Public institutions are built slowly, through decades of effort, trust and responsible stewardship. They can be weakened quickly when leadership disregards the delicate balance required to keep essential services functioning. This is especially true in Santa Clara County, where the property tax system underpins everything from public hospitals and behavioral health to schools, housing programs...

San Jose city leaders are discussing spending $2.5 million to place a measure on next year’s ballot to levy a sugar tax or a new property tax assessment for park maintenance. San Jose residents deserve assurance that the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department (PRNS) can be an effective custodian of current resources before being...

Great cities have thriving downtowns, where the entire community can partake in joyful and affordable cultural experiences. That is why it is so exciting that San Jose, the national Levitt Foundation and Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose have a formal partnership to bring a state-of-the-art performance venue to St. James Park. After 13 years...

Cliches exist for a reason. That they’re discouraged for lacking originality holds no bearing on their utility. We say them because they’re true. Current White House events show us he who has the gold makes the rules. Ignorance is bliss for those with the privilege of ignoring current events. And then there’s bringing a knife...

Look ahead to Dec. 30. Maybe you’re out of town visiting family, or enjoying holiday presents with your kids, or getting ready for New Year’s Eve. Does anyone have “voting in a special election runoff” on their bingo card? Yet that’s what Santa Clara County expects voters to do. Amid a budget crisis, the county...

The Trump administration’s proposed changes to federal homelessness funding announced Nov. 13 represent a public safety emergency for Santa Clara County. Plans to slash Continuum of Care funding by two-thirds could push 1,800 stably housed vulnerable residents back onto our streets. The proposed cuts threaten to carelessly and cruelly discard years of progress and taxpayer...

Across the South, limited access to technology, advanced coursework and workforce pipelines continues to restrict opportunity. Students in rural and low-income areas are less likely to receive early exposure to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM). In South Carolina, only 42% of third through eighth-grade students are performing in math at grade level. The...

For most people, walking across a stage in a cap and gown signals the start of adulthood. However, for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), it too often marks the end of formal education. Despite the Lanterman Act’s promise of lifelong learning, California stops offering equitable opportunities once students leave high school or vocational...

Two obscure, harmful provisions from San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s March budget message are coming back to City Council in the near future. Both will lead to unacceptable rent increases for tenants. Because these were minor points in a 35-page document, the community was unable to mobilize opposition to them at the time. One is...

San Jose’s residents have every right to demand integrity and accountability from those who hold public office. Recent revelations about allegedly racist messages in an online chat involving Councilmember Peter Ortiz, Councilmember Domingo Candelas, former Councilmember Omar Torres and political consultant Brenda Zendejas have shaken public confidence. For the sake of full transparency, while I do support San José Spotlight’s lawsuit against the city of...