San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is making the rounds. He’s all over national and statewide TV news stations, splashed across the pages of California’s top news websites and flooding our social media feeds. The media circus is centered around Mahan’s not-so-subtle hints that he might run for governor. After about six years in local politics,...
Editorial: Finding purpose in 2026
Purpose — often defined as the reason for doing something — is a powerful word that can determine one’s direction in life. Most people need purpose. It’s the mojo to start a business, raise a family, elevate a career, tilt a person toward political aspirations or public service. In government an individual’s purpose can be...
Editorial: What a long strange trip it’s been for San Jose
San Jose City Hall encountered a blast from the past at its doorstep Dec. 4. The moment was a reminder of how pivotal San Jose was to the nation’s music scene in the 1960s and 70s. That evening, with a brilliant full moon above, community members unveiled a plaque in the spot where 60 years...
Editorial: Tech leaders need to give back in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County might be home to some of the largest tech companies and richest moguls in the world, but it’s not immune from hunger. Like the other 57 counties in the state, Santa Clara County’s social safety net has been shredded, as food benefits hang by a thread. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)...
Editorial: San Jose mayor should support county general tax
Santa Clara County is on the edge of a financial cliff due to devastating federal and state cuts to its health care and safety net services. If the county falters, San Jose won’t be left unscathed. All 15 municipalities in the county will feel the impact of $1.4 billion in federal cuts to Medi-Cal through...
Editorial: Immigrants are the backbone of Santa Clara County
Nearly 40 years ago, two parents clutched their frightened daughters’ hands to make a treacherous overnight escape from war-torn Iran in the 1980s. The family couldn’t carry more than a suitcase of family photos and mementos. They narrowly fled air bombs dropped by Saddam Hussein’s regime on their country, fleeing buildings and hospitals where tarps...
Editorial: Silicon Valley college board should look elsewhere for student housing
The Foothill-De Anza Community College District wants to help house its students struggling to find affordable rent. The district’s solution displaces Cupertino residents. The board of trustees had five years to come up with a plan after district voters passed Measure G in 2020 — a $898 million general obligation bond to help upgrade college...
Editorial: Will San Jose’s next District 3 leader fit the bill?
Accountability. Honesty. Reliability. The next District 3 San Jose councilmember is going to need all three in spades. Residents will be watching and expecting their newly-elected representative to uplift the downtown and help wash away the stain laid upon their neighborhood by disgraced former Councilman Omar Torres. A special election on April 8 will determine...
Editorial: San Jose misses the mark with functional zero
To bring homelessness to “functional zero,” San Jose will need to commit hundreds of millions of dollars in the coming years to be able to say the number of people exiting homelessness is greater than those becoming homeless — unless city officials rethink their approach. Building more temporary shelters, tiny homes and safe parking and...
Editorial: Santa Clara County leaders face four big problems in 2025
It’s been quite a year for Santa Clara County. Local elections dominated much of 2024, bringing new faces into government and long-term officials bidding farewell. Other than a congressional race that began with a historic three-way runoff and recount in the primaries and an onslaught of political accusations throughout the season, the outcomes ended without a...