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...

More. Bigger. Higher. These are the words crammed into the press releases of Silicon Valley’s largest employers. The pace of development is startling. It all sounds so exciting, but we should temper that excitement and realistically examine the impacts of development. There’s an old adage, “failing to plan, is planning to fail.” It’s sage advice...

My office has fielded numerous complaints of vehicles stored or abandoned on city streets, plus occupied motor homes settling into neighborhoods for stays that exceed the 72-hour limit. It’s not just an issue in District 10, but throughout the City of San Jose. Our Department of Transportation personnel responded to 55,000 vehicle abatement requests in...

For most of us, the purchase of O’Connor Hospital and St. Louise Hospital is a fabulous benefit for Santa Clara County. The $235 million package has already proven its worth, given the quick response and treatment of 13 victims from Gilroy’s July 28 mass shooting. Moreover, the county is investing heavily in bringing the hospitals...