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As the last few school districts in San Jose are finishing the pandemic school year and beginning their summer breaks, school districts across the state are planning for and collectively committing to ensuring that reopening of schools this fall means in-person instruction is the default education program for the 2021-22 school year. Taking the complex...
Cohen: Flea market plan boosts vendor voices, collaboration
On Tuesday, the San Jose City Council will vote on rezoning the Berryessa BART Urban Village, the property adjacent to the BART station where the Berryessa Flea Market is currently located. Building vibrant, high-density Urban Villages along public transit routes is one of the most effective ways to transition away from a car dependent culture....
Vargas: The Supreme Court takes another step toward legalizing discrimination
On June 17, the Supreme Court issued their opinion in Fulton v. Philadelphia, a case involving an adoption organization, Catholic Social Services (CSS), that refused service to LGBTQ+ prospective parents. Under Pennsylvania law and Philadelphia ordinance, such discrimination was unlawful, and Philadelphia exercised its right to terminate its relationship with CSS, meaning that the city...
Shaw: Legal encampments could help homeless transition into housing
The number of homeless residents is rapidly growing, so much so, that it is outpacing all solutions put forth to end it. It is well known that, within Santa Clara County, for every homeless person housed, three more become homeless. I’m afraid that number is likely increasing due to the aftereffects of the pandemic. And...
Zimmerman: Environmental racism is the norm
The modern environmental movement now recognizes the inextricable link between environment and race. We cannot solve the climate crisis without addressing systematic racism. Environmental racism is the disproportionate burden of environmental hazards placed on people of color. In the United States, the biggest predictor of if you live near a hazardous waste site is the...
Cortese: Sacramento bus trip lets students speak with representatives about education
Every year, students, teachers, school administrators, as well as local education advocates across our community, fill up a handful of school buses and head to our state’s capitol to share their ideas and concerns about California’s public education system with members of our Legislature. A tradition hosted by my office for the past two decades,...
Op-ed: Libraries are essential to our recovery and resilience
If local government budgets truly reflect the values of the communities they serve, we believe San Jose’s budget should prioritize our public libraries. As we continue to navigate an unpredictable pandemic, it is critical that the San Jose Public Library has the resources it needs to serve our most vulnerable neighbors and build a more...
Bramson: Stepping up or getting out of the way
In a recent 2021 poll by the Bay Area Council, homelessness dominated the concerns of most residents in our region. Raise your hand if you’re surprised. The fact is we all see the tragic impacts of people forced to sleep outside and it’s truly horrifying. Human beings living and dying along our highways and creeks....
Vargas: Gun policy should be set by local communities, not unelected judges
On May 26, nine people were murdered at a VTA rail yard in San Jose, leaving the community stunned and horrified for the second time in two years. In 2019, a mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival left three people dead and 17 wounded. The latest shooting had a particularly somber impact for LGBTQ+...
EGD: Gunshot detection tech will lead to more police killings in San Jose
It was near freezing temperatures in the early hours of the morning when Chicago police received an alert from their gunshot detection technology (GDT) solution, ShotSpotter. Apparently shots had been fired in the city’s Little Village neighborhood, an area predominantly populated by Latinx individuals. Officers rush to the scene to find 21-year-old Ruben Roman and 13-year-old...