Jan 15, 2014
The Left Hook was contacted by Dr. Sophia Yen, one of the contributors to Ro Khanna who asked for a refund. Here’s her account of his response. He responded that he refunded those who had asked earlier in the campaign. I said I waited b/c i was hoping he would re-consider or drop out or people would convince him…
Jan 14, 2014
“Always focus on the front windshield and not the rear view mirror.” ― Colin Powell Today, San Jose neighborhoods are concerned about crime, public safety, gangs, and graffiti. People don’t care about the statistics of how many homicides, violent assaults, burglaries, or car break-ins occurred in some meaningless snapshot of time. People are fearful of what’s going on right here…
Jan 13, 2014
A new entry into the race for Congressional District 17 is a big problem for Ro Khanna. Like Khanna, Vanila Singh is a young, Indo-American, professional running against Mike Honda. She’s an anesthesiologist and a professor at Stanford Medical School. Unlike Khanna, she has strong ties to the community where she lives, Fremont. And she is a Republican, so she…
Jan 13, 2014
If litigation were a blood sport, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed would be looking at his entrails on the ground because the court gutted the signature accomplishment of his two terms in office, his effort to “reform” the pension system, Measure B. Reed’s defeat comes as no surprise. Even he knew the law was against him, which is why he…
Jan 13, 2014
Santa Clara County Board of Education Decision on the Charter Petition for Morgan Hill Prep (Navigator) Staff on Friday released their review of the charter petition from Morgan Hill Prep – A Navigator School. The petition was denied by the Morgan Hill Unified School District in October of last year, prompting the charter operator to submit a petition to the…
Jan 13, 2014
The federal Affordable Care Act is not a perfect law, but it’s a giant step in the right direction. It has already helped Californians by allowing them to keep their kids on their health insurance until age 26, eliminating “lifetime” caps in coverage, banning health insurers from discriminating against kids with pre-existing conditions — the list of benefits in place…
Jan 9, 2014
A legal memo written by the law firm Meyers-Nave prior to putting Measure B on the San Jose ballot said the City of San Jose had “an argument” that would allow the pension measure to stand. That argument was fully rejected by Superior Court Judge Patricia Lucas. San Jose has spent millions and will spend millions more trying to overturn…
Jan 9, 2014
In the Tuesday Mercury News, Sam Liccardo suggested that the next mayor of San Jose should promote Rocektship’s model of education by extending the school day and creating “learning” labs for after-school programs. On Wednesday, Rocektship lost its chance to defend this model when they withdrew their appeal of Morgan Hill’s denial of their charter petition. After the November 20,…
Jan 8, 2014
Today we are embarking on an endeavor that can change the political and social landscape of Silicon Valley. It’s called The Left Hook-Politics with a Punch. The Left Hook will offer a progressive perspective on issues that impact Silicon Valley. With new content daily and a wide variety of writers drawn from throughout the community, The Left Hook will be…
Jan 8, 2014
Accountability in any company has to start at the top – in the CEO’s office. Unfortunately, all too often chief executives are paid bloated salaries, which exacerbate the problem of income inequality and are bad for business. It’s time for a change. In 2012, according to BusinessWeek and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average large-company CEO in America…