It’s time for San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan to put his money where his mouth is. Supporting reproductive rights includes making decisions in your life that align with your values. Saying that you support a person’s right to choose while having founded and led a company to abstain from taking a stand on abortion is performative...

In 1986, a family from the Pacific Islands converted downtown’s notorious Five Star Bar into a venue that would go on to showcase an unknown band from Seattle: Nirvana. They had trouble, however, getting the city to approve an awning over its front window, a key piece needed to complete the renovation. The red tape...

San Jose’s next mayor must be someone we can count on to protect our neighborhoods and families by keeping guns off our streets and away from those who shouldn’t have access to them—especially those suffering from serious mental issues. That means our next mayor must strongly oppose any organization that blocks reasonable, common-sense laws and...

These are ominous times in America for those who have lost their fundamental right to make decisions about their own body in many states—although thankfully not here in California where our rights will remain protected—and because of the threats to our democracy. In these serious times, we need our leaders to take our issues seriously,...

This election season, confusion and common sense seem to be tied together for some reason. This is especially true since someone claiming to be the purported leader of the common sense revolution is trying to solve a complex problem like homelessness using sensationalized slogans, misleading data and impossible promises. Take the current mayoral race in San Jose, for...

Now that the dust has settled on the primary election, I would like to implore all interested parties to elevate our campaigns and practice tolerance for immigrants in their campaign mailers. Frankly, I am still unsettled by labor hit mailers the Mercury News called shameful and unwarranted. While many think I need thicker skin and...

The Santa Clara County Office of Education laid off over 60 special education paraeducators, a position primarily held by women, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Management’s decision leaves classrooms short-staffed nearly a year and a half after we returned to in-person instruction. Students—deprived of employees desperately needed to conduct instruction—yell, punch, kick and bite their peers or...

Our country has a long history of fragmented health care. People with more than one medical condition often have to get care in different places, with providers who use different recordkeeping systems and who don’t always talk to each other to coordinate care. In California, this has been especially true within the behavioral health care...

Men, let’s talk about abortion. For some of us, this may be a difficult and uncomfortable subject, but we do not have the luxury to remain silent. The Supreme Court’s cruel decision to overturn Roe v. Wade affects every woman, girl and person capable of becoming pregnant in this country. Millions will suffer medical and...

Have you ever wondered why two people who get charged with exactly the same crime get sentenced to completely different prison terms? The answer is something called “judicial discretion.” It means that, in the absence of a fixed rule, and with regard to what is fair and equitable under the circumstances and the law, a...