In the early hours of Jan. 19-20, hundreds of service providers—including our PATH outreach teams—and volunteers will be deployed across Santa Clara County to find and conduct a by-person count of all observed individuals experiencing homelessness. The biannual Point-in-Time Count, which was paused last year due to COVID-related risks, will resume in the new year....
Op-ed: Support change in VTA governance
Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Los Altos) has proposed much needed changes to the VTA board that support the recommendations of the 2018-19 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury (CGJ). Berman’s proposed AB 1091 would significantly reshape the makeup of the board, as recommended in the CGJ report “Inquiry Into Governance of the Valley Transportation Authority.” The...
Robinson: The political fundraising season begins
Tis the season. No, not the holiday season, it is the opening of political season; or the vernacular of the cynical—the silly season. Yes, candidates for San Jose mayor and City Council can officially begin raising money. The solicitations have begun and the lines are now drawn, literally and figuratively. Much credit goes to Councilmember...
Dewan: The growing youth mental health crisis
Schools across the country are bracing for the fourth wave of COVID-19 fueled by the omicron variant, while maintaining a commitment to keep school campuses open with in-person learning. Disruptions to student attendance and in-person learning have been increasing in recent years. Certainly, the COVID-19 pandemic was and continues to be a major reason for...
Thomas: SEIU needs new elected leadership
It was February 2018 when I began my journey into labor activism. I started working for Santa Clara County at this time and noticed a discrepancy in my very first paycheck. I reached out to an SEIU 521 steward in my office who vigorously, yet subtly, addressed my pay discrepancy with management and solved my...
Op-ed: It all comes down to Santa Clara City Hall
The tragic story of Santa Clara, the only Bay Area city to destroy its downtown, began and ended with its City Hall. In August 1957, Santa Clara City Manager Lloyd Brady applied for urban renewal funds for “The (Downtown) Franklin Street Facelift.” The city received grants and loans totaling $65 million in 2021 dollars. The...
Cartwright: Body count highlights how cities are failing the homeless
How do you measure political malfeasance and cowardice? What is the yardstick to best tick off moral failings like one would measure the growth of their children? Bodies. Dead bodies. As temperatures have stayed in the 30s at night, as torrential rains pound the South Bay, as flood warnings have been issued, advocates implore cities...
Zimmerman: San Jose’s trees improve human health and save money
Anyone who has ever read “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein knows humans take for granted the benefits and gifts of the trees around us. We underestimate how they impact our lives and the weight of our responsibility to protect them. It seems like, finally, we are learning how important trees are, not only to...
Op-ed: Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet demands equity from San Jose redistricting maps
The recent San Jose City Council meetings to review the findings from the Redistricting Commission continue to show San Jose’s dismissive behavior and attitude towards its African/African Ancestry community. Most of the maps, with the exception of the Unity Map, that have been put forth suppress the voices and votes of our community. The complexity...
Bramson: Removing commercial requirements in San Jose will give the gift of affordable housing this holiday season
With the holiday sleigh bells ringing, the season of giving is upon us. What I really want for Christmas this year is for the city of San Jose to make a common sense policy reform that will help us build more deeply affordable housing so people don’t have to live and die on our streets....