This week, San Jose City Council voted to give police officers priority access to affordable housing in a downtown high-rise. Back in February, the city approved a plan for nearly 200 below-market units in a downtown high-rise with preference for public employees. Now, police are moving to the fr ont of the line. City council voted to reserve 50 of those apartments specifically for San Jose police personnel. The amendment passed six to five. “From a fairness angle, I wonder what message this sends to other public employees,” Councilmember Anthony Tordillos said. Tordillos voted no, saying public safety matters but so does equity. “We’re setting up this precedent of saying we’re going to prioritize SJPD over other public sector employees,” he said. Councilmember Bien Doan also voted no, because he wanted firefighters and teachers prioritized, too. “Both police, fire and teachers, they need to live where they serve,” he said. “We have a difficult time right now with recruitment and retention.” The San Jose Police Officers Association agrees with the outcome. It says the program could help the city compete for a shrinking pool of applicants. And if police don’t fill all 50 units, the city says those apartments will go back to other qualified applicants. ...read more read less