San Jose sits at the center of innovation, including when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence and transportation. Headlines frequently espouse the latest development in smart tools, but headlines are the easy part. The real challenge is making those tools work in the messy, real-world conditions of mobility systems. AI has been shown...
Op-ed: Faith-based resource centers are trailblazers in reentry work
April is Second Chance Month, a time for exploring how our community can reduce barriers for individuals coming home from jail or prison. Faith-based organizations have long been the safety net for the justice-involved, long before Santa Clara County opened the Reentry Resource Center in 2012. In 2011, Assembly Bill 109 or Public Safety Realignment...
Aguilar: Santa Clara County’s District 4 race should not be uncontested
This year marks 30 years since my mother brought our family to the United States. I was a child then, too young to fully understand what migration asks of a family, the sacrifice, the uncertainty and the faith that a different place might offer your children a safer and more dignified future. I have spent...
Collins: Unsettled housing market still yields opportunities
Just as inflation seemed to be leveling off and mortgage rates were dropping, a war broke out that has had significant economic and geopolitical impacts on the market. During the spring market, we typically see new inventory entering to meet increased buyer interest. While we are seeing more inventory, some buyers are expressing hesitations to...
Alvarado: Billionaire tax could save Santa Clara County health care
San José Spotlight’s recent coverage of potential health care closures in Santa Clara County should be a wake-up call. When hospitals like Hazel Hawkins close in rural communities like Hollister, the impact doesn’t stay contained. Patients are forced to travel farther, emergency rooms like St. Louise Regional in Gilroy become overcrowded and patient care suffers....
Garen: Why is Matt Mahan allowing San Jose public schools to close?
Mayor Matt Mahan is running for governor on a platform of fiscal responsibility. But what does fiscal responsibility look like here at home, in San Jose? The San Jose Unified School District is funded by one of the largest property tax bases in the country due to high property values. In November, voters approved Measure...
Janmohamed: Super Bowl 60 brought benefits to Santa Clara
Last month, Super Bowl 60 put Santa Clara at the center of the sports and entertainment world. While we are still compiling the final economic impact data, two things are already clear: Super Bowl 60 generated meaningful economic and community benefits for the city of Santa Clara — and it did so while protecting the...
Cantrell: Black voices need to be heard in race for California governor
The race for California governor won’t make room for Derek Grasty and Ramsey Robinson, and that’s exactly why you should be paying attention to them. You won’t see either of them on TV much or in establishment debates. You may not even see their names in polling. But if you want to understand what’s really...
Bosworth: San Jose Unified School District should rethink closure plans
I am a San Jose Unified School District elementary school parent, and I am grateful for the excellent education my daughter is receiving. I am concerned the district’s school consolidation proposals by the Schools of Tomorrow Implementation Committee have not accounted for the negative impacts that closures have on all students. At the March 10...
Op-ed: Fighting for an affordable San Jose
Silicon Valley has reached a defining moment. We are generating record amounts of wealth, yet, most people who live here are still struggling to get by. That was the stark finding of the recently-released Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s 2026 Silicon Valley Index. It is a sobering look at our cities and confirms what many San...