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...
Hsueh: Joining together for a cleaner future
What do a video game controller, ironing board, microwave, drone, Rubik’s cube and rice cooker have in common? None of them should be in our local waterways, yet all these items were among the litter removed during this year’s National River Cleanup Day. Every spring, I’m reminded of the incredible power of community. On National...
Op-ed: Public education in Santa Clara County needs a defender
Public education in America is in crisis. As institutions across the county contend with an ideological shift, the Santa Clara County Office of Education is intent on implementing broad austerity instead of ensuring care, access and equity to all. In March, layoff notices abruptly called for a 25% reduction of its workers without a contingency...
Op-ed: Honoring lives lost in 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival mass shooting
This past weekend, the Gilroy Garlic Festival returned for the first time since 2019. For many, it’s a cause for celebration — a beloved tradition revived, a symbol of community strength and resilience. But for families like ours, it’s not a celebration. It’s a painful reminder of what we lost. The last time the festival...
Singhal: San Jose State loses NIH and NSF training programs
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) training programs were developed to promote a varied, vibrant workforce prepared to innovate solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems, from cancer treatment and drug discovery, to fire management and renewable resources. Scientists studying such problems not only need to follow specific procedures to...
Bramson: What federal budgets cuts could mean at home
It’s easy to miss the potential impact of federal budget cuts when you live above the fray. If you’ve got a job, a home and a cushion in your checking account, Washington’s latest budget proposal might sound like just another headline. But if you’re one of the thousands of extremely low-income or homeless residents in...
Cortese: San Jose deserves its first public law school
When I was in my 30s, I went to Lincoln Law School in San Jose part-time and earned my Juris Doctor degree. I was able to pass the Bar Exam and become a practicing attorney all while raising a family and working a full-time job — furthering my education at a pace and price I...
Mallon: Why I care about transit — and you should too
People often ask me why I care so much about transit. Over the years, I’ve told a lot of stories, but I realized that I haven’t really told my own. I grew up in the Bay Area, and like most kids, I used transit because I wasn’t old enough to drive. But when I moved...
Scozzola: Santa Clara VTA frontline workers need better safety standards
I walked the picket lines a few months ago speaking to VTA drivers on strike. These proud members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 had overwhelmingly voted in favor of going on strike, but the impression I got was they were not eager to do so. They felt compelled to strike after many of...