San Jose city flag

According to our records, the first San Jose flag was just a plain white background with the city seal. This variation with stripes was designed by a police officer in 1976. The purpose was to serve as a temporary flag celebrating the country’s bicentennial. It’s not exactly clear if these stripes stayed because people liked it or that they just forgot to switch back to the old design. Whatever the reason, it’s an improvement over a white background.