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As a business owner of a franchise for nearly two decades, I always appreciated my community and the passion people had for supporting local family-owned businesses. Most residents understand the positive impacts of small business. Maybe working for a local burger shop or coffee shop was their first job, so the sense of appreciation for...
Bramson: Finding it hard to sleep tonight
With an utterly horrific and terrifying year nearly wrapped up, I have spent the past few weeks thinking about what gifts might still be under the tree despite all the carnage. And I have to admit it’s hard to get in a festive mood this holiday season. The pandemic is still raging across the country,...
Philbrick: Public transportation proves safe — if precautions are followed
As this challenging year draws to a close, many Americans are looking forward to the holidays — even if they might look a little different this year. Traditionally the holiday season inspires travel plans and joyful gatherings but this year health officials are pleading with people to stay home. As we were reminded on social...
Bymaster: Actions, not words, needed to help poor families during pandemic
In Santa Clara County today, there are 14,600 families at imminent risk of homelessness when the eviction moratorium expires Jan. 31. Before COVID-19, there were 58,000 families in Silicon Valley living on $15,000 to $35,000 a year, barely making ends meet in one of the most expensive rental markets in the nation. At Healing Grove...
Staedler: Trash cleanup needed to help downtown San Jose thrive
A common question we find ourselves asking is: After COVID-19, what’s next for downtown San Jose? I moderated a discussion on this topic with three panelists: Gary Dillabough of Urban Community; Erik Hayden, founder and managing partner of Urban Catalyst; and Blage Zelalich, downtown manager for San Jose. A key topic was the need for...
Caraccio: What masks and guns have in common
In recent months the debate surrounding gun control has exited the public arena, eclipsed by a host of new issues: coronavirus and Black Lives Matter have drawn our attention, and with good reason. Eager to mitigate the public health nightmare of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical officials have presented the world with an effective method of...
Elwell: Profit-driven health care hurts community hospitals, patients and workers
Important recent news stories about hospitals during the COVID-19 crisis highlight the inadequacy of our fractured health system during the pandemic and the need for a comprehensive, equitable, high quality system which is less expensive and covers all residents. San José Spotlight reported that San Jose-based Valley Medical Center Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the...
Rodriguez: California needs a lion in the U.S. Senate
The fires that burned millions of acres across California this year, largely due to climate change, have made it clear Californians need a senator who is a constant environmental stalwart championing legislation that will save California from burning. Angered during the fire crisis in California and by lack of urgency from federal officials to take...
Hutchins-Knowles, Green: San Jose must show the way on electrifying new buildings
As September’s orange skies and record-shattering wildfires made vivid, we’re in a climate crisis. The impacts are hitting low-income communities and communities of color first and worst and threaten the viability of civilized life on Earth. The majority of Americans (72 percent of voters in a recent Fox poll) are concerned about this crisis and...
Collins: What could Opportunity Housing look like?
There was much angst and debate this past year during the San Jose General Plan Review Task Force meetings when just the mere discussion to explore Opportunity Housing was presented. So what is Opportunity Housing? According to San Jose’s website, it would enable multi-unit housing on properties with a Residential Neighborhood General Plan land designation. Today...