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 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…
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…
Feb 29, 2016
In an unexpected move, it appears that San Jose District 6 Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio has declared for California’s Congressional District 17 Seat. According to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voter’s Website, Mr. Oliverio has paid the $1,740.00 candidate ballot filing fee and was issued his candidate statement last Friday. He joins an extremely competitive race with longtime incumbent Mike…
Feb 25, 2016
With the unanimous appointment of Lisa Gillmor to the Mayor’s seat, the characteristically divided Santa Clara City Council has taken an important step in becoming a more collaborative policy-making body. Mayor Gillmor was widely considered the best choice to follow Jamie Matthews, who unexpectedly resigned earlier this month. “Mayor Gillmor will provide us a platform to come together, work harmoniously,…
Feb 24, 2016
Santa Clara County Approving financing plan & design-build construction for $281M new jail On August 11, 2015, the Board of Supervisors considered the Administration’s proposal to construct a new jail facility, including housing, programming, treatment, and the financing necessary to complete this complex project. On December 17, 2015, the County received a letter from the BSCC notifying us that the…
Feb 23, 2016
This entry was written before Justice Scalia’s death. While the outcome of the Freidrichs case before the current court might be different than previously anticipated, the importance of defending against similar unfounded lawsuits in the future remains. If the Court had found in Ms. Freidrichs favor, it would have essentially gutted the foundation of the union movement, which is…
Feb 9, 2016
Yesterday, Jamie Matthews surprised even his close friends and political associates when he announced he was relinquishing his seat as Santa Clara Mayor immediately after his city hosted Super Bowl 50. Matthews’s abrupt resignation clearly demonstrates a failure on the part of the 49ers, who seem to have no issue with putting their political allies in difficult and unfavorable…
Jan 25, 2016
Today, Silicon Valley Rising (SVR) filed the Opportunity to Work Initiative which would require employers to offer qualified part- time employees the opportunity to work additional hours before hiring new part-time or temporary employees. It is the first initiative of its kind in the country. Although San Francisco and SeaTac have adopted similar ordinances, no previous initiative has aimed to provide…