Jan 8, 2018
County of Santa Clara Provide direction regarding 10-year Capital Improvement Program, including possible GO bond or other revenue strategies The Board will receive a report on the 10-year Capital Improvement Program Development. It is estimated that current capital needs over the 10-year horizon is approximately $4 to 5 billion. The administration has identified an approximately $2 billion funding gap between…
Jan 5, 2018
In the January 3rd blog, The Left Hook presented two seemingly unrelated projects, and like a tricky LSAT question, asked readers to find the invisible thread connecting them. The first project is the proposed Google mega campus in the Diridon Station area. Still in the negotiations stage, residents and activists are voicing concerns over how the project will exacerbate the…
Jan 5, 2018
Immediately after the Silicon Valley Organization (SVO) announced that Madison Nguyen would be their new Executive Vice President, rumors that she was positioning herself to take over the organization from Matt Mahood began to swirl. However, that seems unlikely as Nguyen is already poised to run for Santa Clara County Supervisor District 3 in 2020 and has $83,000 cash on…
Jan 5, 2018
Starting mid-January, Madison Nguyen will be the new Executive Vice President for the Silicon Valley Organization (SVO), formerly known as the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce. She is replacing Derrick Seaver. Nguyen’s role at the SVO will be to drive the organization’s public policy strategies, which she regularly supported during her final years on the City Council and which consistently…
Jan 3, 2018
Timing is a beautiful thing. Here at The Left Hook, when we see things falls into place – particularly about the issues we feel will deeply affect the quality of life for residents in the Bay Area – we lay a quick garland at the altar of Providence, and then get to work. A recent Mercury News article talked about…
Jan 2, 2018
City of San Jose Direction on Worker’s Comp program; staff recommends continuing hybrid model until State audit is completed The City of San Jose is currently in a multi-year Pilot Program to evaluate service delivery models for providing workers’ compensation benefits to employees. Under the Pilot, workers’ compensation claims are split between an In-House City team and Intercare, a Third-Party…
Dec 22, 2017
As the school year came to close and grades came rolling in, it was obvious that San Jose Unified Trustee Paymon Zarghami was not going to earn high marks for his Board of Education attendance record. Zarghami was only present for 65% of the meetings in 2017, teleconferencing in from Manhattan for most of the remainder. Teachers and students at…
Dec 21, 2017
Yesterday, Santa Clara County Board of Education Member Michael Chang unexpectedly stepped down from his post on the Board due to family health issues. His sudden resignation leaves the Board in a precarious situation, often tying on critical issues it faces, including its vote on whether to approve the charter for Promise Academy and its election of the Board Vice…
Dec 20, 2017
For nearly 30 years, local labor unions, the South Bay Labor Council, Working Partnerships USA, and elected and community allies have come together to put on the Labor Movement Holiday Party for thousands of families struggling to make ends meet. This year was no exception. Last Saturday, children and their parents were treated to a festive event which had 10…
Dec 20, 2017
For nearly 30 years, local labor unions, the South Bay Labor Council, Working Partnerships USA, and elected and community allies have come together to put on the Labor Movement Holiday Party for thousands of families struggling to make ends meet. This year was no exception. Last Saturday, children and their parents were treated to a festive event which had 10…