May 15, 2014
After years of working in the reproductive justice movement and battling egregious attacks on women’s reproductive rights, I thought I was immune to being shocked by insidious policies that punish low-income women and families. Well, I was wrong. I have been not only shocked, but disgusted, by a regulation right here in California that has contributed to keeping families in…
May 13, 2014
The Mayor and his friends have played a cruel joke on San Jose citizens. By co-opting the concepts of “open government”, “transparency”, “sunshine” and similar expressions, they have created the San Jose Way that in reality has the opposite effect. We are at the high point of the city budget season. There are budget meetings throughout this month in every…
May 12, 2014
Santa Clara County Rural/Metro The County board of supervisors will accept a report from the County Public Health Department relating to performance of Rural/Metro as the 911 exclusive operating area ambulance provider. Since January 2013, Rural/Metro’s response time performance has consistently met or exceeded the contractual response time performance standards. Tweet
May 12, 2014
This week’s Whopper once again targets the Wall Street Journal. In a May 7th article entitled, “Obama Unleashes the Left,” Daniel Henninger argues that “the left has hit ramming speed across a broad swath of American life” and those out of line with the left’s “ bizarre claims are being hit and hit hard.” Among the examples of hard hits…
May 9, 2014
Cannibalism is an unusual tactic in political campaigns, but that is what we are seeing in the campaign to elect Kevin Jensen Sheriff. The Deputy Sheriffs Association (DSA) and Correctional Peace Officers Association (CPOA), which are running the Jensen campaign in the absence of any real campaign by Jensen himself, have attacked Sheriff Laurie Smith with mail that blames her…
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 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…
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…
Apr 28, 2014
Close to 100 community, faith, and labor leaders gathered together yesterday to honor workers who have passed and those who work under dangerous conditions as a tribute to Workers Memorial Day. Construction workers, plumbers, room attendants, and others told their stories and shared the realities they face every day of dangers on the job. From having to lift heavy mattresses to…
Apr 28, 2014
Santa Clara County Help for San Jose P.D. County Supervisors will accept a report relating to temporary support from the Office of the Sheriff for the City of San Jose. In response to Supervisor Cortese’s referral to the Board of Supervisors, on April 16, the Sheriff’s Office met with the Chief of the San Jose Police Department and a representative…