Property taxes and school funding; one elected office on the ballot every four years has a big impact on both of these critical issues. Yet, as many people work their way through the ballot they often drift off before they get to the assessor’s race. That would be a costly mistake. Re-electing Assessor Larry Stone...

The entire fourth and fifth grade classes of Castlemont Elementary wait for me to speak in their school cafeteria. This year I get to give talks to six schools about Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. But it is the students who will reinforce the importance of advancing diversity and inclusion. Making an easy-to-understand...

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Santa Clara County is deeply saddened by the horrific and senseless school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. This tragedy touches everyone in our country and impacts the mental health of our entire nation. No state, county or city appears to be safe unless everyone is looking over their shoulders. Our...

I thank Councilmember Sergio Jimenez for continuing the debate over how to bring greater accountability and effectiveness to San Jose City Hall. As a fellow councilmember, who also has a background founding a business designing tools to hold government accountable, I was surprised after taking office that city leaders were not measuring and managing against...

Every campaign season, we inevitably hear a candidate making promises that even they know they can’t keep. This year, the Mercury News-endorsed candidate for San Jose mayor, Matt Mahan, is promising he will hold elected officials and top bureaucrats accountable by ending automatic raises and tying salaries to results. If you agree with that catchy campaign...

On Saturday May 14, a horrific tragedy struck a predominantly Black community of Buffalo, New York. Ten people lost their lives and three were injured during routine trips to their neighborhood grocery store, gunned down by one person, barely out of his childhood years, who acted on the racist, murderous hatred that consumed his soul....

More than any other issue, the upcoming June 7 primary elections in Santa Clara County are revolving around what to do about homelessness. The explosion of this humanitarian crisis in the richest area in the world has made it impossible to ignore, and since the majority of the unhoused are people of color, it is also...

There are many things to admire about the Miro Towers apartments, San Jose’s newest and tallest high-rise building project that occupies the north side of East Santa Clara Street between Fourth and Fifth streets. A whimsical moniker We begin with the tongue in cheek project name that pays fond, absurdist tribute to Barcelona-born Catalan surrealist artist...

I write today to highlight an example of egregious abuse of the California Public Records Act (CPRA). Since being elected in November 2020, I have received more than 69 Public Records Act (PRA) requests, including 49 from just one individual who has stated in emails that he is “fond of” Mayor Lisa Gillmor—and it’s widely...

Most voters probably have no idea what the office of Santa Clara County Assessor does, or why they should care. Some voters may think, “I haven’t heard of any scandals with this agency so I guess I’ll just go ahead and vote for the incumbent.” Don’t do it! Here’s why. The incumbent assessor, Larry Stone,...