Over the past two weeks, I have received numerous calls and emails from local arts organizations reporting on late-night email notifications informing them of the cancellation of existing federal grants. The most recent was a blanket email on May 2 indicating multiple National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants have been terminated. Just like the...
Paz-Cedillos: Stabilize, protect, build — why nonprofits need you
A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of stepping away to unplug at the S.H. Cowell Foundation Grantee Retreat. Those three days were a welcome reprieve from the chaos of today’s world. On a personal level, I’m exhausted — and from the shared stories of nonprofit leaders in the room, I know I’m not...
Kumar: New Bay Area heating equipment standards will help us breathe easier
When it comes to the Bay Area’s air quality report card, there’s little to smile about. The grades show failure across the board. Again. The American Lung Association has ranked the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan area among the nation’s worst for air pollution: 14th for ozone pollution, 11th for short-term particle pollution and sixth for year-round particle...
Mallon: How the VTA strike affected people who rely on public transit
The 17-day VTA union worker strike in March stopped Santa Clara County’s bus and light rail system for the first time in decades. I primarily rely on VTA to get to work and everywhere else I need to go. When the sudden disruption hit, my simple commute turned into, at times, an 11-mile walk. Instead...
Chun: Teaching reading is rocket science
I am sitting with a group of second graders at a rainbow table. I’m a reading interventionist and these students have been selected to work with me because of their reading difficulties. I pass out a sheet personalized with their first name so they can practice letter formation. One by one, I ask each student...
Collins: How do we build affordable for-sale housing?
The rising cost of homeownership has placed affordable for-sale housing at the center of housing policy discussions nationwide. Building homes that middle- and low-income buyers can afford requires more than low prices — it demands thoughtful design, innovative construction methods and navigation through regulatory and financial obstacles. “Affordable by design” is gaining traction as a...
Mackenzie: Earth Month — a time to recognize all that nature does for us
Infrastructure isn’t often associated with beauty or inspiration — but in the case of nature, it’s both. The natural environment does more for us than most of us understand. Earth Month reminds us nature isn’t an abstract concept, it’s an asset we must steward and invest in because nature is the most resilient, cost-effective and...
Bramson: When the market crashes, the safety net tears
The stock market’s recent volatility and the looming threat of a recession aren’t just numbers on a screen — they’re harbingers of a deeper crisis unfolding in Santa Clara County. As economic uncertainty intensifies, the fragile balance keeping thousands of families housed is tipping dangerously toward disaster. In 2024, more than 4,000 Santa Clara County...
Op-ed: Santa Clara County residents favor ranked choice voting
It was 1998, the year of the Ask Jeeves search engine, Titanic and the Spice Girls. California elected Gray Davis to succeed Pete Wilson as governor, and Santa Clara County voters adopted ranked choice voting (RCV) for local elections. More than 25 years later, the Spice Girls have had a reunion tour and no one...
Op-ed: A future worth investing in
Across California, school districts are grappling with an uncomfortable truth: fewer students, shrinking budgets, and tough decisions about school closures. The Alum Rock Union School District (ARUSD) is no exception. But within this crisis lies an opportunity — one that could transform East San Jose’s future. The closures, while painful, have created a rare opening:...