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Over the past five years, our District 8 Community Round Table in Evergreen has been engaging with the San Jose Evergreen Community College District (SJECCD) over its land use and lease plans for the 27 acres adjacent to Evergreen Valley College. In 2015, when the SJECCD Trustees selected Republic Urban as their development partner, the...
Funk: Are teacher strikes the answer?
As superintendent of the largest high school district in Northern California and proud leader of a very stable, professional and progressive Board of Trustees, I wonder what the impact of the recent teacher strikes across the country will be on my district and districts in Santa Clara County who face the same financial restraints. The...
Ballard: Step aside, white men. It’s time for women of color to lead.
A few years ago I was approached by a colleague that was planning to step down from a prominent and powerful board. He told me that he would like me to take his place. Boy was that an ego boost. I was excited at the great opportunity to advance my own personal power and with...
Bramson: The price of admission
Saturday night in downtown San Jose. My family is going to watch The Public, a new film by Emilio Estevez. It tells the tale of a group of homeless patrons who convince a few city staff members to help them take over a public library to use as an emergency shelter for a night to...
Cordell: Santa Clara County must keep sanctuary policy intact
The killing of Bambi Larson, a beloved San Jose resident, has caused an outpouring of grief. I join with people from all walks of life in offering condolences to Ms. Larson’s family and friends. In the wake of this tragedy, many of us, understandably, feel anger and some are fearful. Our elected officials must now...
Khamis: Keep the honesty in local bond measures
After years of property taxes being imposed by well-intentioned but misleading ballot measures, the State Legislature passed – and then-Governor Brown signed – AB195 in February 2017. This law requires that municipalities inform voters of the potential tax implications of all bond measures – basically, how much taxpayers will pay, the cost-per-unit of taxable value,...
Fearer: The elephant in the room is San Jose’s sprawl
The intimate relationship between land use and transportation is critical to the success of our sustainability efforts. Segregated, spread out land uses — including a lack of affordable housing — and incomplete transit, biking and walking networks are antithetical to “being green,” no matter how many light bulbs we convert to LED or how much...
Staedler: Just be yourself, San Jose
“Doesn’t San Jose want to be San Francisco?” That’s the question I’ve been asked repeatedly over the last 20 years from people outside of the Bay Area. This is usually asked in a well meaning and earnest manner. Most people have little knowledge of the area and think of San Francisco as the shining example...
Breland and Lease: SJECCD to explore employee housing
As cost of living in San Jose continues to escalate, employers are finding it more and more difficult to attract and retain qualified and highly skilled employees. The primary driver of the increased cost of living is housing, which has seen unprecedented cost increases in recent years. In order to ensure that San Jose City...
Perry: No justice, no peace! A response to ALF Silicon Valley
Suzanne St. John-Crane’s call for civil discourse is either remarkably naïve or else deliberately deceptive. The idea that “we all want a thriving San Jose for all” is simply not supported by the facts. Silicon Valley is torn apart every day by cruel economic predators and competing special interests. Large tech companies lobby daily for the...