Last week, I sat in a Stanford classroom with nonprofit leaders from Brazil, Australia, Canada, Morocco and the U.S. Sixty of us gathered from around the world, each facing different realities but asking the same questions: How do we lead through dysfunction? How do we design for lasting change? And, most critically, how do we...
Duplantier: Don’t dismantle the future for older adults
As a professional dedicated to the well-being of older adults, I am deeply troubled by the recent decision by the current federal administration to dismantle the Administration for Community Living (ACL). This move sends millions of seniors nationwide a disheartening message: you are not important. The ACL has been a cornerstone in supporting older adults...
Collins: Slower spring housing market is an opportunity for buyers
The highly anticipated 2025 spring housing market has not been nearly as robust as many have expected it to be. Local inventory is up nearly 40%, and sellers are more willing than ever to negotiate. With interest near a 25-year average, buyers have a unique opportunity to successfully secure their dream home in what is...
Estremera: Upgrading Santa Clara County’s water infrastructure
Valley Water provides safe, clean water to homes, businesses and farms throughout Santa Clara County. A dependable water supply is something we rely on every day, even if we don’t always think about it. Safe, clean water is essential to our health, economy and the innovation that drives Silicon Valley. However, much of our water...
Percival: Tackling homelessness requires government agencies to collaborate
Last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in City of Grants Pass v Johnson ruled city governments could sweep homeless encampments without violating individuals’ rights. Before this ruling, cities were prohibited from removing unhoused people from public spaces if they had no shelters available. In Silicon Valley, the debate following the Grants Pass decision focused on...
Editorial: Silicon Valley college board should look elsewhere for student housing
The Foothill-De Anza Community College District wants to help house its students struggling to find affordable rent. The district’s solution displaces Cupertino residents. The board of trustees had five years to come up with a plan after district voters passed Measure G in 2020 — a $898 million general obligation bond to help upgrade college...
Bramson: What does quality of life really mean when we’re all suffering?
While it might seem unprecedented, we’ve been here before. The economy wobbles, markets panic and policymakers start sharpening their red pens. Budgets shrink. Programs are cut. And the people who always seem to take the hardest hits — the ones living on the edge — get shoved even further into the margins. Now, with federal...
Silver Taube: Workplace immigration enforcement expected to increase
“Worksite enforcement is coming back in a big way,” said Thomas Homan, President Donald Trump’s “border czar” responsible for border security and immigration enforcement. During Trump’s first term, there were 5,981 audits of work authorization form I-9 in 2018 and 6,450 in 2019. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) set a goal of 12,000 audits...
Slack: San Jose city management’s half-billion-dollar sleight of hand
Sleight-of-hand. It’s the trick of making something appear and disappear without the object traveling anywhere. You may have experienced your grandfather pulling a quarter out of your ear when you were a kid or watched a skilled magician pull a rabbit out of a hat at a circus. But neither your grandfather or a magician...
Urbanowski: Federal actions impact local access to arts
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...