San Jose Orders a Busy Northside Food Pantry Off the Sidewalk, and the Mayor Looks for a Compromise

A neighborhood food pantry near downtown San Jose could be forced to stop handing out groceries after the city cited it for zoning and sidewalk violations. Mayor Matt Mahan says he is working on a deal that would keep it open, possibly at a new location.

The citation

Lighthouse Food Rescue & Distribution operates at East Julian and North 17th streets, near Lighthouse Church. On Sept. 25 the city cited the nonprofit for distributing food on the public sidewalk and for running a food distribution center in a neighborhood where that use is no longer allowed, San José Spotlight reported. The citation gave it 10 days to remove its tables and canopies from the sidewalk or face fines of up to $20,000 a day, and said the operation must stop entirely within 60 days.

The pantry has tangled with the city before. More than four years ago it was cited for zoning problems and told it needed a special use permit costing up to $15,500, money the group said it did not have. Pastor Ralph Olmos, the nonprofit's president and CEO, told the Spotlight he got no warning that anything had changed this time. The nonprofit's lawyer has asked the code enforcement director for a meeting, according to NBC Bay Area.

Who depends on it

Lighthouse says it serves more than 1,000 people a day, five afternoons a week, and stands out for offering milk, meat and eggs, along with special boxes for people with diabetes, vegetarians and unhoused residents. Neighbors who rely on it told reporters that rising grocery prices have made the pantry essential. Olmos said losing it would be "a community injury."

A possible way out

Mahan said code enforcement "can be a blunt instrument" in a big city. One idea under discussion is moving the pantry to city-owned property, with the city paying for the move, he told NBC Bay Area. The mayor said the goal is to find a compliant site as close as possible to where the pantry operates now. Mahan has also asked code enforcement to consider giving Lighthouse more time, and his staff is looking for partners who could store its food temporarily.

Olmos said he is open to it, depending on where a new site would be. He said any location needs to be reachable for older adults and people with disabilities, and affordable. He said he is deeply tied to the Northside neighborhood and doesn't want to leave people there without help.