F is for failure. That’s the grade the San Jose City Council scored when it comes to decisions on policing, according to Sacred Heart Community Service’s report card. Advocates said the grades, released Monday, represent years of inaction on making meaningful police reform. “We need to make clear that our city council has failed us...
Author: Loan-Anh Pham (Loan-Anh Pham)
15 of the most influential Black leaders in Silicon Valley
Black residents make up about 3% of Santa Clara County’s population, but the impact of Black leaders on the region is undeniable — even while facing adversity. The Black community in Silicon Valley and across the nation face systemic disparities: The population is overrepresented among the homeless and historical housing segregation has resulted in lower...
Silicon Valley struggles to hire teachers despite investment in education
Early education is making strides in California, but staffing shortages remain an issue. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his proposal for the state’s 2023-24 budget last month, which allocates $128.5 billion for K-12 education and community colleges. The proposal highlights investment in early education, including expanding universal transitional kindergarten, but support for students should coincide with...
UPDATE: Education leaders can’t stop Sunnyvale school closure
Santa Clara County education leaders are questioning the probable closure of a charter school in June as parents scramble to find a new place for their children. The Santa Clara County Board of Education received a report Wednesday regarding Summit Denali, a charter middle and high school in Sunnyvale run by Summit Public Schools. Charter...
Santa Clara County closing mass COVID vaccine and testing sites
Santa Clara County will close its mass COVID-19 vaccination and testing sites by the end of February, but the pandemic is far from over for those with compromised health conditions. County health officials gathered Wednesday to discuss the closures, which are set to happen by Feb. 28. But the pandemic’s long-term impacts on vulnerable populations cannot...
San Jose parents push school on sexual assault details
San Jose parents are demanding transparency from a local school district they said has provided few details about a teacher’s arrest for sexual assault last fall. Music teacher Israel Santiago, who taught at Adelante Dual Language Academy in Alum Rock Union Elementary School District, was charged for alleged sexual assault against minors at the end...
Broken East San Jose traffic light signals disparities
A traffic signal in a busy intersection still hasn’t been repaired, and residents said it’s part of a long line of disparities in East San Jose. A temporary signal at Ocala Avenue and Capitol Expressway has been operating at the intersection since last September, after a traffic accident on Sep. 24 knocked the original signal over. While...
San Jose school districts need to foster parent involvement
San Jose school districts should encourage more parents to attend board meetings and become involved in the work they do, community advocates said. School board members are responsible for hundreds of thousands of students across Santa Clara County school districts. They’re in charge of allocating millions in funding, from federal stimulus monies to bond measure...
San Jose celebrates lunar new year
San Jose’s Vietnamese community is celebrating Tết, or lunar new year, with an exuberant weekend festival. Leaders said it’s more than a celebration: it serves as a hub for community outreach. Dozens of festival-goers braved the bitter cold Friday evening to attend the first day of the festival at History Park. A live keyboardist played...
Social action change-maker to retire from San Jose State University
History shapes people. But for San Jose State University sociology professor Scott Myers-Lipton, people also shape history. Myers-Lipton has taught his students that not only do they live through world events, they have the ability to create change. Now after 24 years, Myers-Lipton is making a significant change in his own life—retiring this summer. “Once...