Becoming a mother a few decades ago and a grandmother recently, I’ve come to appreciate considering the world through the eyes of a child and listening to words out of the mouths of babes. We could all learn a few things if only we would take the time to listen. But listening deeply is easier...
Andrews: Sacramento’s school funding formula is failing our students
As school districts throughout California return for the second half of the school year, every single school district will be forced to continue dealing with a local crisis created by Sacramento, the issue of full funding for California’s schools. As Sacramento continues utilizing its local control funding formula, the truth of the matter is that...
Funk: Early learning center in East San Jose is a jewel
As we await Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed state budget in his second term, early education advocates are hopeful he’ll continue his pledge of closing the opportunity gap by providing universal preschool. During his first year as governor, Newsom’s first budget included a proposal of nearly $1.8 billion for an array of cradle-to-kindergarten initiatives. Recently, presidential...
Rico: Senate Bill 50 is good for San Jose
In Sept. 2019, the San Jose City Council unanimously declared a climate emergency in the face of worsening weather conditions and growing concerns about climate change’s effects on the city. Before this declaration, the city instituted Climate Smart San Jose, a climate plan that made San Jose one of the first U.S. cities to align...
Waite: San Jose voters should reject Measure E
Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility strongly encourages San Jose voters to reject San Jose Measure E, the real property transfer tax measure, projected to raise about $50 million annually, purportedly toward addressing our affordable housing and homelessness problems. Our opposition is based on several concerns. For starters, providing affordable housing is not one of San Jose’s...
Bramson: Homelessness trumps manners
Over the holidays, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to blast California for its homelessness problem. It’s not news to anyone that there’s a big crisis here and these tweets – coupled with a threat to somehow intervene if our state doesn’t get moving – have actually been a pretty regular overture from the leader...
Mallon and Pham: Transit investments are key to congestion relief
In his January newsletter to his San Jose District 10 constituents, Councilmember Johnny Khamis warned that “special interests” were vocal in their effort to divert highway funding in favor of Measure B’s “other transit priorities.” Who are these special interests? What are these other priorities? Our councilmember is referring to high school and college students...
Vargas: Mountain View’s RV ban should be repealed
The Great Recession hit my parents hard. In 2009, my parents’ mortgage was underwater, despite their having lived in their house in Minnesota for nearly a decade. Their only choice was to walk away, so they decided to move back to the Bay Area, where they had both gone to graduate school. They were lucky...
Khamis: Potential highway/streets funding diversion — and how I’m fighting it
We have an important vote coming up at City Council on Jan. 28 when we will decide whether to discuss a memo I authored, along with my colleagues, Vice Mayor Chappie Jones and Councilmembers Dev Davis and Pam Foley. We are calling on VTA to keep its commitment to the voters who approved 2016’s Measure...
Staedler: Looking ahead to 2020
As we welcome in 2020, there is a lot to keep track of and look forward to. Local control of housing development will continue to make headlines. But how far will the California Legislature go to change housing development? The chances of achieving the staggering 3.5 million homes the governor wants to build by 2025...
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