In her CNN Town Hall in Jackson, Mississippi, Senator and Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren proposed the elimination of the electoral college. She was not the first candidate to suggest this. In fact, many candidates, including Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, and Beto O’Rourke, all support or are considering supporting this proposal. While it has started a...
Op-ed
Op-ed
St. John-Crane: Restoring civil discourse in a time of division
Having been on the periphery of countless conversations about Diridon Station developments, the “Google village” coming to San Jose and fears of gentrification and a growing class divide in Silicon Valley, I felt compelled to share some observations on the discourse thus far and reflections on how our community might take a turn towards a...
Crockett: Rename Burnett Middle School after Major Pico
The San José Unified School District is presently looking to rename Burnett Middle School after a local historical figure more relevant to our present age. Last Friday, I submitted a proposal to rename the middle school “Major José Ramón Pico International Baccalaureate Academy,” honoring our local-born, multi-lingual, multi-racial, Hispanic American Civil War hero and community...
Escobar: San Jose should prioritize suicide prevention policy
Today, the San Jose City Council will decide their priorities for the year. It is critical that Councilmember Raul Peralez’s suicide prevention policy be among them. Between 2011 and 2016, nearly 400 San Jose residents died by suicide. This was more than any other city in Santa Clara County. More people died by suicide each...
Estremera: Valley Water making progress on important projects
For decades, Valley Water has been committed to helping keep communities safe by reducing flood risks in Santa Clara County. Our flood protection projects and programs balance environmental stewardship and urban demands with the needs of the community. This year, we’re enthusiastic about the progress of two important projects that will help protect the communities...
Ahi: Living and working in the same city is harder than it seems
Many cities aspire to create a thriving community in which residents will not only choose to live, but to work within as well. However, current statistics may reveal how and why some cities are thriving in this aspect, while others face a steeper challenge. The current national average of individuals residing and working within the...
Hanleigh: Khamis’ affordable housing study is on the money
We commend Johnny Khamis, and the supportive council members, for the challenging and sensible question as to the true cost of affordable housing when developed by public vs. private means. What no one, to my knowledge, has ever asked is to take into account the huge costs of salaries, overhead, grants and other infrastructure needs...
Greenlee: Decision on height limits will impact SJC for decades
I am an airline transport pilot with over 37 years of military and commercial experience and I want to make sure that all stakeholders of Mineta San Jose International Airport, including airlines, local businesses, citizens of San Jose and passengers who travel through the airport are aware of upcoming decisions that will impact operations at...
Gutiérrez: Immigrants hold the power with our vote
SIREN started the 2019 year in the immigrant and refugees rights movement with the federal government in a partial shutdown, where more than 800,000 federal workers were working without pay due to a failure between President Donald Trump and Congress to compromise over a useless and unnecessary border wall. And on January 25, after 35...
San Jose flood victims: Time’s up. From Paradise to Coyote Creek, we need action
Breathing the hazardous air from the Paradise fire has put a spotlight on the fact that climate change is impacting our daily lives and the effects must be proactively addressed now. It has also brought back the trauma we experienced during the Coyote Creek flood in our neighborhoods (Rock Springs, Olinder and mobile home...