Readers: It’s another light agenda week. Please enjoy some summer reading inequality and the minimum wage. Paul Mason writes in the Guardian that the best of capitalism is over for rich counties by painting a bleak picture of what a continuation of “more of the same” means by 2060. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/07/capitalism-rich-poor-2060-populations-technology-human-rights-inequality Tweet
Jul 18, 2014
My daughter, Eliza, has forever changed my view of what it means to feel vulnerable. As Elizabeth Stone says, “Making the decision to have a child – it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” Since Jeremy and I welcomed her into our world three years ago this month, we…
Neighborhood safety in San Jose has deteriorated. Potholes riddle our streets. Businesses struggle to have their applications and permits processed. Libraries are shuttered more hours than they’re open. In the video above, San Jose engineers, architects, supervisors and mid-managers detail the challenges that they and their coworkers face as residents question why city services have been cut. Check out the…
Jul 15, 2014
When most politicos say “2016”, they are talking about the Presidential race to succeed Barack Obama. But in the neighborhoods of San Jose Council District 6, the jockeying for position to replace Pierluigi Oliverio after his 10-year reign of error has begun in earnest. District 6 is one of the most, if not the most politically active areas in San…
Jul 14, 2014
Santa Clara County Human Relations Commission leads forum on Living Wage The Resource Development and Outreach Committee of the Santa Clara County Human Relations Commission will hold a special meeting regarding its role in the Living Wage proposal. Specifically the Committee wants to host a forum in August to gather input and feedback from the public on the proposed concept…
Jul 11, 2014
Last Sunday at 7pm, the small business my family spent 30 years building was taken away from us. We lost our retirement security, dozens of our employees lost their jobs, and the government lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue when McDonald’s forced us to close our franchised restaurant. McDonald’s says it did not renew our franchise agreement…
Jul 10, 2014
The Registrar of Voters recently reported numbers from the June 3 Primary and if you’re a political junky (and we know that you are) they’re pretty interesting. The big takeaway is that Mayoral candidate Sam Liccardo is in trouble. Tweet
Jul 9, 2014
Weakening workers’ power has been a key tactic by those who want to perpetuate the greatest economic gap in our nation’s history. The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Harris v. Quinn was one more setback for working families whose labor and collective strength helped build America’s Middle Class. Tweet
Jul 9, 2014
On June 18, the Santa Clara County Board of Education voted unanimously to overturn the decision of the Alum Rock School Board and approve Rocketship #9. Under the guise of parental choice, county trustees have further endorsed and supported what amounts to a hostile takeover of a local education agency. Ignoring the valid concerns of ARUSD, they have succeeded in…
Jul 8, 2014
The recent California Superior Court ruling of Vergara vs. California addressed the constitutional rights to an equitable education. But what about the constitutional rights of teachers to due process? On June 10th, a judge in southern California decided that legislation created to prevent teachers from being victimized by unaccountable and capricious employers in a highly politicized profession is now a…