Plastics Industry Attempts to ‘Manipulate the System’ with Competing Bag Ban...
Even with the windows up, the sour stench of rotting food invades Michael Gross’ car. He drives slowly, slaloming towering piles of trash and mountains of food and household waste. We’re inside Zanker...
View ArticleSan Jose City Council Considers Hosting Another Gun Buyback, Voters Weigh...
The public will have another chance to trade guns for gift cards—no questions asked—at a buyback event scheduled for next month in San Jose. Councilman Ash Kalra will co-sponsor the Dec. 3 event, which...
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Rising Seas, Federal Inaction and Donald Trump Turn Climate Change into a...
In Alviso, the water has always posed an existential threat. The shoreline community lies on the front lines of climate change, fighting a losing battle against a rising sea. Founded in the mid-19th...
View ArticleFrom Guns to Granny Units: A Look at New State Laws in 2017
Last year, California legislators sent Gov. Jerry Brown 1,059 bills to consider. Two went into effect without his signature, 159 got vetoed and 898 became law at the start of 2017. While most of the...
View ArticleSan Jose to Request Federal, State Aid for Flood Cleanup
San Jose is asking for state and federal aid to recover from the flood that inundated low-lying neighborhoods last week and forced thousands of people to flee their homes. When Coyote Creek jumped its...
View ArticleTrump Approves Federal Disaster Aid for San Jose Flood Recovery
President Trump approved federal disaster aid to Santa Clara County and other parts of California affected by the February floods, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Sunday. Trump...
View ArticleNew Law Barring ICE from Posing as Local Law Enforcement Could Be Just a...
Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill this week that prevents federal immigration officials from masquerading as local police in California. Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) penned the bill to curb the...
View ArticleSouth Bay Activist Appears on MSNBC to Discuss Bail Reform
Three summers ago, Ato Walker had to buy his freedom after being jailed on charges that were later dropped. It took $8,500 of his mom’s pension to get him out so he could get back to work and provide...
View ArticleYoung Driver Bill Suggests True Age of Adulthood No Longer 18
With a new bill aging like cheese on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk, the true age of adulthood seems to be moving from 18 to 21. As of 2017, the only genuine perk of turning 18 in America is being able to...
View ArticleNorth Bay, Santa Cruz Wildfires a Reminder that We’re Living in New Climate...
As I walked among the embers of what was the Coffey Park neighborhood, my eyes burned from the smoke as I watched weeping residents gaze at where their homes once stood. I was shocked not only by the...
View ArticleSan Jose Pitches Talent over Tax Breaks in Amazon Sweepstakes
Instead of offering tax breaks, San Jose pitched its talent, education and status as Silicon Valley’s largest city in a bid to lure Amazon to town. The bid represents a show of restraint compared to...
View ArticleThe Year in Preview: Important Local Issues to Watch in 2018
This past year got off to a disorienting start with the inauguration of a toxic regime in the White House and, closer to home, a devastating flood that displaced thousands of people in San Jose. The...
View ArticleSan Jose Finds Three Potential ‘Tiny Homes’ Sites for Homeless
San Jose’s housing department proposed three possible locations for so-called bridge housing communities—basically tiny sleeping cabins to shelter the homeless. The announcement earlier this week comes...
View ArticleSchools Trustee Admonished for Undermining Board Colleagues
Santa Clara County Board of Education trustee Joseph DiSalvo came under fire this week for what some viewed as an effort to undermine his colleagues. Constituents and fellow trustees admonished the...
View ArticleSouth Bay Lawmaker Wants to Outlaw Gay Conversion ‘Therapy’
Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell) has authored a bill that would brand so-called gay conversion therapy as fraud under the state’s consumer protection laws. Conversion therapy is a controversial...
View ArticleQ&A: Antonio Villaraigosa on Immigration, Healthcare and Collaborative...
Antonio Villaraigosa has a sharp memory. When the gubernatorial candidate called me up last week, he detailed to me what he liked about a blog post I’d written about him four months earlier—as well as...
View ArticleOp-Ed: East Side Students Need You to Vote ‘Yes’ on Measure G
It’s an exciting time at our local East Side high schools—and Measure G, an important ballot measure coming to voters this June, is needed to protect the opportunities our students have to compete for...
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Op-Ed: Gov. Jerry Brown’s Spending Plan Hurts the Most Vulnerable Californians
“It’s not because I’m conservative,” California Gov. Jerry Brown once quipped. “It’s because I’m cheap.” With the reports of historic lows in unemployment and record highs in the stock market, it is...
View ArticleTesla Fights State Rules Linking Car Rebates to Labor Practices
Tesla opposes a pending state rule that would require the manufacturer to certify its Fremont factory as a “fair and responsible workplace” for customers to qualify for a generous discount on electric...
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San Jose’s ‘Hope Village’ Camp Forced to Relocate; Search Continues for...
San Jose’s Hope Village stood for a full week after the California Highway Patrol gave the unsanctioned homeless camp 72 hours to clear out. But the grace period ended today. From 7:30am to late...
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