Her name is Lily. She has strawberry-red hair and pink cheeks. She is a muppet on Sesame Street. A few years ago, Lily was introduced as a child in a family struggling to put food on their table. Today, she is portrayed as a child with no home. Traditional media and social media around the...
Ahi: Living and working in the same city is harder than it seems
Many cities aspire to create a thriving community in which residents will not only choose to live, but to work within as well. However, current statistics may reveal how and why some cities are thriving in this aspect, while others face a steeper challenge. The current national average of individuals residing and working within the...
Funk: The digital divide still haunts East San Jose students
In today’s world, it is critical that our children learn to use and master modern technology, think critically, communicate across a variety of platforms, work collaboratively and be creative with the ability to quickly adapt. In the East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD) we call this our Graduate Profile. Other districts may call it...
Hanleigh: Khamis’ affordable housing study is on the money
We commend Johnny Khamis, and the supportive council members, for the challenging and sensible question as to the true cost of affordable housing when developed by public vs. private means. What no one, to my knowledge, has ever asked is to take into account the huge costs of salaries, overhead, grants and other infrastructure needs...
Greenlee: Decision on height limits will impact SJC for decades
I am an airline transport pilot with over 37 years of military and commercial experience and I want to make sure that all stakeholders of Mineta San Jose International Airport, including airlines, local businesses, citizens of San Jose and passengers who travel through the airport are aware of upcoming decisions that will impact operations at...
Bramson: Evans Lane homeless housing is a model for others
On a Tuesday evening in January, San Jose City Council sat in chambers considering a rezoning application and planned development permit for a piece of property on Evans Lane. The site, a city-owned parcel purchased for the purpose of affordable housing over a decade ago, had sat vacant for years, with the grass growing high...
Gutiérrez: Immigrants hold the power with our vote
SIREN started the 2019 year in the immigrant and refugees rights movement with the federal government in a partial shutdown, where more than 800,000 federal workers were working without pay due to a failure between President Donald Trump and Congress to compromise over a useless and unnecessary border wall. And on January 25, after 35...
Staedler: The world is watching downtown San Jose
Downtown San Jose for the last decade or so has been an event-driven downtown. A glimpse of its potential came out with events like the Jazz Festival, business and technology conventions and Sharks games. When asked what kind of downtown San Jose needs to have, the word that gets used often is “vibrant.” Urban vibrancy...
Staedler: Newsom’s proposal is bold. Let’s get even bolder.
As we look for movement in alleviating the housing crisis, Gov. Newsom delivered a solid and thoughtful proposal with a serious amount of cash to back up his resolve. It’s getting a fair amount of press, but in case you missed it, here is a summary of his proposal from Newsom’s website. An unprecedented and historic effort...
Funk: Will Newsom fix California’s broken public education funding model?
As Gov. Gavin Newsom begins his first term, early indication shows that he will focus on universal preschool, two years of free community college and increased funding for higher education. But K-12 public education advocates will be anxious to hear how he addresses K-12 funding with enormous pressure facing school districts across California with budget...