What makes San Jose great? The verdant parks, wild spaces and plentiful sunshine. The diversity and richness of its culture and history. The boundless innovation and abundance of some of the world’s most creative and thoughtful people and companies. There’s no shortage of possibilities, which is why our city consistently ranks as one of the...
Brown: Setting the facts straight on Republic Urban
In its recent article, “Lawsuit against San Jose college district moves forward,” San José Spotlight left out important information and details regarding the lawsuit that Republic Urban Properties, LLC, has filed against San Jose – Evergreen Community College District. For example, omitted from the article is the fact that on Feb. 21 the district secured...
Ackemann: Caltrain’s Doom Loop
Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic we’ve all become “doomscrollers,” a phenomenon where people obsessively scroll social media for the latest bad news. “Doom loops” are an economic phenomenon where every decision a business or organization makes to try and break a bad cycle serves to reinforce it. That’s the case with Caltrain. Basically, in trying to fix...
Philbrick: Leadership in times of crisis
As our country continues to reel from COVID-19 and the pandemic of systemic racism, effective leadership is needed to bring a sense of justice and hope to this grieving nation. Effective leaders understand and give voice to the needs, concerns and hopes of others. They adapt, persevere and strive for fairness and equity. They also...
From the editor: Welcoming a new leader in our newsroom
I’m excited to announce that San José Spotlight has hired a seasoned managing editor to lead our award-winning newsroom. Simar Khanna joins our team after a distinguished 25-year career in Bay Area journalism. Simar spent 16 years at the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner where she served as an editor in nearly every...
Staedler: San Jose’s public outreach process needs improvement
Over the last several years, how many times have you heard about a San Jose policy decision that was being heard by a committee or commission at the “last minute”? The latest community outreach kerfuffle is the city’s staff recommendation to establish an Opportunity Housing policy, as heard by the city’s General Plan Task Force last week. The...
Lopez: New initiative promises improved educational outcomes for East San Jose residents
I recently participated in two peaceful and inspiring protests close to where I live in downtown San Jose. I was moved by the diversity of the participants, their eloquent and strong demands for change and especially by the voices of our youth. At this point, it’s important we listen to the voices emerging from the...
McCoy: People living with diabetes during COVID-19 need help now
In California, the housing crisis has often made news with skyrocketing rents and affordable housing shortages. Yet, there is something many California residents need for survival, even more than a roof over their heads, that has increased at a rate that far outpaces even our housing market. That necessity is insulin, the price of which...
Raza: #DemocracyNeedsEveryone: We need to free the vote this November
Nearly 50,000 Californians on parole today are ineligible to vote. They pay taxes at the local, state, and federal levels, but are prevented from their fundamental voting rights. Taxation without representation is present yet again; this time, there is no tea party. For those who have served their time to be truly free, it is...
Loving and Mehrens: Sales tax is critical for COVID-19 recovery
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors needs to place a sales tax on the ballot for the November Election. The reasons are straightforward and righteous. COVID-19 demands bold action and investment, at an unprecedented scale. Since the pandemic has begun, our organizations have together served over 21,000 individuals who are suffering tremendous hardship due...