Nov 20, 2014
Everyone’s talking about it. The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters is a mess. Now the Board of Supervisors has ordered an investigation into the “processes, procedures, and technologies used by the Registrar of Voters that may have impeded the timely delivery of a secure and accurate vote tally.” County Executive Jeff Smith has until January to get back to…
Nov 19, 2014
San Jose City Councilmembers made a bold and much needed move last night toward providing more affordable housing with the passage of a Housing Impact Fee. The $17 per square foot fee charged to market-rate housing projects will take the place of dried up redevelopment funds that used to go toward affordable housing projects. Tweet
Nov 18, 2014
The San Jose Police Department projects it’s staffing level of officers will be its lowest since 1985, according to a report the department prepared for City Council. At the rate offices are leaving, either through retirement, or because they can find a department elsewhere that will offer appropriate retirement and disability security, the force will dip below 1000 officers by…
Nov 18, 2014
Santa Clara County Living Wage Policy The County Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to adopt a living wage policy for the County’s procurement process. The proposed policy will be the most comprehensive living wage for the $2.5 billion in contracts and around 16,000 workers employed by the County. While the Administration is still working out a plan to…
Nov 17, 2014
I attended private Catholic schools in Ohio for 18 years. I have taught in public schools in California for 20 years. Each year I take students from Live Oak High School to a three-day program, Camp Everytown, during which we participate in a privilege exercise. In this exercise, you move up if you have received some sort of privilege (such…
Nov 14, 2014
The polls are closed, ballots cast, and votes tabulated, and I am proud to say California Public Education won two major victories on Election Day both statewide and locally. At the state level, Tom Torlakson was successful in his reelection bid as State Superintendent of Public Instruction. On a personal note, the portion of Tom’s message that resonated most with me was, “Every…
Nov 11, 2014
A number of blogs have called attention to the precinct map of San Jose from the Election for Mayor on November 4th. That visual presentation reveals a harsh reality better than any lengthy text. The image shows a city as divided as if a Berlin Wall had been constructed down its center. Almost all of the precincts in the whiter…
Nov 10, 2014
A statement from SJ Mayoral candidate Dave Cortese – First, thank you for the role you played in helping us mount a campaign where thousands came together, calling for a new culture at City Hall. Thanks to our efforts, I’m confident that you will see a more conciliatory approach by the City’s new leadership than we would have seen had our…
Nov 10, 2014
San Jose Police Department Operations and Performance On September 17, 2014, in response to Councilmember Rocha’s memo, the Rules Committee directed staff to prepare a written report on Police Department operations and performance. Tuesday, the council will discuss: current staffing levels, as well as historical staffing levels, in the past five years, any projections as to future staffing the department…
Nov 7, 2014
Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Shannon Bushey is asking the California Secretary of State for a post-election review of the Registrar’s “systems and processes”, according to this letter sent today. Tweet