As school districts in Santa Clara County transition from at-large elections to specific trustee areas, it may also be time to consider shifting to term limits. The county has 31 school districts that serve about 265,000 students. Only one district, Palo Alto Unified School District, established board term limits in 2018, capping it at two,...
Op-ed: Public safety and fairness are not expendable budget items
On paper, the latest Santa Clara County budget cuts may seem like another depressing day in modern American governance: County leaders have established preliminary budget reduction targets of $18.5 million for the District Attorney’s Office and $4.5 million for the Public Defender’s Office. Both offices have addressed their respective targets with a set of tiered,...
Di Salvo: How will California’s gubernatorial candidates improve education?
On June 2, California voters will cast primary ballots to choose their top two candidates for governor. One of those two will become the next governor-elect in November. As a retired trustee on the Santa Clara County Board of Education, former teacher, principal and adjunct professor, I am weighing the candidate field on their education...
Bramson: 20,000 people housed — and still not enough
There’s a number that should fundamentally change how we talk about homelessness in Santa Clara County: 20,000. That’s how many people are no longer homeless — now housed — as a result of the community’s coordinated effort under the Community Plan to End Homelessness since 2020. It’s a remarkable milestone, and yet if you listen...
Flaherty: Veterans deserve generational healing in their own community
This year, thousands of Vietnam War veterans will cross into the 65+ population, a demographic shift that carries both honor and urgency. These men and women served our country decades ago. Today, many need us to serve them. In Mountain View, 12% of residents are age 65 and older, and more than 1,400 veterans call...
Op-ed: San Jose must act as “Slavery Towers” workers wait for protection
Nearly a decade has passed since the case now known as “Slavery Towers” exposed the human cost of San Jose’s failure to enforce basic worker protections. In 2016, city officials were alerted that construction workers on a high-rise project were being denied pay. A year later, the U.S. Department of Labor confirmed more than a...
Philbrick: The challenge of implementing AI in transportation
San Jose sits at the center of innovation, including when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence and transportation. Headlines frequently espouse the latest development in smart tools, but headlines are the easy part. The real challenge is making those tools work in the messy, real-world conditions of mobility systems. AI has been shown...
Op-ed: Faith-based resource centers are trailblazers in reentry work
April is Second Chance Month, a time for exploring how our community can reduce barriers for individuals coming home from jail or prison. Faith-based organizations have long been the safety net for the justice-involved, long before Santa Clara County opened the Reentry Resource Center in 2012. In 2011, Assembly Bill 109 or Public Safety Realignment...
Aguilar: Santa Clara County’s District 4 race should not be uncontested
This year marks 30 years since my mother brought our family to the United States. I was a child then, too young to fully understand what migration asks of a family, the sacrifice, the uncertainty and the faith that a different place might offer your children a safer and more dignified future. I have spent...
Collins: Unsettled housing market still yields opportunities
Just as inflation seemed to be leveling off and mortgage rates were dropping, a war broke out that has had significant economic and geopolitical impacts on the market. During the spring market, we typically see new inventory entering to meet increased buyer interest. While we are seeing more inventory, some buyers are expressing hesitations to...