Author Archives : The Left Hook

Policy Watch: Your weekly tip sheet for what’s going on in your community


San Jose Renters’ rights and affordable housing Two proposals are being put forward addressing the crisis facing renters in San Jose. From Council member Peralez:  A prohibition against discrimination based on source of income (Section 8 and other housing subsidies).  Recommendations on improvements and a comprehensive analysis of the data and effectiveness of the City of San Jose’s Rental Rights…

Santa Clara Headed for Minimum Wage Hike


 The City of Santa Clara could have a new ordinance raising its minimum wage by midsummer.  Council member Dominic Caserta led the effort to raise the wage to $11 an hour starting next January, with a plan to work with Sunnyvale and Mountain View on a regional $15 dollar an hour wage by 2018. Tweet

Kamei Appointed to Fill Vacant County Board of Education Seat


Rosemary Kamei is the newest member of the Santa Clara County Board of Education.  Last night’s vote wrapped up a 5-hour examination of the five candidates who applied for appointment to the vacant seat created when Leon Beauchman left to focus on other responsibilities.  It ultimately came down to two very well qualified candidates: Kamei and former City Council member…

Wage Theft Issue Gains Momentum


It’s a story not too many other media outlets seem to be paying attention to, (except us and NBC Bay Area )yet it’s critical to thousands of Silicon Valley workers.  The San Jose City Council voted to move forward with a proposal to strengthen wage theft laws in San Jose.  The tally that put the close vote over the line…

After 6-Week Vacancy, Mercury News Hires City Hall Beat Reporter


The new San Jose City Hall beat reporter is home grown SJSU grad Ramona Giwargis, whose last gig was at the Merced Sun Star newspaper for three years.   Giwargis describes herself as a “Broadcast media professional” on LinkedIn.  That was most likely from the days when she worked in TV in Salinas, Eureka or as an intern at NBC…

Lots of Job Openings at City of San Jose


San Jose City leaders will face a sobering statistic next week with the Employee Hiring Audit that shows some 600 vacancies among City jobs.  The Audit makes recommendations on what to do about it, now that Measure B seems to have effectively emptied out hundreds of posts.  Tweet

Morgan Hill Files Suit Against County Office Of Education, 6th District to Sue the County


The Morgan Hill Unified school district filed suit against the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) in the county’s superior court.  The beleaguered County Office of Education, who carries a mission of serving and supporting local school districts, has now been sued by six of the county’s local school districts over its unprecedented approval of 43 charter schools.  Tweet

Workplace Deaths on the Rise Among Latinos


Following up on our Worker Memorial Day post, new statistics show workplace deaths for Latinos are on the rise.  According to the AFL-CIO annual report “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect,” workplace deaths among Latinos in America rose from 748 in 2012, to 817 in 2013.  The majority were men, and the overwhelming majority were immigrants: 542. Tweet

Will Los Altos Be Next to Raise the Wage?


From the Los Altos Town Crier: Forum on topic of minimum wage scheduled Monday A community forum on raising the minimum wage is scheduled 7-9:30 p.m. Monday (May 4) in the Creekside Room of Los Altos United Methodist Church, 655 Magdalena Ave., Los Altos. The event is free and open to the public. Tweet