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...
Dewan: Early learning is a recipe for school readiness
Families with young children have a variety of early learning program options in Santa Clara County. Enrollment for next school year is already underway. Families who are interested in enrolling their child in preschool, transitional kindergarten (TK) or kindergarten can do so each year starting as early as December in some of Santa Clara County’s...
Arriola: Cindy Chavez versus the concrete ceiling
I spent my summer and fall quarters interning for the Cindy Chavez mayoral campaign to support a local Latina in her journey to leadership. For many, this local election was seen as a fight between two candidates with different perspectives targeting the same issues, and ultimately one candidate lost. For minority groups, however, this battle...
Bramson: Should San Jose declare homelessness an emergency?
Last month, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a homelessness emergency in her city. The move was meant to dramatically speed up services for the thousands of people living on the streets, while also cutting through the local red tape that slows the delivery of new services to a crawl. Backing the new mayor’s play, the...
Op-ed: San Jose is failing at community safety and policing
In its last meeting of 2022, the San Jose City Council cemented its record as a body that has failed our city when it comes to policing and community safety. Receiving a long-overdue consultant report on whether the city has the authority to create more independent oversight and investigations of police misconduct, the council collectively...
Silver Taube: Addressing the impact of structural racism on Black workers
Structural racism has been an impediment for Black Americans and has had an impact on the economy. If the Black wage, education, housing and investing gaps had been closed 20 years ago, it would have added an estimated $16 trillion to the economy, according to a report by Citi, with the Black pay gap alone accounting...