As September’s orange skies and record-shattering wildfires made vivid, we’re in a climate crisis. The impacts are hitting low-income communities and communities of color first and worst and threaten the viability of civilized life on Earth. The majority of Americans (72 percent of voters in a recent Fox poll) are concerned about this crisis and...
Collins: What could Opportunity Housing look like?
There was much angst and debate this past year during the San Jose General Plan Review Task Force meetings when just the mere discussion to explore Opportunity Housing was presented. So what is Opportunity Housing? According to San Jose’s website, it would enable multi-unit housing on properties with a Residential Neighborhood General Plan land designation. Today...
Morgan: Plenty to celebrate at Second Street Studios
In response Michael Eckhart’s column about Second Street Studios, as a fellow veteran I am grateful for Mike’s service and to be of service to him and all our residents at Second Street Studios. Mike and all of our residents have a voice, and we want to hear and learn how to better serve as...
Roberts: The demonization of homelessness
Four years. Four long years of demonizing the opposition. Sadly, this has become part of the “new normal,” just like Zoom video calls, take-out fine dining, mask wearing (at least for some), WFH (work from home) and demonizing anyone who disagrees with your personal, righteous worldview. You don’t agree with my progressive political agenda? Then...
Eckhart: Second Street Studios one year later: What has changed?
It has been more than one year since the first tenants, including me, moved into the county’s first permanent supportive housing project, Second Street Studios in downtown San Jose. What has changed? I can answer that in three words: Not a thing. Let me start at the beginning. On May 7, 2019, we got keys...
Moore: Silicon Valley Organization needs to take real action
It brings me great pain and disappointment to once again address the inappropriate behavior of the Silicon Valley Organization (SVO). After the blatantly racist attack ad, which served to perpetuate fear of African Americans and low-income families, the NAACP had hoped to see the SVO “do the right thing.” However, their idea of the right...
Funk: How East San Jose schools are keeping students, staff safe
As reported by Sonya Herrera in San José Spotlight Nov. 10, East San Jose ranks No. 1 in new cases per capita in the county. This is not new news to us who work for East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD). According to county data, 1,988 people tested positive for the virus in the...
Vargas: LGBTQ+ community’s historic gains this election
For the past week the national headlines may have been focused on Joe Biden’s victory over President Trump and the historic implications of the election of Kamala Harris as vice president. However, a much quieter revolution was occurring as well. The 2020 election saw a record-shattering number of LGBTQ+ people running for public office around...
Bramson: How we can get out of the way for affordable housing
On the heels of an historic year that has hammered poorest people the hardest, I find myself thinking about the future of affordable housing. Even in the best of times, it’s a tough row to hoe. From finding a place where it’s even feasible to build to navigating the complex innerworkings of the local land...
Ackemann: Has ‘Infrastructure Week’ finally arrived?
When you read this column, we may know the outcome of the 2020 presidential election but as I write it, we do not. In the bright sunlight of this November morning this election has given us reasons to count our thanks in the passage of the Yes on RR campaign, and reasons to hold our...