Last month, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors announced to the public that they would distribute a “hero pay” bonus for all 22,000 Santa Clara County employees for $2,500. After the bonus was criticized, County Executive Jeff Smith wrote an op-ed statement which said, “Maybe the critics don’t realize that a $2,500 one-time payment...
Ellenberg: Focusing on equity is essential to our collective recovery
Over the last 19 months our community has actively responded and adapted to the myriad challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. County and community came together to work to minimize the health and economic impacts of the pandemic—from massive testing, tracing and vaccination efforts, to expanded food and housing supports, even to neighbors and faith communities...
Staedler: Lets focus on mixed-use projects that will impact our community
While there has been a lot of discussion in the last week about SB 9, SB 10 and the gaping legislative holes in what each bill will and won’t do, it overshadows projects that will redevelop neighborhood retail centers. These projects will develop more than 1,000 homes in areas with amenities and infrastructure. The two...
Op-ed: Push back on voter suppression by adopting unity maps
Our democracy works best when it reflects all our voices, no matter who we are, what we look like or how much money we have. Yet across the country we continue to see efforts to disenfranchise Black, Brown and Asian voters, and weaken the political voice of working people and tenants. Nearly 400 voter suppression...
Collins: What does SB 9 and SB 10 really mean for our neighborhoods?
When Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 9 and SB 10 into law, the headlines read, “It’s the end to single-family zoning.” However, contrary to popular belief, SB 9 does not prohibit the building of single-family homes, but rather offers a choice to existing homeowners of how they can develop their property. Prior to the passage...
Robinson: Outing our bigoted neighbors
A group of racist and anti-LGBTQ neighbors in Los Gatos have unleashed their hate against Mayor Marico Sayoc and her family. Such vitriol in the aftermath of the “Trump Era” is far too commonplace. Finally, we are seeing active pushback against this small-minded minority of bullies. A group called the Goldbridge Institute has formed to...
Khamis: YOSL—Yes On School Land
Have you heard of the anti- and pro-development acronyms NIMBY, “Not In My Backyard,” and YIMBY, “Yes In My Backyard?” We can now add the pro-development acronym of YOSL, “Yes On School Land,” to the list. As Santa Clara County struggles to keep up with housing demand, which is causing housing prices to skyrocket, San...
Angela: Police impact on the disabled community
I attended the Oct. 7 “Safety for All: Conversations on Law Enforcement from the perspectives of People with Disabilities” hosted by Parents Helping Parents. As a mother of a special needs child I am deeply concerned about current policing practices and their impact on the disability community and beyond. Police training in the U.S. is...
Allen: Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors should grow a spine
I retired at the end of September and after a few days of yelling at kids to get off my lawn, my wife insisted I find more constructive uses for my time. I thought about it and decided to become an informed citizen by reading the newspaper cover to cover each day. I opened the...
Sandoval: Affordable homes are essential for communities to thrive
Being a resident of downtown San Jose, I intimately understand that my community members are suffering. I hear it in the voices of business owners who are struggling to keep their doors open in the era after a global pandemic. I see it when I pass people curled under sleeping bags along the sidewalks that line...