There is no way around it — California’s Assembly Bill 5 has been a disaster for our state. The so-called “gig economy” legislation passed last year has been a short-sighted and dangerous attack on nearly 10 percent of our state’s workforce. What’s worse, businesses continue to be attacked on all sides from attorneys looking to...
Op-ed
Op-ed
Cortese: Day on the Bay goes virtual with boat tour of wetlands
For 10 years, I have been privileged to bring diverse groups of residents together on a sunny autumn day to connect with vital resources, enjoy local entertainment and fun activities, ride in kayaks, pick out pumpkins and savor free food at Alviso Marina County Park. As with many traditional and annual events, the Day on...
Rienzo, Bolotina: Making the case for mass transit and Measure RR
This year’s extreme heat waves and unprecedented fire season should shred any remaining doubt that climate change is here. If carbon emissions and the attendant temperature increases continue to increase unchecked, extreme weather will become more frequent and intense. Reducing California’s carbon output will be challenging because most of it now comes from transportation. According...
Moore, Esparza, Su: Why Measure S is vital for clean water, quality of life
The pandemic has taught us the importance and the need for public services. To keep our safe, reliable drinking water, it’s incumbent upon us to not take risks now or into the future. Safe, reliable water supply is crucial to sustaining our economy and quality of life, and because of that we are urging your...
Enfantino: Lawsuits related to COVID-19 are next threat to small business
As the Business San Jose Chamber PAC continues to advocate for the safe reopening of our local economy, let’s not forget the challenges that have existed for years for our local business owners: abusive lawsuits. Our community needs protection against what could be a wave of COVID-19 lawsuits aimed at shaking down mom-and-pop businesses, and...
Baker: Measure RR is the right move to rescue Caltrain
Our country is divided over a lot of issues these days. Without much to agree on, it’s nice to find an issue that has near universal support among our elected officials across the Bay Area. It seems that we can all agree that our community is better off with Caltrain than without it. It’s a...
Roemer: North San Jose plan needs help, and one candidate can do it
The Mercury News published an op-ed Oct. 1 by Matthew Mahood, CEO of the Silicon Valley Organization, about North San Jose in which he accuses me of demonstrating poor understanding of the problems the area faces, being oblivious to obstacles for development, unable to get facts straights or articulate any solution. Why these strong words?...
Gonzales: COVID-19 has made the digital divide a canyon for Latino students
I used to worry about the well-documented “summer learning loss” for Latino students who lost ground over the summer months between school years. With COVID-19 forcing the schools to conduct classes remotely to protect the health of students, school staff and families, they’re now relying on technology to teach and reach their students. As result,...
Irvin: What Valley Water doesn’t want you to know about Measure S
The Sierra Club sees two big problems with Measure S, which would replace the Safe, Clean Water parcel tax approved by voters in 2012. First, there is no sunset date, effectively taking away our right to vote. The Measure S parcel tax can only be reversed by a citizen’s initiative, requiring more han 30,000 valid...
Taube & Daquino: We join the Jesuit community in urging Newsom to sign AB 3216
As a labor rights advocate and a San Jose Mineta International Airport concessions worker, we urge Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign AB 3216, the worker recall and retention bill authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra. The bill will provide job security and protect the dignity of hospitality workers. We know how important it is that we...