My family has called East San Jose home for decades. I went through Alum Rock Union School District from kindergarten through eighth grade and later returned to serve as a teacher and principal. ARUSD shaped me, and it pains me to see a destructive cycle of superintendent turnover, fueled by a dysfunctional board, repeat endlessly....
Chaus: Don’t punish Santa Clara County’s immigrant restaurant owners again
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors is preparing to debate a countywide proposal that once again unfairly targets local restaurants and immigrant business owners — piling new, unnecessary burdens on more than 1,600 small businesses already struggling to survive. I know how damaging it can be when new regulations target one industry while leaving...
Hernandez: Alum Rock Union School District needs state oversight
Every kid deserves a strong, stable public school, but I learned early on that not every kid gets one. I grew up in East San Jose, a resilient community that cherishes education and faces impossible choices. Like many families, my family faced either sending me to a failing neighborhood school or seek better. That led...
Editorial: San Jose mayor should support county general tax
Santa Clara County is on the edge of a financial cliff due to devastating federal and state cuts to its health care and safety net services. If the county falters, San Jose won’t be left unscathed. All 15 municipalities in the county will feel the impact of $1.4 billion in federal cuts to Medi-Cal through...
Miller: The real reason San Jose officials love digital billboards
Billboards are signs advertising products and services not available at the sign’s location. Such in-your-face advertising was justifiably banned on public property in San Jose for 46 years before the City Council in 2018 revoked that ban with limited public knowledge or approval. Last February, the council approved the first of several giant digital billboards,...
Bramson: When deep affordability and tax cuts collide
I was at a community meeting in San Jose last month when a housing advocate passed around a photo of families in a newly built affordable complex. The smiles were real. Parents didn’t just gain housing — they gained hope, stability and a foothold in a place where the median home now hovers near $2...
Philbrick: Silicon Valley is leading a transportation revolution
Silicon Valley is the heart of American innovation, of California’s cutting-edge technology and, most recently, of transportation. As tech giants and startups compete to define the future of mobility, San Jose again finds itself at the center of a revolution that is already transforming the ways we live and move. This is more than a...
Urbanowski: Santa Clara County summer arts are in full swing
“We are stronger together” is a meme, an often used phrase, maybe a cliche, but it still feels so authentic. I feel so blessed to live in this place, County of Santa Clara, California, where my County Supervisors, county staff and cities throughout region deeply care about local residents’ rights, protections, health, and well being....
Paz-Cedillos: Mayfair in East San Jose is just getting started
Even on vacation—between coastal drives and indulging my 9-year-old’s joy at Disneyland—I can’t stop thinking about Mayfair. While exploring one of Santa Barbara’s gentrifying neighborhoods, a street sign caught my eye: Sal Si Puedes—Spanish for “get out if you can.” I was stunned. How could such a loaded phrase be casually embedded in the landscape?...
Collins: What does increased inventory mean for homebuyers’ choice?
Housing inventory is on the rise in Santa Clara County, up nearly 29% over this time last year. While that seems like a significant increase, it reflects how little inventory we had a year ago. We still have less than two months of inventory. Recently, we have seen the pace of sales decline from traditional...