It started with local chatter about the poor health of young children living in one disadvantaged and often-overlooked area near a small airport. It can end with the U.S. Senate acting to prevent lead exposure in one of the last American industries that still sells and uses a harmful pollutant. Study concludes lead levels in...

I’m thrilled to extend a warm invitation to my inaugural Picnic by the Lake Multicultural Festival and Resource Fair. Mark your calendars for Saturday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the beautiful Hellyer County Park. This free event is a celebration of our vibrant community, and everyone is welcome. You’ll be greeted...

Since Nov. 2018, Veggielution has worked with seven low-income immigrant street food cart entrepreneurs to explore a new model of community engagement and economic opportunity. These mobile food vendors receive technical assistance workshops, secured tax identification numbers, city business licenses, and food handler’s certificates. Veggielution in 2019 partnered with San Jose’s Office of Economic Development...

Our city has incredible workers and they deserve a raise. And that is exactly what we have proposed to do—provide a fair raise that helps our city workforce keep up with inflation without requiring the city to cut services, raise taxes or take on any new unfunded debts. We all know times are tough. For...

In 2022, California suffered more than 20 states of emergency or major disaster declarations due to weather or natural disasters. The unprecedented series of winter storms that pummeled the state caused power outages ranging from 12 hours to two weeks for more than 7 million Californians and thousands of evacuation orders. We often think about...

On July 5, NBC published an investigation revealing that the District Attorney’s Chief Investigator Moises Reyes had “made discriminatory remarks towards and about women, transgender people and Black people” in formal settings and that the Santa Clara County Equal Opportunity Division (EOD) had sustained five allegations against him. Despite these sustained findings by EOD months...

As board president of the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District, I read the May 2 Mercury News op-ed “It’s code red for six of San Jose’s school districts” by County Board of Education Trustee Joseph Di Salvo and San Jose-Evergreen Community College Trustee Karen Martinez with dismay and disappointment. After not seeing my letter...

Tenants, unhoused and low-income people won a stunning victory on June 13 in San Jose. After hundreds turned out to testify about the dire need for affordable housing, the San Jose City Council voted 10-1 to reject Mayor Matt Mahan’s proposal to shift millions of dollars of Measure E funds away from permanent housing and...

The county voter information guide aims to help registered voters pick candidates. For some races, it facilitates this. For others, however, it’s an impediment. The problem is the steep cost to appear in the guide for certain candidates, including candidates for Congress, the state Legislature and a plethora of local offices. Only the independently wealthy...

The number of older adults with mental health disorders is expected to nearly double by 2030. One factor exacerbating this is isolation, which more than doubles the risk of depression compared to those that do not or rarely feel lonely. The issue has become so prevalent that in May, the U.S. Surgeon General proclaimed a...