Columns

Columns

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....

Op-ed: Mayor Mahan’s plan hurts Black, brown and disabled communities

As civil rights advocates, we strongly oppose Mayor Mahan’s proposal to arrest homeless individuals who refuse shelter. This policy will disproportionately harm Black and brown people, including those with disabilities, who are overrepresented in the unhoused population due to systemic racism, economic inequality, and a lack of affordable, fair, accessible, and safe housing. The racial...

Silver Taube: Proposed state legislation would strengthen workers’ rights

This year there are numerous bills making their way through the state legislature that address difficulties in collecting wage theft judgments, the backlog at the Labor Commission, paid leave and human trafficking. According to the California State Auditor’s report, between 2018 and 2023, the Labor Commission was successful in collecting the entire amount owed in...

Bramson: Punishment won’t help the unhoused

It’s a simple truth: everyone needs a safe place to sleep. But instead of working to make that a reality, San Jose’s latest proposal to arrest unhoused residents is a cruel, costly and ineffective response to one of our city’s most urgent crises. The math doesn’t add up, the approach is flawed and at the...