We love San Jose. We also recognize and clearly see that San Jose is one of the many communities connected to America’s struggle with equality and justice. As so much of America seeks to heal and reckon with this, we have a chance to address that here in San Jose. The Reid-Hillview Airport is our...

Housing policy is back on the political agenda this year. After two years of inaction, the state Legislature has taken up a slew of housing bills. Among the best known is Senate Bill 9. This important, though limited and incremental bill has unfortunately been subjected to a coordinated smear campaign. I urge Santa Clara County residents...

Dear middle school principals, high school principals and the superintendent of the San Jose Unified School District: We are writing to you on behalf of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, the W. Haywood Burns Institute and the San Jose Unified Equity Coalition to invite you to build upon the courageous vote recently taken by the...

Recently, advocates for South Bay YIMBY wrote an op-ed titled, “Correcting Councilmember Matt Mahan” without correcting any errors in his statements. About citywide upzoning of single-family housing, they wrote, “There have been countless arguments levied against the idea: the city’s tree canopy is at risk; local control is under attack; urban villages need to be...

Recently, San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan posted an article where he stated his opposition to “Opportunity Housing,” a plan to legalize fourplexes throughout the city. We feel that Mahan’s argument against the plan is misguided, and we urge him and other councilmembers to reconsider their opposition. Since summer 2020, when San Jose’s General Plan Task...

While there is an ever-growing need for housing to support low-income residents due to the real lack of affordable housing, there are programs that help lower income families find and rent homes. The Housing Choice Voucher Program, better known as the “Section 8” program, allows private housing providers to rent out their apartments and homes...

Railing against lawyers is pretty much a national pastime, and has been for decades. Why not? Lawyers make easy targets because litigation often results when there is no other option for the parties to assert their rights. However, because blanket insults against lawyers are such easy things to do, this method of communication is used...

California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) has made the Golden State even more golden for trial attorneys, while raising litigation challenges via frivolous lawsuits for employers and costing them thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. In addition to bringing individual or class-action claims, disgruntled employees can sue under PAGA for any alleged labor...

To really understand affordable housing in California, we must take a step back and take into consideration the ever-increasing cost and time-consuming regulations for builders throughout the state. We have all heard about the growing cost of lumber, the shrinking of a qualified construction labor force and the steadily increasing cost of land, all factors...

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen admires President Harry Truman and believes the popular saying “The buck stops here.” That means that ultimate responsibility for criminal prosecutions and the District Attorney’s Office rests with DA Rosen. Santa Clara County should hold DA Rosen to his own high standard, and he should be investigated. As...