Pruneyard Shopping Center recently announced on social media channels that starting May 1 it would reopen a pass-through that connected the Campbell outdoor mall’s front and rear parking lots. The reaction was swift from South Bay families who say it’s not just a wrong move — it’s also unsafe.
When the paved pathway was closed during the pandemic, the stretch between Sweetgreen and Books Inc. became a pleasant pedestrian plaza, surrounded by popular eateries like Peet’s Coffee, Luna Mexican Kitchen and Humphry Slocombe ice cream, where people could enjoy sidewalk seating without the noise of cars passing by.
You could also hear the sound of children having fun. There’s a kids play area next to the road, with four bright blue gorilla statues on a field of artificial turf that kids crawl on and jump around — and that’s what has parents up in arms. Allowing cars back in would not only degrade the peaceful atmosphere, but could lead to a horrific accident if a child stumbles into the roadway. There’s a buffer zone between the road and play area with intermittently spaced posts and small shrubs, but it’s not much of a barrier.
Parents watch their kids play in a children’s zone at Pruneyard Shopping Center in Campbell. The play area is close to a roadway between the shopping center’s front and year parking lots that Pruneyard says it will reopen to traffic May 1, 2026. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
Luke Blauch said he and his wife take their two young daughters, aged 21 months and 7 months, to the play area multiple times a week because it’s a safe space.
“It is the best and most consistent public area where they can play, we can grab a coffee, and spend time together as a family,” said Blauch, who wrote to Pruneyard owner Regency Centers urging them to reverse course. “I am worried that with the proposed changes to the plaza allowing cars, this desperately needed third place in our community will disappear for our family and others.”
Other parents vented on Reddit, and a post on the Facebook page for playground-review blog Silicon Valley Family decrying the decision got dozens of responses in agreement.
Pruneyard’s posts say reopening the road will improve traffic flow and make parking easier. Interestingly, commenting was limited on Pruneyard’s Facebook announcement, and there were no comments on the similar Instagram post — probably an indicator of negative reaction. (An email sent to Pruneyard owner Regency Centers did not get an immediate response.)
Admittedly, the Pruneyard parking lot is simply atrocious, with tight spaces, two-way aisles that suddenly become one way, and a few parking areas that feel like the Twilight Zone if you get caught in them. But losing customers who don’t feel safe letting their kids wander in a play zone seems like a bad way to improve traffic congestion.
DERBY PARTY AT THE FAIR: The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds is betting on another big crowd Saturday to watch the 152nd Kentucky Derby at the Fair Downs Off-Track Betting facility. Fair Downs has its regular crowd who show up to bet on races throughout the country during the season, but Fairgrounds Executive Director Salene Duarte says that number swells for the Kentucky Derby — with once-a-year fans showing up, often dressed in Churchill Downs style, for the landmark horse race.
Daryle Lupretta , the food and beverage director at the fairgounds, has put together a special cocktail menu for the Derby party, including a traditional mint julep, a blackberry margarita and a Bloody Mary (for the early crowd, no doubt).
Fair Downs Director of Operations Armando Carlos, left, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Executive Director Salene Duarte, center, and Daryle Lupretta, the fairgrounds’ food and beverage director, pose in front of a display for the Kentucky Derby party at the Fair Downs off-track-betting facility at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 2, 2026. (Sal Pizarro/Bay Area News Group)
While the main race isn’t until just before 4 p.m. Pacific time, the Fair Downs doors will open at 8:30 a.m., and the spot also will be open on Friday for the Kentucky Oaks precursor race. One person who won’t be at the Fair Downs Derby Party is Fair Downs Director of Operations Armando Carlos. That’s because he’ll be at Churchill Downs for the real thing. Carlos visited racetracks up and down the state with his late father, and he said seeing the Kentucky Derby in person has been a bucket list dream of his.
LET THE MUSIC PLAY: This Saturday’s fifth annual Music in the Valley festival at Cambrian Park Plaza sounds like it’s shaping up to be the biggest one yet, with three stages and live music, as well as a beer garden, food trucks, a rock-climbing wall, a bounce house and lots of local vendors. It runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 14406 Union Ave.
This event has been championed from the start by San Jose Vice Mayor Pam Foley, whose office started the event and sponsors it. It will be her last one as a city councilmember as she terms out at the end of the year. There’s a bevy of candidates to succeed her, and let’s hope whichever comes out on top decides to continue this community tradition.