Browsing Category : Community

The Race is On For AD 27


The campaign to replace Assemblymember Nora Campos when she terms out in 2016 is already off the ground for at least two candidates interested in the seat. San Jose City Council Member Ash Kalra kicked off his campaign over the weekend, drawing a strong and supportive crowd, as lion dancers ushered in the lineup of impressive names there to endorse…

Leadership Institute in a Class By Itself


How does one become a leader in the community when formal education only provides part of the story surrounding some of the most critical political issues of our time: from income inequality to affordable housing, to understanding the valley’s political history and structural power?  There are few courses in college that touch on these critical issues and if they are…

New Congress Back to the Bad Old Days of Trampling Reproductive Rights


Newly elected members of Congress had barely finished moving into their Capitol offices before ramping up their attacks on access to essential women’s health care. With a list of bills lined up and ready to go—six have already been introduced —the new Congress of ultra-conservative zealots is not letting up in its anti-reproductive-rights crusade, which disproportionately affects low-income women and…

The South Bay Takes on Being the Nation’s Capital of Inequality


Inequality in the country has exceeded that of the Great Depression. Zoom in to Silicon Valley, and the crisis is magnified. Silicon Valley, the poster child of groundbreaking innovation and wealth has sadly also become the nation’s capital of inequality. With the highest per capita millionaires and billionaires in Santa Clara, a raise for the lowest wage workers is way…

More Proof SJ Chose Wrong Path for Pension Resolution


There’s good news and bad news in the City of San Jose’s just-released Comprehensive Annual Financial Report on its two pension funds.  The good news is that the investment returns for the Police and Fire Plan (which covers police and fire) and the Federated Plan (which covers everyone else) were 13.5% and 14.2% respectively.  That’s well above the 7.125% and…

The Vietnamese American Community Turns Out, Poised to Impact Future Elections


We’ve learned a few important lessons from Election Day 2014, and perhaps one of the most important is how communities of color are stacking up to become forces in local politics, particularly the Vietnamese American community.  And within that theme, there is another consideration, about who might take the 25th Assembly District seat when Nora Campos terms out in 2016. …

The System Works for…Those Who Vote


You might be surprised to learn who got the most votes on Nov 4th.  It wasn’t Sam Liccardo or Dave Cortese.  It wasn’t Mike Honda or Ro Khanna.  None of those candidates garnered even a quarter of the votes.  The overwhelming winner of this election was Nobody.  Tweet

Ro’s Running Again


Ro Khanna is running for Congress…again.  It’s nothing new.  He’s been running for Congress since he graduated law school 13 years ago.   It’s what he does. Tweet

Ash Kalra Will Run for State Assembly


San Jose City Councilman Ash Kalra is expected to announce Jan. 31 his bid for the California State Assembly’s District 27 seat. The kickoff of the Indian American official’s campaign – at a yet-undisclosed location – will be preceded by a fundraising birthday party Jan. 21 at the M lounge in San Jose. Tweet