The CEO and board of directors of Caltrain are doing a major disservice to the residents of San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Francisco counties. Their proposal to address and remedy the Caltrain loss of revenue problem is to place on the backs of the total population another tax initiative while only a limited few...
Columns
Columns
Roberts: Is there comfort food during uncomfortable times?
The long, winding line of vehicles could very well be interpreted in many different ways. Perhaps it is a queue of people anxiously waiting to enter a stadium parking lot to see their favorite sports teams in action? The exhaust from the cars’ pipes heat up an already hot summer afternoon. Or maybe they are...
From the editor: San José Spotlight named finalist in national journalism awards
San José Spotlight is a finalist for two national journalism awards, including the prestigious Publisher of the Year, the Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers announced last week. The honor recognizes San José Spotlight among the top local news websites in the U.S. San José Spotlight, which launched its ad-free, paywall-free website Jan. 2019, is...
Kamei: Critical final weeks to get the census right
Santa Clara County has one last chance to make sure we all get counted in the 2020 Census. With less than two weeks left, there is still time for a final push. According to the Santa Clara County Office of the Census, all 15 cities within the county have surpassed 2010 response rates but we...
Collins: Prop. 19 offers approach to free up housing inventory
It is widely accepted that the high cost of housing locally is in large part due to an imbalance of supply vs demand. While building more units would be the best solution for our housing crisis, this path has become increasingly more difficult. Construction is very expensive and the pressure from neighborhood groups that do...
Dewan, Taylor, Hansen: Investing in a better future with Prop. 15
Every day we have the privilege of serving our region’s children, families and communities, whether they are in our schools, seeking care in our community health clinics, learning in public libraries or marching for civil rights. And it is based on our dedication to serving our community that we urge you to join us in...
Vargas: The last giant of the Supreme Court
Of the 102 men and women to sit on the United States Supreme Court, only a few can truly be called giants of that most venerated body. Those who stand above the others are recognized not only for their towering intellect, but also for prophetic visions of social and political change. Among the greatest of...
Funk: Career technical education should be a requirement
In East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD), we are committed to building capacity amongst all staff members to ensure equity and inclusion are essential principles of our school system. Specifically, we are building capacity to attain equitable ESUHSD communities where: All students are welcomed as they are; Strengths and areas of growth for all...
Garst: Time has come for California’s biggest corporations to pay their fair share in taxes
Chief Justice John Roberts, in the now infamous Citizens United v FEC, asserted corporations are people. Many have made clear and convincing arguments for why Roberts got it wrong. Perhaps one of the more persuasive if less frequented arguments against the idea is that many corporations— including some of the largest, such as Amazon, Netflix and...
Ganesh: Making the case for high-density suburbs
California is burning. California is choking. And it’s largely due to climate change. The human consequences of this catastrophe could not be more acute as roughly one in four Californians live in fire-risk zones. This, coupled with the fact that 40% of the state’s emissions come from transportation, can only lead us to one conclusion: It’s time...