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It started with local chatter about the poor health of young children living in one disadvantaged and often-overlooked area near a small airport. It can end with the U.S. Senate acting to prevent lead exposure in one of the last American industries that still sells and uses a harmful pollutant. Study concludes lead levels in...
Collins: Tight inventory and higher rates are driving the local housing market
The housing market seems to be stuck in a fairly consistent pattern at the moment. Demand is still very strong as a massive wave of millennial buyers enter the market. Unfortunately, inventory is at an all-time low, off nearly 40% from this time last year. The net result from this constricted inventory is higher housing...
Robinson: No incentive to cure the problem
State government spent $20 billion over five years on homelessness yet the population continues to increase. The war on drugs costs $100 billion nationally, but drugs permeate our society. The U.S. government spent $25 billion on immigration enforcement last year, yet folks keep coming. Why? It is estimated that we have 171,500 homeless residents in...
From the CEO: San José Spotlight is expanding its reach
Nearly a year ago we started exploring what an expansion of San José Spotlight could look like—five years after launching the publication that’s become a national leader among nonprofit newsrooms. We hear almost daily from readers who hope our impactful journalism can serve other South Bay cities. While our commitment to our hometown of San...
Dewan: Child care is essential infrastructure
Economic development starts with early childhood development. Decades of evidence shows access to high-quality early learning and care programs has short- and long-term benefits. The best public investments ensure all children have access to high-quality child care, early care and education. Child care is essential infrastructure for our economy. Many child care providers are small...
Silver Taube: The dangers of AI in the workplace
Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform our lives. It is now used to read X-rays with greater precision than radiologists and spot cancer growths no human doctor can detect. In one clinical trial, AI helped detect 20% more cases of breast cancer than radiologists. But AI also has risks, particularly in employment where a...
Ritchie: Surf solutions—Silicon Valley to Santa Cruz
San Jose and Santa Cruz have had a symbiotic relationship in commerce and leisure since the non-Indigenous modern founding of both regions in the 19th century. From mass clear cutting redwood logging to the tourism boom of early days to the tech boom of today, if you still believe that is going on. It is....
Bramson: Building our way out of local control
The question of who puts what where in a given community is an interesting one. For decades, the authority of land use — the power to decide whether or not commercial, residential, industrial and a host of other possibilities are allowed on a given parcel — has fallen to the municipal government where the plot...
Mallon: Creating a public transit system we can be proud of
September is Transit Month in the Bay Area, an annual celebration of public transportation and its role in our communities. In other parts of the Bay Area, there are news conferences, ride-alongs with elected officials and various events. But here in Santa Clara County, September is just a typical month, where residents express the usual...
Cortese: Join me for a picnic by the lake
I’m thrilled to extend a warm invitation to my inaugural Picnic by the Lake Multicultural Festival and Resource Fair. Mark your calendars for Saturday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the beautiful Hellyer County Park. This free event is a celebration of our vibrant community, and everyone is welcome. You’ll be greeted...