The U.S. Department of Education finalized its new Title IX regulations in April, undoing much of the damage the Trump administration caused with its 2022 regulations. This damage included requiring college students’ complaints of sexual harassment or sexual violence to go to a live hearing where the complainant and the accused is cross-examined in the...
Philbrick: Insight into transit-oriented affordable housing
As of May, the average rent for an apartment in San Jose is $2,526 per month — 67% higher than the national average. The average cost to buy a home? Almost $1.5 million. Although California is among the most expensive states when it comes to housing, affordable housing and the opportunities that come with it...
Kovacevich: California’s social safety net depends on a healthy tech industry
California is grappling with a harsh reality as the state’s budget deficit is expected to hit a staggering $73 billion in the next fiscal year. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year outlines severe cuts across education, health and human services. For the millions of citizens who depend on these vital social services, California’s...
From the co-founder: On the forefront of a national movement
I had the privilege last week of traveling to the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul for the American Journalism Project’s annual convening of nonprofit news leaders, AJPalooza. Now in its fifth year, the American Journalism Project is a venture philanthropy organization that’s become one of the largest funders of local journalism, investing $168 million...
Hsueh: Preparing our water supply in the face of climate change
One of Valley Water’s missions is to provide Santa Clara County with a reliable water supply. Analysis shows if our county relies only on existing water supply and infrastructure, we will face water shortages during future multi-year droughts. To avoid that, and ensure a reliable water supply in the future, we must make additional investments...
Neil: BART to downtown San Jose will cost $12.8B. How did we get here?
VTA’s BART to Silicon Valley Phase II will build four new BART stations over six miles, extending from Berryessa/North San Jose to Santa Clara. The project has been subject to a lot of criticism. It’s been repeatedly bashed for a redundant Santa Clara station, choice of a single-bore design for the tunnel and its $12.8...
LaFortune: Team San Jose offers hospitality scholarship at SJSU
As you can see in my bio below, I am currently serving as president and CEO at Team San Jose. Big job, great title and a true honor to guide an amazing team. But my career in the hospitality industry didn’t start out even close to this level of leadership or responsibility. My career started...
Editorial: San Jose mayor twists truth into scare tactics
Scare tactics are not a good look for San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who promised government transparency during his mayoral campaign. This behavior is even more disingenuous when he uses it to further his agenda by claiming this news organization spread misinformation about his efforts to eliminate an environmental problem. So let’s set the record...
Collins: Realtors do more in the communities they serve
When we talk about real estate, we tend to address housing affordability, current statistics and market analysis. It’s seldom we take a deeper dive into how our real estate professionals continually create a positive impact on the communities they serve. Realtors are among the most giving professions in the economy to date. In fact, 69%...
Robinson: Dirty little secrets of government funding
It’s budget time for government. Few have worked in the public sector. Fewer still understand how taxpayers’ money is spent. But here are some reasons why funding is a mess for the many government jurisdictions that exist. The May spending spree. Government agencies, departments and programs are spending as much as possible in order to...