A day after a fire of mysterious origin destroyed large parts of the former San Jose Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) youth center, the local school board voted to take steps to demolish the site.

During a rare Saturday emergency meeting—announced less than 24 hours after a fire engulfed the one-time youth center on Aug. 29—Alum Rock Union School Board trustees took the unanimous action.

In the weeks preceding the fire, the site had garnered attention from cultural advocates and elected leaders who have sought to reopen the youth center, closed since MACSA collapsed in 2016 in the wake of scandals and fund diversions from employee pension accounts.

Established advocacy organizations like Silicon Valley De-Bug and the Mexican Heritage Plaza wonder why trustees appeared

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