Browsing Category : Community

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


  Happy almost 4th of July readers.  City of Santa Clara Public surveys on proposed Minimum Wage Ordinance The steady roll out of municipal minimum wage ordinances continues in Santa Clara with outreach for public opinion on their recent prioritization of a local wage ordinance. The ordinance includes increasing the minimum wage to $11 on January 1, 2016 and linking…

San Jose

San Jose Moves to Create Good, Local Jobs in Construction


If you live, work or play in the South Bay, chances are you’ve recently passed by a construction site. Cranes are in the air all over Silicon Valley.  Tens of billions of dollars are being invested in development.  But did you ever stop to think about where all that money ends up? Does it create good jobs and careers for…

El Camino Hospital

El Camino Hospital: Springboard for Political Ambitions


Something strange happened at El Camino Hospital last week.  The publicly elected board that oversees the hospital appointed 36-year-old Lanhee Chen to the corporate board of directors for the hospital.  The appointment raised some eyebrows because, unlike other applicants for the job, Mr. Chen has almost no experience in healthcare and hospitals.  Two unsuccessful candidates for the board position had…

Artwork Encourages Healthy Eating


What better way to get the community involved in a healthy routine than to express it with a larger than life visual?  Working Partnerships USA recently partnered with the Health Trust and Empire 7 Studios to paint a mural on the side of the First Street Market. As part of the Healthy Corner Stores initiative, this project focused on getting…

Gilroy Charter Parents Want Director Out


The Gilroy Unified School District and the parents at Gilroy Prep are learning first-hand how difficult it is to provide any true oversight over Charter Management Organizations.  Outraged by the lack of transparency, accountability, and support at Navigator Schools, Gilroy Prep parents are asking for the removal of the charter organization’s Executive Director, James Dent. Tweet