movement.

Separately, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that a light 2.6-magnitude earthquake struck at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday about 10 miles east of San Jose at a depth of 3.7 miles, with no damage reported.