For Trami Cron, sharing Vietnamese art and culture is about more than creating community. It’s also about helping people focus on something positive. “We find that during these difficult times, there needs to be a light,” she said. “There needs to be some laughter and smiles.” As chief editor and founder of Chopsticks Alley Art,...
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....
San Jose City Council waives outdoor business fees, extends free food, improves virtual meetings
As virtual meetings become the new norm, San Jose leaders voted unanimously Tuesday to make local government more efficient and accessible. Attendees of the July 28 and Aug. 3 City Council sessions might have noticed the meetings are now translated into Spanish and Vietnamese. However, to listen to the Vietnamese translation, Zoom users must select...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County extends eviction moratorium through Sept. 30
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved extending eviction moratoriums through Sept. 30, giving tenants more time to pay back late rent without fear of eviction. With the state’s eviction moratorium set to expire Aug. 14, housing advocates called for an extension. The Santa Clara County court also began hearing eviction cases again,...
Santa Clara County pledges another $7.1 million to get students online
A lack of access to technology and the internet meant Sylvandale Middle School teacher Brenna Rodriguez lost communication with 80% of her students when COVID-19 shuttered schools in March. Teaching English and English Language Development within the Eastside’s Franklin-McKinley School District since 2008, Rodriguez said last year was the first time each of her students...
South Bay malls turn to open-air shopping during COVID-19
As COVID-19 shut down malls, Westfield Valley Fair reinvented shopping with an open-air market. A row of red and white popup tents beckon customers to peruse the latest fashion, watch an art demonstration or grab a snack from a food truck. Luxury brands like Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and Versace offer viewings by appointment in...
Bramson: Linking up with affordability
What makes San Jose great? The verdant parks, wild spaces and plentiful sunshine. The diversity and richness of its culture and history. The boundless innovation and abundance of some of the world’s most creative and thoughtful people and companies. There’s no shortage of possibilities, which is why our city consistently ranks as one of the...
COVID-19 workplace complaints pile up in South Bay but lack follow-up
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated. Workers showed up to work sick with COVID-19 symptoms. Management hid positive test results from employees. Supervisors banned phones to prevent documenting unsafe facilities. These are some of the allegations many South Bay workers have made since Santa Clara County began to ease shelter-in-place restrictions to allow some businesses to...
The next South Bay labor battle: Who will replace Ben Field?
As the dust settles on the failed ‘strong mayor’ measure, there’s a new fight brewing in Silicon Valley’s labor camp: Who will replace Ben Field? The executive officer of the South Bay Labor Council, a powerful coalition of more than 100 unions, abruptly resigned July 13, less than two weeks after a heated, 9-hour debate...
Brown: Setting the facts straight on Republic Urban
In its recent article, “Lawsuit against San Jose college district moves forward,” San José Spotlight left out important information and details regarding the lawsuit that Republic Urban Properties, LLC, has filed against San Jose – Evergreen Community College District. For example, omitted from the article is the fact that on Feb. 21 the district secured...