The San Jose City Council is planning an Aug. 18 vote on high-density, by-right “missing middle” housing city-wide. The San Jose Planning Commission, which is updating the general plan, based its recommendation to do so on input from city staff. Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility believes approval of the proposal will negatively affect our quality of...

For more than a decade, Santa Clara has been consumed by one major controversy after another. Whether it’s been Levi’s Stadium, the convention center, the PAL BMX track, downtown redevelopment or the proposed City Hall move to Agnews, our community has spent years divided instead of united. Each issue has its own history and each...

Like many people, I grew up watching television shows about the law. For a long time, courtroom dramas were my first introduction to the justice system. Even now, I still find myself drawn to legal shows, podcasts, social media clips and YouTube videos that try to explain the law in simple ways. But after graduate...

Dropping off clothes and other items at a nearby donation bin feels like a convenient way to make a difference. But you may not realize that deceptive donation bins have become a big problem in Santa Clara County — just as they have in many communities across the United States. Sadly, it’s not a new problem. The...

Election systems should be judged by one simple standard: Do they make it easier for voters to participate and have confidence that every vote counts equally? Ranked choice voting fails that test. Supporters describe ranked choice voting as a cure for many of our political problems. They argue it produces majority winners, encourages more civil...

In an era obsessed with artificial intelligence startups and tech giants, one of the most stable, rewarding and interesting career paths is hiding in plain sight. Technology has long been at the center of the workforce universe here in Silicon Valley. It certainly was for me back in the days of the dot-com bubble. I...

A school district exists for one reason — its students. Every decision it makes should be measured by a single question: does it benefit the children in our classrooms? San Jose Unified School District’s recent move toward buying condos in downtown San Jose fails that test. Right now, students across our district are learning in...

In November 2024, the Valley Water board of directors approved the Water Resources Protection Zones Ordinance to address the environmental and safety issues from encampments along Valley Water waterways and facilities. We understood that there wouldn’t be an easy fix, but our progress over the past year shows that a coordinated approach can bring real...

I recently looked seriously at replacing my 2014 natural gas water heater with a heat pump water heater. At first, the decision looked easy. Silicon Valley Clean Energy was offering a large rebate, and with stacked incentives the total could be about $4,000. A contractor estimated that a 65-gallon heat pump water heater could cost...