San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is going back to City Hall with his hat in his hands. But while his bid for governor failed, he’s shown residents and political observers a new side of himself – and the monied interests he’s willing to rub shoulders with. Mahan – who was in sixth place behind Steve Hilton...
Bramson: Primaries are over — back to the real work of helping people in need
The ballots have been cast. The campaign mailers are finally slowing down. The California primary election is behind us. That means it is time to get back to the real work of helping people who need it the most. Not that the work ever stopped, of course. Every day, outreach workers meet people living outside...
Santa Clara County expands protections to include more renters
Santa Clara County is expanding the types of renters covered under its eviction protection laws — and the amount landlords will pay to help displaced tenants relocate. The Board of Supervisors on June 2 voted 4-1 — with District 5 Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga voting no — to revise the county’s 1993 tenant protection law, which...
The Biz Beat: San Jose’s Sourdough Eatery offers art on the side
Nestled in a 100-year-old former residence, Sourdough Eatery in San Jose feels like a roadside attraction on Route 66. Part delicatessen, part art gallery and part living history museum, it is a tribute to owner Barbara Lenhart. Every visible wall is covered with Lenhart’s oil portraits of celebrities, politicians and glamor girls. Lenhart sits at...
Will San Jose mayor face fallout after running for governor?
When San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan announced his run for California governor in January, the news divided residents. Longtime supporters cheered on Mahan’s bid to elevate his centrist brand of politics into the statewide policy conversation. But the decision to seek higher office before reaching the halfway mark in his four-year term also drew sharp...
Santa Clara County leaders demand state funds for healthcare
Santa Clara County leaders and advocates are calling on state lawmakers to protect the healthcare system from devastating federal cuts as it finalizes its budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Latinas Contra Cancer, All Things Disability Equity, Fund Healthcare Not Billionaires, Regional Nurses Professional Association and others held a Friday rally at Valley Medical Center...
East San Jose school district redraws its boundaries
An East San Jose school district’s redistricting plans have left some community members frustrated. The Alum Rock Union School District board of trustees has redrawn its boundaries, shifting from at-large trustees to trustees representing specific areas of the district. The board on May 20 voted 3-2 — with Trustees Corina Herrera-Loera and Minh Nguyen voting...
Bell: Santa Clara County budget cuts threaten future for foster youth
Education is often called the great equalizer. But for young people in foster care, education is too often disrupted by instability, interrupted schooling, trauma and a lack of consistent support systems. At the very moment these students need more guidance, more advocacy and more opportunity, proposed budget cuts in Santa Clara County threaten to remove...
San Jose animal shelter improves care, but has more to do
More than a year after San Jose officials pledged sweeping reforms at the city’s troubled animal shelter, a Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury said the work of rebuilding public trust is far from over. The civil grand jury’s May 27 report found the San Jose Animal Care Center has reduced overcrowding and increased adoptions,...
California streamlines affordable housing funding
California is creating its first standalone housing agency to help streamline funding for affordable housing development — except it has no new money due to proposed state budget cuts. Starting July 1, the state will create the California Housing and Homelessness Agency to house various departments overseeing state and federal housing funding programs under one...