Our society is experiencing an epidemic wave of behavioral health disorders that’s impacting our most vulnerable populations. The pandemic exacerbated a pre-existing emotional environment for young people that led to increased suicide rates, severe depressive episodes and likely early drug addiction among our youth. Too many of those young people are being left out of...
Columns
Columns
Chester: Urban Villages aren’t a housing solution
Throughout San Jose’s mayoral race, one of the primary concerns for candidates, rightfully so, is housing. Affordable housing. Housing for currently houseless. Senior housing. All types of housing have been discussed during mayoral forums, views differing greatly from being against more housing via SB 9 to being a dense housing advocate only within current Urban...
Sandoval: Homeless count data points to some progress, lots of opportunity
When Santa Clara County last month released the preliminary results of the 2022 Point-in-Time Count, we learned that at least 10,028 people are experiencing homelessness in the county. While it appears and feels like homelessness has drastically increased, the data reveals only a slight overall increase in homelessness—3% in the county and an 11% increase...
Collins: Building equity with modern-day mobile homes
Several months ago, I heard a presentation about mobile homes from Franco Perez, a Santa Clara County Association of Realtors member. His presentation really opened my eyes and changed my perception of the amenities a mobile home could provide. I have had family members reside in mobile homes, mostly around the Brentwood area, that were basic in...
Robinson: Goodbye, Norm Mineta
Norman Y. Mineta was the greatest and most successful politician ever to come out of San Jose. Last week, he returned for his last time to San Jose from Washington D.C. Norm’s friends gathered to say goodbye and the tributes of former President Bill Clinton, former CIA Director Leon Panetta, former San Francisco Mayor Willie...
Sadri: Making American visits and vacations possible for all travelers and families
When President Joe Biden repealed the Muslim travel ban in 2021, the Persian community rejoiced. Our family members abroad could finally visit loved ones in America. After years of separation, mothers, sons and grandparents looked forward to reuniting and hugging each other at long last. But there was a catch. If you live in 155 countries, including...
Dewan: Transitional kindergarten is expanding
California has made a critical step forward in the expansion of early education. Transitional kindergarten (TK) has been available for children with fall birthdays since 2011. California is now expanding access to TK so that all California children can benefit. With the 2022-23 school year ahead, all children who turn five between Sept. 2 and...
Shetty: STEM immigration is essential to America’s future
From 2010 to 2019, 42% of the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) PhD graduates from U.S. universities were international students. Working in America has always been seen as fertile ground for new career growth and bountiful opportunity. As someone who grew up in Malaysia, I can attest to the reputation the U.S. has overseas....
Negash: Black-owned businesses are our economic future
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the marches, protests, and civil upheaval that followed, support for Black-owned businesses grew significantly. According to Bloomberg and Business Insider, Black Americans became the fastest-rising group of entrepreneurs in the United States between February 2020 and August 2021, increasing by 38%. This trend was particularly prominent across...
Zimmerman: Drought and heat stress California’s infrastructure
The heat this past weekend was a reminder that California’s weather is changing—and we are in a hot-zone. Parts of California, including San Jose, are actually warming faster than the global average and some parts have already reached the 2 degrees Celsius cutoff cited by scientists as the point of no return. California’s infrastructure isn’t...