All too often our Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are seen and described as a monolith. However, our AAPI neighbors, who comprise more than one-third of Santa Clara County’s population, embody a vast array of nationalities and languages that span roughly half the globe. Their diversity in history, culture and lifestyle means AAPI communities...

So far this winter, we’ve had an incredibly wet December followed by the driest January on record in San Jose. Although Santa Clara County is currently in a drought emergency, we can’t predict how much rain we’ll receive in the future. Valley Water is continuing our work on projects to reduce the risk of flooding...

I am the caregiver for my mom who has resided in a variety of institutional settings. It’s emotional to share this very personal, six-year long-term care journey we have been on.  Having to revisit these traumatic experiences triggers unhealed wounds. But it’s critical to bring visibility to another segment of long-term care that is focused...

Throughout the past year, consumers and businesses have had to adjust to scarcity in ways that our area and our nation have not experienced in quite some time. Signs reading “due to supply shortages, some items are temporarily unavailable,” or a variation thereof, are common sights in our community. We have heard from coffee shops...

In Washington, D.C., many policymakers are taking a “ready, fire, aim” approach to tech policy. In a misguided attempt to cross “regulate Big Tech” off their agenda before the midterm elections, they’ve decided to overlook how new laws would hurt consumers and what voters want. It’s become a badge of honor to see who can...

The Sierra Club was forced to file a lawsuit against San Jose. By approving a plan from Boston Properties, Inc. to build a massive glass facade office building—16 stories, 283 feet high, 800 feet long and with three levels of underground parking that egregiously provides no setback buffer between the building and the steep banks...

Billboard companies consider litigation a cost of doing business. Just  Google “billboard litigation” to see that billboard companies are constantly involved in lawsuits with municipalities across the country. Accordingly, it’s time for city officials to acknowledge that getting San  Jose into the billboard business is a risk that could ultimately cost the city much more...

San Jose is experiencing a devastating displacement crisis. Low-income communities, primarily people of color, are being torn apart as rents and home values continue to rise, even during the pandemic. Over a million and a half people have moved out of the Bay Area in recent years, the overwhelming majority of them because they could...

Back in 2017, I left a speaking engagement at a local library and walked to my car, only to find shattered glass strewn on the ground and throughout the backseat. My backpack and suitcase full of belongings for an upcoming trip had vanished in the darkness. Over the next several days, I slowly and methodically...

If we’ve learned anything during the COVID-19 crisis, it’s that—first—we should have been investing in health care and housing for everyone and—second—we can’t go back to the ways things were before. Our county has an opportunity on Tuesday to apply these lessons. The question of whether to build a new jail allows us to re-evaluate...