In anticipation of next week’s Planning Commission appointment, SOMOS Mayfair this week released an op-ed seeking an opportunity “to hear directly from the candidates and learn about their qualifications to represent us.” I completely agree with this request and find it to be reasonable for candidates seeking to fill a position of public service. Since...

As the daughter of two Mexican immigrants who has lived on the East Side of San Jose my entire life, I grew up with great pride and love for my home. Surrounded by neighbors, classmates and local businesses rich in culture, I’ve always felt privileged to have been raised in such a vibrant and welcoming community. But despite this rich identity and connection to my neighborhood, places...

We can’t allow ourselves to become numb to the pain. It’s not just another shooting, whether it happens in El Paso, Odessa, Midland, Dayton — or right here in Gilroy. These slaughters of innocent people are part of an all-out assault on our society that has been stoked by President Donald Trump and his reckless...

It was a profound statement about the importance of public art when white supremacists marched on Charlottesville, North Carolina last year in the now-infamous Unite the Right rally. White nationalist groups overran the city of Charlottesville in response to the removal of a statue valorizing the confederate general Robert. E. Lee. Although they were guided...

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo is proposing a city ordinance that would require gun owners to purchase liability insurance or a pay a fee to mitigate the societal costs associated with gun-related violence and accidents. He presented his case in an opinion piece published in The Washington Post last week. The mayor’s proposal is based...

Beginning next January, the Census Bureau will begin counting the estimated 330 million people living in the United States.  More than just an exercise undertaken by thousands of temporary bean counters, the census is critical to every state for two important reasons. First, the census determines each state’s number of U.S. House of Representatives members....

Most of us likely never think about kindergarten unless we have a child or grandchild of our own or work in a school. It is time that we all talk about what it takes for a child to be ready for kindergarten and the long-term impact when children enter school without the benefit of an...

Moving in was as happy a time as I can remember after what seemed like a lifetime of struggle and pain. Almost four months later, every day I think about how much this has changed my life and feel thankful. Being a Permanent Supportive Housing community, Second Street Studios is a home to me but...

This has been something of a surreal summer for me. Late this June, I saw some comments from Cupertino Commission Chair R. “Ray” Wang about the Vallco redevelopment, calling on his readers to “Save the suburbs from an onslaught of anarchists and YIMBY Neo Liberal fascists.” Now I’m a resident of Sunnyvale, not Cupertino. But...

Between toxic politics and partisan dysfunction, we now have something I believe is important to all Americans: safety and freedom. Guns have become an evil topic in just about any public setting. Many think if you talk to a “Democrat,” you might hear the only way to protect our children and communities is to implement...