People have bemoaned San Jose’s supposed lack of identity and civic pride for so long that it’s become a tired cliche. I’ve certainly been guilty of telling people that nobody hates San Jose like San Joseans. But the opposite is true, too: Nobody loves this city like the people who live here.
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA: Pamiliya by Alyssa Wigant is displayed on the Zoom Suite Level of the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, March 5, 2022. The San Jose Sharks partnered with Teal Inner Circle partner, Zoom, and Local Color, a local, women-powered non-profit, to display six murals. Ramirez creates a wide-angle view of a bustling Santa Clara Street at San Pedro Square; Wigant’s “Pamilya” celebrates her mixed Filipino American heritage; in “Old SJ,” Rodriguez paints a tribute to the East Side with nods to the San Jose Flea Market, Mark’s Hot Dogs, and a steaming bowl of pho; Guadardo’s “Hot Summer Day” hits the perfect notes with a paletero pushing his cart near a lowrider and a VTA bus; and both Magos’ “Communidad” and Eastburn’s “Cross-Pollination” show agriculture and...