High-speed rail boasts the potential to connect Californians faster than any other mode of ground transport, create a multitude of jobs in high-cost cities and increase economic activity—all while expanding sustainable transportation choices and reducing emissions. Transportation is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. According to the Environmental Protection Agency,...
Columns
Columns
Rodríguez: Addressing the climate crisis through education
I recently had the distinct pleasure of visiting the Lab for Nature-Based Living—the flagship garden of the California Native Garden Foundation. Located at 76 Race Street near downtown San Jose, the foundation is a nonprofit whose mission is to create a new land-use model in order to “leverage urban spaces for education, workforce development and...
Staedler: San Jose’s development policy is redlining 2.0
San Jose like other parts of the country is dealing with the harsh realities of past racial injustice. This has sparked “equity lens” and fairness conversations in the city’s budgeting of vital services. One of the undeniable wrongs that can’t be ignored is redlining. Redlining was a practice of creating racially segregated neighborhoods in every...
Morrish: Why it’s time to let the ‘Breeze of Innovation’ go
Growing up an immigrant from the United Kingdom, San Jose and the South Bay have always been a breath of fresh air compared to the larger cities and metropolitan areas I would later in life explore. To say we don’t have any world class landmarks isn’t true. We have the Lick Observatory, the “block” from...
Robinson: For the sake of San Jose, an appointment please
Appointing new members to the San Jose City Council is in the best interest of the city, can provide unity of government and is more in line with the reasoning of our national founders than an expensive special election. The simple facts are these: A special election will cost around $10 million of taxpayer dollars...
Causey: Create and protect LGBTQ spaces on the peninsula
“In this household, we believe Black Lives Matter, Women’s Rights are Human Rights, My Body My Choice, Science is Real, Love is Love, No Human Being is Illegal, Kindness is Everything.” Variations of the yard sign with this message are common throughout lawns on the peninsula. There is one in the yard of a landlord...
Faria: San Jose City Council vacancies must be filled through special elections
After the November general election, two vacancies were created on the San Jose City Council, leaving the residents of Districts 8 and 10 in limbo. In January, Sylvia Arenas will vacate her District 8 council seat to take office as county supervisor and Matt Mahan of District 10 will vacate his council seat as he...
Collins: How is today’s housing market different than 2008?
As the Federal Reserve raises interest rates in an attempt to reduce inflation, there is growing uncertainty in the economy. Some are worried about the increasing interest rate’s impact on “kitchen table issues” such as credit card bills and utilities. However, this anticipated economic downturn looks different from the last major economic decline of 2008....
Op-ed: Speaker Pelosi is stepping down, but her legacy remains
Last week in the chamber of the House of Representatives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered magnificent remarks about our Constitution, our democracy and her decision to relinquish power, as great leaders do. As Bay Area members of the California delegation representing Santa Clara County, we celebrate her decades of consequential leadership and her unparalleled record of...
Robinson: A tale of two cities
First, congratulations to Matt Mahan for winning the San Jose mayor’s race. He wasn’t my choice, but I wish him the best of success. Mahan won the race for mayor, but his opponent Cindy Chavez did not lose. Electorally, San Jose is a tale of two cities. One, a voting majority made up of neighborhoods...