As leaders of organizations and agencies that support those impacted by mass incarceration, poverty and substance use, we have a loud and urgent call to stop Proposition 36 and the irrevocable damage it will bring to our entire community if passed. The proposition is falsely guised as an attempt to reduce crime, homelessness and substance...
Stankovich: Bay Area family caregivers face financial hurdles
Family caregivers are the unsung heroes of our health care system, yet their struggles often go unnoticed. In the Bay Area, the cost of living is astronomical, making caregiving an expensive endeavor. Our family caregivers face immense challenges, from financial strain to emotional stress, and it’s time we address these issues with the urgency they...
Bramson: The experience of failure
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote the essay “Experience” in 1844. Following the death of his son, the essay considers the differences between adhering to abstract theory and conventional wisdom, as opposed to direct engagement when navigating the twists and turns of life. In many ways, it’s a heartbreaking piece about the impossibility of escaping loss and...
Mallon: Caltrain electrification is a win for sustainable transit
Sept. 21 will mark a significant milestone in transit history: the start of Caltrain’s electrified service. This transition from the diesel fleet that has been used for decades to electric trains is a major step forward for sustainable transit in the Bay Area and beyond. Passenger rail service has existed on the Caltrain corridor for...
Urbanowski: Santa Clara County is steeped in rich, diverse cultures
Santa Clara County’s unique identity and greatest strength is our diversity – a diverse economy, a diverse landscape and a rich diversity of cultures. As we live and work together it is through sharing our arts and culture practices and traditions that we begin to understand each other and establish foundations for collaboration and increasing...
Honda: Enough with the dirty tricks, Sam Liccardo
Here’s my message to Sam Liccardo — speak for yourself instead of using your supporters to do your dirty work. You had your longtime supporter, Jonathan Padilla, ask for a recount “on behalf of Evan Low” and it backfired. Now you are using your supporter Ann Ravel and her reputation as a former FEC commissioner...
Op-ed: Pleasant Hills can be something we’re proud of
Most people agree that the best way to address our area’s housing affordability issue is straightforward: build more houses. By some estimates, Silicon Valley’s housing market is at least 100,000 homes short of what is needed to arrest the inexorable housing price increases we have experienced decade after decade. Increasing availability by building more housing,...
Robinson: Where is Joe?
Where is Joe? No, not that Joe. Where is Joe Simitian, who lost a runoff spot in Congressional District 16 by five votes and has been uncharacteristically silent on who he supports for the coveted seat. Simitian is in the enviable position of kingmaker as his voters must now choose between the two remaining candidates....
LaFortune: Team San Jose, the city and its theaters
“Art is not a luxury. It stands at the essence of our humanity, and it asks for no special protection except the right to exist. It accepts argument, criticism, even rejection. It does not accept violence. In the end, it outlasts those who oppress it.” This is from Salman Rushdie’s latest book “Knife,” and it...
Batra: Jail diversion proposal is a dangerous betrayal of trust
The residents of South San Jose deserve transparency, trust and respect from their government officials and agencies. Unfortunately, recent events have demonstrated that these fundamental principles have been neglected. The shocking revelation that Santa Clara County intends to transform the emergency interim housing site located at Monterey and Bernal into a jail diversion facility —...