Infrastructure isn’t often associated with beauty or inspiration — but in the case of nature, it’s both. The natural environment does more for us than most of us understand. Earth Month reminds us nature isn’t an abstract concept, it’s an asset we must steward and invest in because nature is the most resilient, cost-effective and...

It was 1998, the year of the Ask Jeeves search engine, Titanic and the Spice Girls. California elected Gray Davis to succeed Pete Wilson as governor, and Santa Clara County voters adopted ranked choice voting (RCV) for local elections. More than 25 years later, the Spice Girls have had a reunion tour and no one...

Across California, school districts are grappling with an uncomfortable truth: fewer students, shrinking budgets, and tough decisions about school closures. The Alum Rock Union School District (ARUSD) is no exception. But within this crisis lies an opportunity — one that could transform East San Jose’s future. The closures, while painful, have created a rare opening:...

Efforts to improve Black maternal health outcomes have been doggedly pursued for decades. While there has been some encouraging data, there is still much to do to reduce instances of mortality and morbidity for Black infants and mothers (to include all pregnant and birthing people). Black mothers and infants have the highest rates for preterm...

Will you or your landlord need to replace your gas-fired furnace or water heater? Starting in less than two years, it may cost tens of thousands of dollars if the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has its way. And it’s unlikely to make much difference to air quality. A district report notes that some...

As the newest Valley Water board director for a district that includes neighborhoods in downtown San Jose — a community that remembers the devastating floods from eight years ago — I deeply appreciate Valley Water’s dedicated efforts in nearly completing the first phase of the Coyote Creek Flood Protection Project. The Feb. 21, 2017, events...

Our libraries are under siege — from coordinated book bans to funding cuts that threaten their very existence. Last Friday evening, the president signed an executive order to reduce funding to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, specifically threatening the Grants to States program which provides funding to local libraries. In San Jose, all...

As civil rights advocates, we strongly oppose Mayor Mahan’s proposal to arrest homeless individuals who refuse shelter. This policy will disproportionately harm Black and brown people, including those with disabilities, who are overrepresented in the unhoused population due to systemic racism, economic inequality, and a lack of affordable, fair, accessible, and safe housing. The racial...

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan recently announced a new mathematical model developed by the housing department would “enable San Jose to end unsheltered homelessness” for only 5% of the cost of previous models. Unfortunately, this claim is a gross distortion of reality and of what the new model itself actually says. For years now, the...

Ask almost any Silicon Valley elected official, city planner or resident in recent years what widespread issue our region needs to solve, and they’ll say the same thing: build more housing. So why haven’t we? There are many reasons, yet here’s one needing more attention: our planning process is malfunctioning. Full of good intentions, it’s...