During the past year, Valley Water biologists and other people spotted numerous Chinook salmon, juvenile steelhead and other fish species in waterways across Santa Clara County. Many of these fish were swimming and spawning in sections of creeks and rivers where Valley Water has completed habitat improvement projects specifically designed to benefit and support these...

In California, there are more than 66,000 businesses active in the digital economy. They employ more than 1.6 million Californians and account for more than 10% of the state’s GDP. Californians are disproportionately paying the costs of politically motivated legal attacks on America’s leading tech companies. Successful litigation could cost targeted firms more than 10%...

The influence of money in politics is not talked about enough, and I commend San José Spotlight for bringing up this issue in their recent article, “Silicon Valley campaign contributions expose financial loophole.” Campaign contributions, who gives them, how they are given and how much is given are often not on the minds of voters....

The fifth annual Silicon Valley Pain Index, an easily understandable, statistical overview of the structured inequalities in Silicon Valley, was recently released and features new data that highlight the region’s persistent inequalities. There are almost 200 statistics in the pain index, which can be organized around the ideas of wealth, poverty and inequality. The U.S....

If we told you there are 115 acres of vacant land in the heart of San Jose where the only visitors for 20 years have been cows and goats grazing, would you believe us? Well, it’s true. The long-closed Pleasant Hills Golf Course in East San Jose is empty. This huge parcel represents an unparalleled...

A recent op-ed opposing the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) is misguided in several key aspects. The CCCA is designed to benefit small businesses, consumers and the broader economy, contrary to the claims made by Mr. Gomez. The current payments arena suffers from a suffocating lack of competition. Visa and Mastercard, which together control 80% of...

Imagine that you have no electric power during a long and intense heat wave. You can’t run a fan and your refrigerated food is spoiling. Air conditioning (if you have it), cell phones and the internet don’t work. Now imagine elderly folks, those with medical and mobility challenges, and families with babies and young children...

The Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) poses significant risks to our local businesses, consumers and the vitality of small financial institutions in our community. While the legislation claims to promote competition, it creates conditions that unfairly disadvantage our local economy, primarily benefiting large retailers through reduced fees. The CCCA threatens popular credit card rewards programs,...

The headlines are depressingly similar. Month after month, we see stories about long-time small businesses closing their doors forever. It has been four years since the pandemic devastated California, yet many of our legacy businesses have never recovered.  First hit by closures, they have also been severely impacted by inflation, rising commercial rents, and slow...

In a recent San José Spotlight opinion piece, columnist Monica Mallon accuses me of posing as a pro-transit expert while trying to undermine public transportation. While I welcome the attention she has brought to my writing, I think Mallon and other transit advocates would benefit readers more by addressing my critiques rather than dissecting my...