We write in response to your most recent article regarding Reid-Hillview Airport. The article, while informative, took an unbalanced look at a very serious issue that is impacting our community. Those of us who reside in this community face possible consequences that no other community in the Bay Area has to face. We write to...
Roberts: How a piece of paper can help end homelessness
Several years ago, long before a deadly pandemic swept across Silicon Valley and the rest of the world, Frank lost his job, then his home, and sadly, ended up being homeless. He didn’t look like the stereotypical image of a homeless man. In fact, he looked more like a middle-aged uncle who fell on hard...
Torres: The role community colleges play in increasing economic mobility
Silicon Valley is seen by many as a place where job opportunities are plentiful, that is true depending on one’s background and skill set. However, for many who have not had the opportunity to develop certain skills to access the tech sector, those opportunities become scarce. One of the most evident aspects of an equitable...
Eckhart: The painful path to homelessness
I was asked to write a short story about my experience in the military and then take that experience and write a quick couple of paragraphs on my experience as a homeless vet. I can’t do that easily because we are talking about two different times in my life. I went into the military right...
Cruz: Community college initiative is not the way to improve education for Latinos
In response to the opinion piece New initiative promises improved educational outcomes for East San Jose residents, there were ambiguous statements made about the National Hispanic University (now the Foundation for Hispanic Education), an institution that was founded by my late father, Dr. B. Roberto Cruz. The San Jose/Evergreen Community College District (SJECCD) initiative should...
Funk: Distance learning in East San Jose requires everyone to step up
For thirty years, the night before school opens is a restless night of sleep because of the anticipation of going back to school. This year was no exception. However, what was different about visiting schools on the first day, Aug. 11, was that instead of experiencing excitement and nervous energy that emanates from school campuses,...
Thibodeaux: It’s not the same world now
The other day I was thinking maybe I am getting old. Isn’t it old people who long for “the good old days?” For me, the good old days means when people largely got along. Not that we didn’t have our issues like persistent racism and poverty in the United States. But I don’t remember ever...
Bonilla and Estrada: ‘Opportunity Housing’ policy needs to be city-wide
This month, San Jose’s General Plan Task Force will vote on a recommendation regarding an “Opportunity Housing” policy. If the Envision San Jose 2040 Task Force would like to increase housing supply and help end inequities that we have had in San Jose for generations, it should recommend the City Council implement Opportunity Housing city-wide....
Vargas: Race-based affirmative action in college admissions still needed
With Prop 16 officially on the November ballot, affirmative action is once again in the headlines. When we talk about affirmative action in higher education today, we often talk about it narrowly in the context of explicitly race-based programs benefiting Black and Latinx applicants. However, there are myriad forms of affirmative-action programs in higher education...
Asawa: Why students need to be taught financial literacy
The rapper 21 Savage is starting a financial literacy program in Atlanta. Why isn’t the rest of America doing that? Approaching my senior year in high school, the one thing I can remember being taught about personal finance was how to write a check. I learned that in fourth grade. To be honest, I’ve forgotten....