Everyone — from the biggest government agencies that often smother small businesses with red tape to the biggest businesses which often suffocate small businesses with monopoly power — likes to say that they support small businesses. Indeed, one of the country’s biggest defense contractors testified at a deposition that small businesses are “the backbone of...
Op-ed: Stop the political attacks on Silicon Valley nonprofits
Given the role local nonprofits have played on the front lines of pandemic response— distributing food to homebound seniors, providing childcare for essential workers, strengthening families through mental health services and door-to-door wellness checks, and vaccinating thousands of vulnerable residents—we are surprised that multiple San Jose candidates for elected office have disparaged the value of...
Shaw: The value of sleep
How much value can you put on a restful night’s sleep? If you feel more tired today than yesterday, there are ways to remedy that. You can take a nap or go to sleep earlier to get your body to adjust itself. But what happens when this tiredness continues day after day? How do you get...
Zimmerman: San Jose needs to stand up for its climate goals
Almost two years ago, the San Jose City Council passed landmark legislation banning the use of natural gas in new residences, becoming the largest city in the nation to do so. Shortly after, councilmembers considered additional legislation banning natural gas in commercial properties. In the eleventh hour, at the behest of Bloom Energy, an exemption...
Op-ed: Matt Mahan’s performative allyship
It’s time for San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan to put his money where his mouth is. Supporting reproductive rights includes making decisions in your life that align with your values. Saying that you support a person’s right to choose while having founded and led a company to abstain from taking a stand on abortion is performative...
Dewan: Schools respond to increasing fentanyl overdose deaths
Last May, I wrote about the need to raise awareness and prevent fentanyl related deaths, especially among our youth. At that time, the first ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day was launched. An important goal of that campaign was to ensure communities knew about fentanyl and the dangers of illegally made counterfeit pills and other drugs...
Rodriguez: How the San Jose Downtown Association was actually founded
In 1986, a family from the Pacific Islands converted downtown’s notorious Five Star Bar into a venue that would go on to showcase an unknown band from Seattle: Nirvana. They had trouble, however, getting the city to approve an awning over its front window, a key piece needed to complete the renovation. The red tape...
Courtney: The next San Jose mayor must be tough on gun violence
San Jose’s next mayor must be someone we can count on to protect our neighborhoods and families by keeping guns off our streets and away from those who shouldn’t have access to them—especially those suffering from serious mental issues. That means our next mayor must strongly oppose any organization that blocks reasonable, common-sense laws and...
Editorial: Our lawsuit could defend democracy in San Jose—and beyond
This story is part of a project called Democracy Day, in which newsrooms across the country are shining a light on threats to democracy and what action is needed to protect it. Why would a small local news organization sue the 10th largest city in the country? What could it possibly gain? The legal costs are...
Silver Taube: The restaurant industry wants to halt a law giving fast-food workers a seat at the table
On Labor Day, Gov. Gavin Newson signed the landmark bill, AB 257, the FAST Recovery Act, into law. The law will establish a 10-member council with four seats held by fast-food franchisor and franchisee representatives, four seats held by fast-food worker representatives and advocates and two seats held by representatives of the Department of Industrial Relations...