The work of dismantling oppressive structures and dreaming up new, more just futures is crucial on both global and local scales, and San Jose is no exception. What does it take to imagine, nurture, and sustain this kind of work, and who is doing it? What role should institutions and nonprofits play, and where does...

Local arts leaders recently crafted an open letter to Team San Jose expressing their dismay at the San Jose song. But an even-toned letter exemplifying seething and undeserved restraint is not enough this time. You cannot resolve yet another modern day example of ingrained institutional racism and ignorance with a few words. The head of...

Since Google first announced plans to build a new mega-campus in San Jose, the top concern raised by residents has been how the project will impact rising rents and displacement. Over the past decade, the tech boom has brought nearly 200,000 new workers to Santa Clara County, but fewer than 50,000 new homes have been...

The Valley Transit Agency (VTA) Board last week approved a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (EIR) paving the way for extending light rail from Alum Rock to Eastridge Shopping Center along Capitol Expressway. It was a bad decision, but like a transportation version of a Greek tragedy, it was the only decision they could make. According...

Get over it! The burning of carbon-based fuel to create energy must stop now. Honest science has been telling us for decades that we’re making the planet uninhabitable for mammals, our species and our children. And the crisis is approaching much faster than originally projected, with potentially less than 12 years left to make major...

Climate Change is the greatest challenge we face and an existential threat to our humanity. Growing consensus among environmental experts indicates that we are quickly nearing a critical point of no return that, if we don’t withstand, will produce catastrophic failures for our planet. This “point of no return” was the basis for the emission-reduction...

On April 9, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to re-examine the county’s sanctuary policy. Spurred by the murder of a local citizen — a tragic crime, but one the proposed changes would not have prevented — the supervisors will now consider allowing local police to contact ICE when an undocumented immigrant...

Let’s start by talking about the housing crisis. We have a housing problem because home prices are too high. Prices are high because demand is high and supply is low. We can not increase supply unless we increase density. We can not increase density without increasing traffic. Traffic can be a killer to quality of life,...

One of the many reasons I am proud to be a native San Josean is because there seems to be a place for everyone here, no matter where you come from. The innovation that’s made our city world-famous trickles down to me and I believe in our collective humanity and possibility. That’s why it’s essential...

I am always bemused by those pundits who think moving to a strong mayor form of government is some type of panacea. It is the loss of an independent professional voice when a city manager form (albeit a hybrid in San Jose’s case) is discarded. The appointment of department heads is already subject to City...