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It is no secret that California is experiencing a housing crisis. The lack of affordable housing is particularly pronounced in the Bay Area and college students—especially community college students—are among the hardest hit. According to a 2021 California Assembly report, about 20% of the state’s community college students reported experiencing homelessness in the previous year....
Op-ed: Public Records Act enforcement needed more than ever
Recently, the San Jose Rules Committee, composed of four councilmembers, unanimously passed a motion intending to make Public Records Act (PRA) requests more restrictive and therefore likely to be unsuccessful. While we doubt any local jurisdiction is legally able to change the state’s PRA regulations, and the committee’s proclamation is consequently only a performative gesture, such shenanigans are...
From the CEO: How do we remain unbiased?
A prominent Silicon Valley leader called me just as I was wrapping up my work for the day. This person, who I’m not naming to respect their privacy, was angry about our election coverage. In particular, one name came up – Johnny Khamis. The former San Jose councilmember unsuccessfully ran for a county supervisor seat...
Collins: COPA—Here we go again
The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, or COPA, is once again up for consideration. This was first proposed nearly three years ago as part of an anti-displacement proposal from San Jose’s housing department. Last year, COPA was stalled from moving forward because it did not have the votes to pass. It’s back again with the new...
Robinson: San Jose City Council asks the right questions in appointment process
Serving San Jose as a councilmember is more than an honor, it’s a job. Congratulations to Domingo Candelas for being appointed to District 8. But now his real work begins. Also, thanks to all the other applicants who went through the process. Their task is to now support their district by working with their new...
Shaw: What’s next for homeless people after the storms?
The atmospheric rivers that slammed California for the past few weeks once again show how vulnerable homeless people are to the weather. High winds, flooding, rain and an evacuation order forced people to seek out safety from the elements, quickly filling Red Cross evacuation sites in San Jose. The storms highlight the type of services...
Zimmerman: It pays to go electric in 2023
2023 is the year to go electric. The Inflation Reduction Act includes generous rebates and tax incentives for installing solar appliances, weatherizing your home, purchasing an electric vehicle (EV) or doing energy efficiency retrofits. San Jose residents should take advantage of these incentives to make the leap to electric, reduce their electricity bill and improve...
Dewan: Our youth need climate resilient schools
The recent winter rain offers potential drought relief, but the severity of the storms had detrimental impacts throughout the state, including power outages that disrupted learning. Locally, several schools experienced closures due to storm related power outages. Schools have faced several years of ongoing disruption to learning from the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, poor air quality,...
Silver Taube: San Jose should require employers to provide more paid sick days
One recommendation of the Workers Health, Safety and Rights Committee of San Jose’s Recovery Task Force is that the city should require employers to provide more permanent paid sick days like Oakland, San Francisco and other California cities. San Jose is an outlier in the Bay Area because it provides no more than the three...
Bramson: 2023 is not a good year for recycling
In an interview on Good Morning America in 1984, President Ronald Reagan addressed a topic rarely discussed by any commander in chief: homelessness. Yet despite his acknowledgment that this is a crisis that has faced our society for generations, he fell into the old game of shifting the blame. Bad economic and housing policy had...