Dec 10, 2014
The women and men who clean classrooms, drive school buses, maintain security on campuses, assist students, greet parents, prepare and serve food in cafeterias, maintain and repair schools and assist teachers in the classroom are the glue that keep our schools and public education working. Tweet
Dec 9, 2014
Santa Clara County Supervisors have taken the bold step toward establishing the most comprehensive living wage law in the nation. At the board meeting Tuesday morning, Supervisors voted 3 to 1 (yea: Chavez, Cortese, Yeager; nay: Wasserman; Supervisor Joe Simitian abstained) on the substance of a law that will require county contractors to pay their employees a living wage, in…
Dec 8, 2014
The second largest waste and recycling company in the world is playing chicken with the City of San Jose, in a wage theft game that’s worth 14 million dollars to the City, and nearly five million to workers. Republic Services was found to have been underpaying its sorters since 2011 to the tune of millions of dollars. When the City ordered Republic to pay…
Dec 5, 2014
For decades, a creek bed in East San Jose has become a homeless encampment for hundreds of San Jose residents who’ve lost homes, jobs, families and have no place else to go. But today, “The Jungle,” what it’s mostly known as, has been shutdown by the City of San Jose. Tweet
Dec 5, 2014
America is embroiled in an immigration debate that goes far beyond President Obama’s executive order on undocumented immigrants. It goes to the heart of who “we” are. And it’s roiling communities across the nation. In early November, school officials in Orinda, California, hired a private detective to determine whether a seven-year-old Latina named Vivian – whose single mother works as…
Dec 4, 2014
The holidays are a time of mixed emotions for many valley families. On one hand we are reminded every other minute that the holidays are the last opportunity of the year to participate in consumerism—Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Great Deals! Buy! Act Now! It is enough to make a grown child cynical. But there’s another side to the holidays. Sharing.…
Dec 3, 2014
The recent executive order issued by President Obama represents a huge victory both for undocumented immigrants and for the advocates and activists who have participated in this struggle for the last several years. For undocumented people, the scope of the decision goes beyond our original expectations. Analysts predict that as many as 5 million people could benefit from it. And…
Dec 2, 2014
If you’re diverting your attention to more mundane issues now that the General Election is over…not so fast. San Jose City Council members decided to call a special election to fill the seat in District 4 left vacant when Kansen Chu was elected to the State Assembly. Tweet
Dec 2, 2014
For six years, Republicans in Washington have blocked almost every effort to improve conditions and wages for working people. Around the country, cities and states are no longer waiting for Washington to act, and are taking things into their own hands. They have passed laws increasing the minimum wage and requiring sick pay for workers. Now San Francisco has passed,…
Dec 1, 2014
County of Santa Clara Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Elections The Citizens’ Advisory Commission will be meeting in the wake of a very interesting election cycle. Right or wrong, the Registrar of Voters was foisted into the hot seat on election night with the technical difficulties, a perceived slow counting process and personnel changes in the heart of the lineup. Some…