Worker Memorial Day is April 28. On that day, we remember workers who were killed or injured on the job. In 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 363,900 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in California with 2.6 million nationwide and 439 fatalities in California with 5,283 nationwide. CalOSHA plays a significant role in ensuring...
Ellenberg: More work needed to achieve parity in Black maternal health
Efforts to improve Black maternal health outcomes have been doggedly pursued for decades. While there has been some encouraging data, there is still much to do to reduce instances of mortality and morbidity for Black infants and mothers (to include all pregnant and birthing people). Black mothers and infants have the highest rates for preterm...
Stroll: Bay Area electric mandates — a vast expense with minimal benefit
Will you or your landlord need to replace your gas-fired furnace or water heater? Starting in less than two years, it may cost tens of thousands of dollars if the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has its way. And it’s unlikely to make much difference to air quality. A district report notes that some...
Editorial: Will San Jose’s next District 3 leader fit the bill?
Accountability. Honesty. Reliability. The next District 3 San Jose councilmember is going to need all three in spades. Residents will be watching and expecting their newly-elected representative to uplift the downtown and help wash away the stain laid upon their neighborhood by disgraced former Councilman Omar Torres. A special election on April 8 will determine...
Philbrick: Is the convenience of turning right on red worth the risk?
At a busy intersection downtown, a pedestrian steps into the crosswalk just as a car, eager to make a right turn on red, inches forward. The driver glances left for oncoming traffic, but doesn’t see the person crossing until the last second. Moments like this frequently play out across California and the nation, and recent...
Urbanowski: April is Arts, Culture & Creativity Month in California
Arts, Culture & Creativity Month is a statewide celebration organized by arts advocates, civic leaders and artists across the state to uplift the intrinsic value of arts, culture and creativity. In 2019, Arts, Culture & Creativity Month was declared by the California Senate to be held every April to recognize the arts in California and...
Ballard: Protecting our communities from future floods
As the newest Valley Water board director for a district that includes neighborhoods in downtown San Jose — a community that remembers the devastating floods from eight years ago — I deeply appreciate Valley Water’s dedicated efforts in nearly completing the first phase of the Coyote Creek Flood Protection Project. The Feb. 21, 2017, events...
San José Spotlight and Omar Habbas launch new educational initiative to support the future of local news
San José Spotlight is delighted to announce Omar Habbas as the first major supporter of a new educational initiative to invest in the next generation of journalists in Silicon Valley. Studies show the U.S. has lost 3,200 newspapers since 2005 – more than one-third of all its newspapers. The decline in local news fosters the...
Collins: The housing market is a mixed bag — so far
The only thing consistent about the 2025 housing market so far is its inconsistency. We have had slow weeks followed by red-hot weeks. Mortgage rates have fluctuated substantially thus far and have become as unpredictable as the stock market. Home insurance, which was once an afterthought, has also become a point of contention for buyers....
Ramos: Closing the budget gap shouldn’t mean closing library doors
Our libraries are under siege — from coordinated book bans to funding cuts that threaten their very existence. Last Friday evening, the president signed an executive order to reduce funding to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, specifically threatening the Grants to States program which provides funding to local libraries. In San Jose, all...