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San Jose Rep. Zoe Lofgren earlier this month joined San José Spotlight for an exclusive Q&A webinar as part of the San Jose Speaks series. The congresswoman fielded questions from the community about a variety of topics including police reform, the coronavirus pandemic and the upcoming presidential election. COVID-19 When it comes to decisions related...
Anna Eshoo and mental health advocates push suicide prevention legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A few weeks ago, Palo Alto resident Victor Ojakian received an unexpected letter in the mail. It was from one of his son’s former classmates. The boys went to secondary school together and played some of the same sports, he said, but they weren’t best friends or even especially close companions. Yet...
Silicon Valley legislators weigh in on D.C. statehood
A historic vote in the House of Representatives recently moved the District of Columbia one step closer to achieving statehood— and Silicon Valley’s congressional leaders believe that’s a step in the right direction. “D.C. is home to over 700,000 residents, nearly half of whom are Black, yet these citizens do not have an equal voice...
Silicon Valley reps demand answers about government surveillance at protests
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Silicon Valley’s congressional delegation wants answers about whether the federal government unlawfully surveilled residents during the recent nationwide protests calling for police reform. Rep. Anna Eshoo of Palo Alto and Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois penned a letter last month — sent to the National Guard Bureau, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau...
Silicon Valley lawmaker examines links between racism, the environment and COVID-19
WASHINGTON, D.C. — During a congressional committee hearing this week, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) said the coronavirus pandemic has clearly exposed systemic racism in the United States. “It didn’t create it, but it revealed the divisions,” she said. “We have an opportunity now to examine the broad scope of that and to come up...
Trump administration reverses policy change for international students
Amid much uproar from schools nationwide, the Trump administration has stepped back from its plan to force international students to leave the United States if their universities switch to an online format due to the coronavirus pandemic. A U.S. district judge announced the reversal during a Tuesday hearing for a lawsuit filed by Harvard University and...
Cruel and unimaginable: South Bay students, universities react to policy changes for international students
An abrupt change this week to the policies governing international students in the United States has sent students and universities in Silicon Valley scrambling to make sense of the new rules. “It’s almost unimaginable; the cruelty of this decision,” said Susan Popko, the associate provost for international programs at Santa Clara University. “We are outraged...
Silicon Valley’s congressional leaders condemn Supreme Court ruling on birth control
Silicon Valley’s congressional delegation has rebuked the Supreme Court’s Wednesday ruling that upheld the Trump administration’s right to allow employers and universities with moral or religious objections to opt out of the Affordable Care Act’s requirement to provide coverage for contraceptives. In a statement to San José Spotlight, Rep. Zoe Lofgren of San Jose decried...
Rep. Anna Eshoo speaks out on mental health amid COVID-19
With the coronavirus pandemic fueling stress and anxiety, U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo of Palo Alto said this week that it’s critical for citizens to have access to mental health resources. “In any given year, one in five adults experience a mental health illness such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, but 2020 has been a...
Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna to lead California’s delegation at the DNC
California Democrats selected Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna to co-lead the state’s delegation at the Democratic National Convention in August. “I’m proud to be co-leading the California delegation…” Khanna wrote Sunday on his Twitter page. “It should be clear that delegates stand for Medicare for All, free public college, an end to bloated military budgets...