San Jose, California Francisco Bay. Santa Clara Valley is the population center of the Bay Area and, like the hub and spokes of a wheel, surrounding communities emanate outwards from the valley. This growth, in part, has shaped the greater Bay Area as it is today in terms of geographic population distribution and the trend of suburbanization away from the valley. There are four distinct valleys in the city of San Jose: Almaden Valley, situated on the southwest fringe of the city; Evergreen Valley to the southeast, which is hilly all throughout its interior; Santa Clara Valley, which includes the flat, main urban
Government of San Jose Government of San Jose The Government of San Jose operates as a charter city within California law under the "San José City Charter". The elected government of the city, which operates as a council–manager government, is composed of the Mayor of San José (currently Sam Liccardo), the San José City Council, and several other elected offices. The greater public administration of San Jose includes numerous entities, including the San Jose Police Department, the San Jose Fire Department, and the San José Public Library, as well as a mix of state and county level institutions. San Jose utilizes a council–manager government,