Commuters hustling to get to work, students trekking across the city to get to school and visitors touring colleges all must fumble through their wallets and purses for exact change, multiple transit cards for different systems and paper tickets just to get to their destination. Multi-use transit cards like the Clipper card work well, but...
Columns
Columns
Foley: The future of traffic safety in San Jose
As chair of the Vision Zero Task Force, I announced on Feb. 29 that the task force will be coming to a close at the end of this year. Understandably, this has left some community members and street safety advocates concerned about the future of Vision Zero in San Jose. I empathize with these concerns;...
Editorial: San Jose needs to direct more resources to 988
When 988 launched almost two years ago it had two specific goals: streamline suicide and mental health calls to a one-stop crisis hotline and take law enforcement out of the equation when possible. That’s not happening in San Jose. A recent city report shows Santa Clara County mental health teams in 2023 responded to just 2% of...
Collins: California officials tackle affordable housing shortages
The housing crisis is real. While estimates vary on how bad the housing shortage is nationwide, Freddie Mac concluded that, as of late 2020, there was a housing shortage of 3.8 million homes. This tight supply has led to higher housing prices throughout the country, especially here in Santa Clara County. According to a Pew Research...
Robinson: One candidate will win, but voters can’t lose
Campaigns don’t always mean anything. A person could run a perfect campaign and still not beat a Zoe Lofgren, Nancy Pelosi, Ro Khanna or any number of current elected officials. But sometimes a campaign makes a huge difference. This was never more true than in the primary race for U.S. Senate and the congressional race...
Knight: San Jose mayor’s budget plan prioritizes optics, not people
San Jose’s mayor recently released his 2024 budget message, emphasizing the city’s urgent need to address homelessness. As a member of the Lived Experience Advisory Board of Silicon Valley, I know firsthand the pain and hardship of this crisis. Yet, the mayor’s proposed plan reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the issue and a worrying emphasis...
LaFortune: AI takes over San Jose — and this article
Editor’s Note: Team San Jose last week hosted NVIDIA GTC, the #1 AI conference for developers, in the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. In the spirit of innovation and the city’s pivotal role in advancing technology and hosting the global AI conference, columnist John LaFortune decided to show you what it can do. This month’s...
Taylor: How ageism erases our hard-earned value
Over the last century, the U.S. population 65 and older grew five times faster than Americans overall. Not surprisingly, labor statistics reflected that growth — employment of those 65 and older grew 117% during that same period. And while many older Americans left the workforce during the pandemic as part of the “Great Retirement,” some...
Diridon: It’s economical and healthy to stop ‘smoking’ and driving
Most electric vehicles are so economical that the savings, compared to a gas powered car, pay for the price in five to 10 years for the average driver. Five dollars or more a gallon pumped by you at an unhealthy gas station. Annual oil changes and tune ups. Often more expensive insurance and DMV fees....
Marques: San Jose shouldn’t impose burdens on restaurants that could jeopardize our survival
When I worked at Wienerschnitzel in high school, my dream was to one day own a sports bar in my hometown of San Jose. I imagined decorating with 49ers, Giants, Warriors and Sharks memorabilia. I changed course slightly and I now own three Wienerschnitzel restaurants in Santa Clara County. My restaurants are my pride and...