Ro Khanna Field Director William Rinehart, channeling Tea Party anger against working families, hoisted the American flag and yelled anti-union slogans at a campaign rally last Saturday. “Don’t let the unions own your vote,” Reinhart screams. Faux-Democrat and congressional candidate Ro Khanna has always claimed to be pro-Labor. In fact, he features his union ties in his new TV ad.…
May 7, 2014
While there are many reasons to celebrate the Month of May, (see list below) including the fact that it’s National Salad Month, I would like to suggest a new one of extraordinary significance: Get Out the Vote Month. Traditionally, Get Out the Vote (commonly referred to as GOTV) efforts focused on the final weekend prior to election day. And, that made a…
May 6, 2014
San Jose Campaign Finance Law Regarding Card Clubs Councilmember Sam Liccardo is asking the city attorney for guidance on his efforts to block Card Clubs from their constitutional right to give campaign donations to political organizations. Currently, San Jose law prohibits the Clubs from donating directly to individual candidates, but he’s running for Mayor and doesn’t have the Card Clubs’…
Judging from his recent TV ad, Sam Liccardo must be hoping that San Jose’s voters either have very short memories, or just moved into town yesterday. The ad shows mock politicians stuffing themselves at dinner while a voice accused the pols of piling up debt. But not to worry, the voice continues, smart Sam won’t leave our kids to pick…
May 5, 2014
City Council candidate Magdalena Carrasco has a problem. She told the Mercury News’ Joe Rodriguez that she is a political consultant, but on the ballot she listed herself as State Commissioner/Educator. This discrepancy reminded us of the last time truth-challenged Carrasco ran for council and claimed falsely that she had a master’s degree in social work from San Jose State. …
May 5, 2014
While most people think that twenty-first century students thrive on chaos, educators know that a certain amount of reliability and consistency is what gives students the freedom to challenge themselves and explore new opportunities. When Live Oak High School was caught up in a maelstrom of media attention because students wore American flag clothing on Cinco de Mayo 2010, the…
May 2, 2014
Superior Court Judge Patricia Lucas has signed a stipulated order, agreed upon by all parties, that prevents any further implementation of San Jose’s divisive pension reform measure until at least July 1, 2015. “This is a clear admission by the city of the detrimental and insurmountable issues with Measure B. We have been, and are, willing to implement legal pension…
May 1, 2014
The movement to raise the minimum wage is spreading, and as a city council member in Mountain View, I’m proud to say our city is caught up in the wave. When a group called Coalition to Raise the Minimum Wage in Mountain View held a rally and the press covered it, the responses I received were overwhelmingly supportive. Close to…
Mayor candidate Madison Nguyen has a campaign prop we haven’t seen before: the “Madison Merlot” with a label showing her campaign slogan and picture in front of San Jose City Hall. Some may question whether she’s acting as a good role model for San Jose youth when she campaigns with liquor. However, there is some precedent for this type…
Apr 29, 2014
You wake up with a fever over 100 degrees. You are achy and sneezing and you know you need to see a doctor. But, you are scheduled to work an 8-hour shift that day. If you call in sick, you will lose the money you had put aside for this week’s groceries. What do you do? Close to 6 million…