The entire fourth and fifth grade classes of Castlemont Elementary wait for me to speak in their school cafeteria. This year I get to give talks to six schools about Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. But it is the students who will reinforce the importance of advancing diversity and inclusion. Making an easy-to-understand...
Op-ed: On the fatal shooting in Uvalde, Texas
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Santa Clara County is deeply saddened by the horrific and senseless school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. This tragedy touches everyone in our country and impacts the mental health of our entire nation. No state, county or city appears to be safe unless everyone is looking over their shoulders. Our...
Collins: Building ADUs in Santa Clara County
Since 2016, several significant pieces of legislation have passed in California, removing regulatory barriers that created obstacles to building accessory dwelling units, commonly known as ADUs. As a result, permits for ADUs have increased more than tenfold from 1,269 in 2016 to 14,702 in 2019. With the popularity of ADUs on the rise, I want...
Editorial: VTA needs a culture change to improve worker morale
One year ago today, nine people lost their lives in a mass shooting among more than 100 workers on site at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency. They ranged in age from 29 to 63. They left families, friends and co-workers who would never hear “good morning” or “good night” again. From that moment on,...
Robinson: San Jose mayoral candidates staying in their lanes
The San Jose mayoral race offers four main candidates with two different philosophies for San Jose. On one side Councilmembers Dev Davis and Matt Mahan are dueling for votes, while on the other side Supervisor Cindy Chavez and Councilmember Raul Peralez vie for votes. The more interesting political battle is on the right. Recently, Davis...
Mahan: Hold politicians accountable for results, not political rhetoric
I thank Councilmember Sergio Jimenez for continuing the debate over how to bring greater accountability and effectiveness to San Jose City Hall. As a fellow councilmember, who also has a background founding a business designing tools to hold government accountable, I was surprised after taking office that city leaders were not measuring and managing against...
Jimenez: Don’t be fooled by campaign promises
Every campaign season, we inevitably hear a candidate making promises that even they know they can’t keep. This year, the Mercury News-endorsed candidate for San Jose mayor, Matt Mahan, is promising he will hold elected officials and top bureaucrats accountable by ending automatic raises and tying salaries to results. If you agree with that catchy campaign...
Shaw: Stand up to racism, lose shelter
I will no longer be writing articles as a client of the Sunnyvale shelter. Unfortunately, I was removed from the facility for fighting. I got into an altercation with another client after I asked him to wear a mask while sitting beside my bed. Harsh words were exchanged, and it escalated after I was called...
Zimmerman: How to talk about climate change
The single biggest contribution you can make to combat climate change is to talk about it. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication poll shows 72% of people think the climate is changing, and that the consequence will likely be negative on plants, animals and future generations. Despite this, an even larger number of people—up to...
Nuñez: When will hate-based mass shootings end?
On Saturday May 14, a horrific tragedy struck a predominantly Black community of Buffalo, New York. Ten people lost their lives and three were injured during routine trips to their neighborhood grocery store, gunned down by one person, barely out of his childhood years, who acted on the racist, murderous hatred that consumed his soul....