Mar 30, 2016
Last night, Dennis Kennedy, former Mayor of Morgan Hill, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Kennedy, who up until recently served as a Board Member for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, was considered by many to be a mentor and true public servant. His years of leadership, volunteerism and time as mayor not only helped shape the…
Mar 29, 2016
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 4-4 on the Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, a case that sought to break public employee unions. In our state, public school teachers don’t have to be members of the California Teachers Association if they have religious or political beliefs about being a union member. Teachers can opt out of the union, but have…
Mar 28, 2016
Today, Governor Brown, Legislative leaders and the Labor movement made history by announcing a policy that would raise the wages of underpaid Californians to $15 per hour by 2022. More than one in three California workers, or nearly 6 million Californians, will receive a raise under this policy. Combined with workers who are already on a path to $15 because of…
In two months, I’ll be 70 years old. I’ve been fighting for the rights and well-being of working people for longer than many of the people in this room have been alive. I made my first speech in favor of health insurance for all Americans in June of 1964. The MediCare Act was signed a year later, but after that…
Mar 15, 2016
County of Santa Clara Forwarding letter of concern over San Jose Crime-Free Housing proposal The City of San Jose is considering adopting a new law enforcement program that focuses on reducing crime and calls for service at multi-housing complexes. San Jose staff will present a draft report on Crime-Free Housing to the Housing and Community Development Commission on March 10,…
Mar 9, 2016
To turn a catch phrase on its head — San Jose does not have a spending problem; it has a revenue problem. The City has a structural deficit because revenues are insufficient to pay for essential services. That structural deficit predates the catastrophic losses to the City’s two pension funds, and without more revenue it will continue, despite the fact…