Residential care facilities for the elderly receive among the largest wage theft judgments of any industry, according to Matthew Sirolly, a staff attorney with the California Labor Commissioner’s Office who advises the agency on how to enforce wage theft judgments. These judgments are meaningless unless they are enforced. Residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs), often...
Staedler: Where is the city’s state-required housing plan?
San Jose has missed the state’s Jan. 31 deadline for an approved 2023-2031 Housing Element. The Housing Element is a plan to map out future housing in San Jose and help the city meet its goal of planning for 62,200 homes by 2031. According to the city, the Housing element addresses a range of housing...
Ballard: Remembering the leaders who inspired urban farming to feed those in need
In the past two years, the Silicon Valley Community has lost two incredible community leaders, Thang Do and Raul Lozano, most recently with the passing of Raul. Coincidentally, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) was connected to both of them through a program, written about here in Streetsblog, that ultimately inspired SVBC’s commitment to the farm...
Bejarano: Why I quit my East San Jose school board
In an effort to avoid any potential distraction to the appointment process for filling the vacant seat left by my resignation, I have avoided responding to questions or providing a response to any assumptions that have been made. In short, as my resignation letter stated, my decision is unequivocally, 100% due to personal reasons. There...
Mallon: State budget cut threatens transit in Silicon Valley
In January, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his budget proposal, which includes a drastic $2 billion cut from public transit projects in the state. This would lead to delayed projects and service cuts at agencies throughout the state. During the pandemic, federal relief money allowed transit agencies to keep service running despite declines in ridership and...
Editorial: Santa Clara County children’s psychiatric facility is long overdue
When a child has a medical emergency and is rushed to a hospital, doctors and nurses are ready. But if that same child has a mental health emergency, there is no hospital in Santa Clara County available to treat a minor. For decades the problem remained under the radar, until one day a friend of...
Rodríguez: Enrollment is rebounding at San Jose community colleges
It is no secret that California Community Colleges experienced a significant decline in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are numerous reasons for this and just as many different ways the state’s 116 community colleges are working to address the decline. Community colleges play a vital role in our local and regional economies, and it’s...
Sandoval: Homelessness is a policy choice
When we see our neighbors living unsheltered along our sidewalks or parks, it’s tempting to tell ourselves it was their own decisions that put them there. But overall, homelessness is not a personal choice. It’s a policy choice, made and solidified by decisions and indecision at every level over decades, that has led to San...
Collins: An optimistic outlook for the spring housing market
According to the California Association of Realtors, home sales in the state edged up in January for a second straight month. Existing home sales are up 0.04% from December, but down 45.7% from January 2022. “Thanks to slightly waning interest rates and tempering home prices, California’s housing market kicked off the new year with another...
Robinson: Powerless mayor says problems won’t be solved overnight
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan addressed over 200 people at the Villages on Feb. 15 in an event sponsored by the Senior Academy. His presentation was professional and polished. His analysis was cogent and his recommended solutions for homelessness, affordable housing and public safety were well-received. But his overall message was pessimistic: “It’s not going...