San Jose is launching language interpreter services at some public meetings after translation mishaps earlier this year. Starting today, there will be Spanish and Vietnamese translators in person and virtually at every San Jose City Council and council committee meeting. Prior to this change, people seeking in-person interpreters needed to submit a request ahead of...
‘Not enough representation’: Silicon Valley Latinas struggle to enter tech industry
Despite being raised in the shadow of tech giants like Apple and Google, Stephanie Valenzuela struggled to see how she fit into the industry. As a Latina, Valenzuela said she rarely saw herself represented. Valenzuela has worked as a tech recruiter as part of a small cohort of Latinas in the sector. She wants to...
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On DACA’s 11th anniversary, San Jose recipients want acceptance
Immigrant rights advocates rallied in downtown San Jose on DACA’s 11th anniversary, calling for the program’s continuation as its future remains in limbo. Advocates with Amigos de Guadalupe, an immigration nonprofit, carried posters bearing phrases like “¡Actua ahora!” and chanted “Si Se Puede” outside the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on Second Street today. They want the...
Report: Silicon Valley Latinos face ongoing struggles
Latinos in Silicon Valley are facing exacerbated quality of life challenges in the wake of the pandemic, including education gaps, worsening housing conditions and health disparities, according to a new report. The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley’s 2023 Latino Report Card, unveiled Tuesday at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, shows that even as some...
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San Jose officials address ‘racist’ Cinco de Mayo policing
San Jose officials are looking to make amends following what state officials have called a racist handling of the city’s annual Cinco de Mayo festivities. But some residents say it’s not that simple. San Jose councilmembers unanimously passed a memo in the Rules and Open Government Committee on May 24, asking the San Jose Police Department...
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San Jose remembers fearless social justice leader
Local activist and community leader Bea Robinson Mendez, 88, died from pneumonia on Jan. 13, but her legacy lives on. Robinson Mendez founded Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence, the first bilingual shelter in the country and second domestic violence agency in the state. The organization, which started in a San Jose garage in 1971, provides...
UPDATE: Silicon Valley Latinas rally for fair compensation
Latinas in Silicon Valley get paid 33 cents for every dollar a white man earns—and local leaders say that needs to change. Dozens of people gathered Thursday morning in Santa Clara for a joint rally in honor of Latina Equal Pay Day, hosted by the Santa Clara County Office of Women’s Policy and Latina Coalition...
‘There’s always hope’: How Eddie Garcia fought for Latinos in Silicon Valley
Heart attack, lung failure and an induced coma weren’t the only hurdles in the life of East San Jose native Eddie Garcia. As a child of color he had to work twice as hard to succeed even before he almost died. Garcia, 58, was raised in East San Jose. His dad was a postal worker,...
10 years later, DACA recipients in San Jose fear the future
For the first time in 24 years, Miguel Santiago met his family in Oaxaca, Mexico. He crossed the border to create an ethnography report on his heritage and see his grandfather before he passed away. If not for his DACA status, researching the origins of his family’s culture and customs would have never happened. “Having...
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San Jose nixes ‘blatantly racist’ policy
Growing up in San Jose, Councilmember Raul Peralez found himself sitting on a curb while police searched his car — dozens of times. His crime? Driving slowly in his forest green 1965 Impala Super Sport lowrider as a person of color. “I was often told (by officers) that because of the car I drove, the...