Some important changes are about to go into effect next month. The most significant change is how buyers can choose to compensate their agent or buyer representative for the work they do on their behalf. Even though compensation has always been negotiable in the past, it was traditionally driven by the listing agent, who would...
Robinson: Joe Biden exits, Kamala Harris ascends
Democratic Party elites successfully executed a bloodless coup in getting President Joe Biden to step down as a candidate in November. We can hope the current euphoria expressed by those anointing Vice President Kamala Harris lasts long enough to get her elected. I am not here to bury our party, but to praise Joe Biden....
Gomez: The real dangers of the Credit Card Competition Act
The Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) poses significant risks to our local businesses, consumers and the vitality of small financial institutions in our community. While the legislation claims to promote competition, it creates conditions that unfairly disadvantage our local economy, primarily benefiting large retailers through reduced fees. The CCCA threatens popular credit card rewards programs,...
From the CEO: Ex-San Jose mayor hurts voters by ditching public forum
When you’re a journalist, ruffling the feathers of politicians and people in power comes with the territory. You might even call it a badge of honor. I once had an editor who assured me that if I wasn’t ticking them off, I wasn’t doing my job. It’s expected and it’s not uncommon. What is uncommon,...
Dewan: Streamlining the teacher credentialing process
Teaching is a rewarding career. A major shift in California may make it easier for those aspiring to have a career in education to obtain a California teaching credential. Thanks to Senate Bill 153, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 29 to address the teacher shortage and reduce roadblocks to the education profession, candidates...
Nguyen: Small business needs a champion
The headlines are depressingly similar. Month after month, we see stories about long-time small businesses closing their doors forever. It has been four years since the pandemic devastated California, yet many of our legacy businesses have never recovered. First hit by closures, they have also been severely impacted by inflation, rising commercial rents, and slow...
Joffe: An ‘anti-transit’ expert responds to recent criticism
In a recent San José Spotlight opinion piece, columnist Monica Mallon accuses me of posing as a pro-transit expert while trying to undermine public transportation. While I welcome the attention she has brought to my writing, I think Mallon and other transit advocates would benefit readers more by addressing my critiques rather than dissecting my...
Silver Taube: Misgendering a transgender person in the workplace is stigmatizing and unlawful
Despite the landmark 2019 Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia that holds that anti-gay and transgender bias violates Title VII, the federal anti-discrimination law, transgender Americans continue to experience discrimination and harassment at work. According to a 2023 KFF and Washington Post survey, transgender adults are more likely to report being asked...
Bramson: How we’ve discarded the right to belong
Vagrancy laws have been around since the founding of our country. A set of unclear and often confounding principles, these punitive measures have taken a variety of forms over the years to essentially criminalize the basic condition of being poor and having nowhere to go. The ordinances have been weaponized to target laborers and activists...
Zisser: Can we trust the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office to use ‘less lethal’ but still deadly Tasers?
Conducted energy devices — Tasers — conduct electricity into a human being’s body to disrupt the neuromuscular system of that person. They can cause death, and of course there is risk of abuse by officers. Various local community and civil rights groups are advocating, as recently as this week, against the adoption of these weapons...