Nov 28, 2014
Wondering how Santa Clara County is setting the trend? On October 21st, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors upheld the county’s high standards for workers by moving to incorporate these standards into a new kind of residential construction program, known as Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE). PACE programs bring energy efficiency to residents by providing low-cost, secure financing options…
This Black Friday we need to send the Waltons a message. We can’t sit back while their workers go hungry any longer. And Walmart and the Waltons must stop taking illegal actions against Walmart workers who want to work hard and be able to provide for our families. Tweet
Nov 25, 2014
There could be a very crowded field vying for the open District 4 seat on the San Jose City Council. Kansen Chu, on his way to the State Assembly in District 25, has two more years in his Council term. Mayor-elect Liccardo could choose the unpopular option of appointing someone to the post for the rest of the term, but…
Nov 24, 2014
City of San Jose District 4 Vacancy Assemblymember-elect and current Councilmember from District 4 Kansen Chu is currently orienting himself to his new gig representing Assembly District 25 in the state’s capitol. With the Assemblymember-elect’s swearing in scheduled for December 1, the San Jose City Council is poised to decide how to fill the newly created vacancy for District 4.…
Nov 20, 2014
Everyone’s talking about it. The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters is a mess. Now the Board of Supervisors has ordered an investigation into the “processes, procedures, and technologies used by the Registrar of Voters that may have impeded the timely delivery of a secure and accurate vote tally.” County Executive Jeff Smith has until January to get back to…
Nov 19, 2014
San Jose City Councilmembers made a bold and much needed move last night toward providing more affordable housing with the passage of a Housing Impact Fee. The $17 per square foot fee charged to market-rate housing projects will take the place of dried up redevelopment funds that used to go toward affordable housing projects. Tweet
Nov 18, 2014
The San Jose Police Department projects it’s staffing level of officers will be its lowest since 1985, according to a report the department prepared for City Council. At the rate offices are leaving, either through retirement, or because they can find a department elsewhere that will offer appropriate retirement and disability security, the force will dip below 1000 officers by…
Nov 18, 2014
Santa Clara County Living Wage Policy The County Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to adopt a living wage policy for the County’s procurement process. The proposed policy will be the most comprehensive living wage for the $2.5 billion in contracts and around 16,000 workers employed by the County. While the Administration is still working out a plan to…
Nov 17, 2014
I attended private Catholic schools in Ohio for 18 years. I have taught in public schools in California for 20 years. Each year I take students from Live Oak High School to a three-day program, Camp Everytown, during which we participate in a privilege exercise. In this exercise, you move up if you have received some sort of privilege (such…
Nov 14, 2014
The polls are closed, ballots cast, and votes tabulated, and I am proud to say California Public Education won two major victories on Election Day both statewide and locally. At the state level, Tom Torlakson was successful in his reelection bid as State Superintendent of Public Instruction. On a personal note, the portion of Tom’s message that resonated most with me was, “Every…