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...
Ramos: Closing the budget gap shouldn’t mean closing library doors
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...
Op-ed: Mayor Mahan’s plan hurts Black, brown and disabled communities
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...
Perry: We need real plans, not false promises
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...
Shoor: San Jose’s general plan needs to achieve more vital outcomes
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...
Pendyala: Why San Jose State University deserves a UC future
In a time when higher education is being increasingly threatened by federal budget cuts and other policies, the state government should do all it can to bolster it. San Jose State University is now officially recognized as a national research university with an R2 designation awarded by the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education. SJSU’s research expenditure is $83.4...
Op-ed: No downtown Santa Clara, no Super Bowl dollars
For the second time in a decade, the city hosting the Super Bowl — Santa Clara, California — was entirely ignored during the official Super Bowl 60 news conference. At the kickoff event on Feb. 10, there was no speech from Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor. Instead, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan took center stage,...
Op-ed: Santa Clara County’s most vulnerable children deserve better
On Dec. 19, 2023, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors held an unprecedented hearing in response to the tragic death of Baby Phoenix from a fentanyl overdose. The tragedy became headline news as details emerged suggesting it could have been prevented had the county’s Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) removed Baby Phoenix...
Op-ed: Homeless advocates and nonprofits oppose Valley Water criminalization plan
On Nov. 25, the board of the Santa Clara Valley Water District passed a draconian ordinance imposing a $500 fine or 30 days in jail for anyone found living in an encampment on district property after Jan. 2. While claiming the intention was not to criminalize unhoused people, the board enacted criminal penalties anyway, despite...
Banuelos: Accommodating urbanization needs to be greener for our health
One day on my evening walk, I noticed new signs stapled to beautifully flowering trees lining the VTA light rail. The plan? Better infrastructure and direct public transit to Eastridge Mall. The impact? The removal of eight mature trees, noise pollution and no new construction in sight. In truth, the trees were removed in the...