Dec 7, 2017
The recent resignation of Richard Cordray, the head of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), gave President Trump another opportunity to weaken oversight of powerful financial institutions. The president wasted little time in appointing an open critic of the CFPB as its acting director. This is yet another blow for consumers who can expect little or no help…
Nov 21, 2017
Last night, Google representatives skipped a third consecutive community town hall meeting to discuss the impact of the tech giant’s proposed mega-campus development in San Jose. San Jose residents and community leaders gathered to discuss the development that would bring up to 20,000 Google employees, plus an estimated 8-10,000 service workers, to the downtown area. The town hall meeting, which…
Sep 21, 2017
Yesterday, more than 200 community members gathered at the Washington United Youth Center in downtown asking when Google and City officials are going to join them at the table to help define the vision for the company’s proposed mega-campus. The report back from small group discussions centered around a two key issues: the need for affordable housing and good jobs…
Aug 18, 2017
Earlier this month the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) reached an agreement with the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) to settle its long-standing lawsuit against the agency and move toward fairer accreditation practices in California’s community colleges. Originally filed in September 2013, following the ACCJC’s decision to terminate the accreditation of City College of San Francisco, the…
Multiple sources have told The Left Hook that Pam Foley, candidate for San Jose City Council District 9, has hired Vic Ajlouny as her campaign consultant. Ajlouny, an extremely controversial figure in San Jose politics, has consistently sided with and actively supported the City’s most anti-working family candidates and policies. Ajlouny has also earned himself a reputation as a merciless…
Aug 2, 2017
Fundraising efforts are in full swing for the candidates seeking to replace termed out Supervisor Ken Yeager. As the numbers reveal, they have been serious about building a solid financial footing early on which, with five candidates vying to make it past the primary election, will definitely matter. Here is a breakdown of their fundraising in the first 6 months…
Jul 31, 2017
City of San Jose Deferred to 8/22: Disposition and Development Agreement, Lease Amendment, and related actions for Insight Realty’s Museum Place mixed-use project Staff are recommending deferral of this item to August 22, 2017, pending Council approval. Staff are recommending that Council take multiple actions related to development activity at West San Carlos Street and South Market Street at 180…
Jul 25, 2017
Yesterday, more than 500 food service workers at Facebook won union representation at the tech giant’s campus in Menlo Park, CA. The workers, who are employed by contractor Flagship Facility Services, are calling for increased wages to compete with skyrocketing rents and more affordable health benefits. These workers will join cafeteria workers at Intel, Cisco Systems, Agilent and Nvidia, who…
Jun 14, 2017
District 7 City Council Member Tam Nguyen, who is perceived by some to be a vulnerable incumbent, is facing a number of challengers in his bid for reelection. However, those throwing their hats into the District 7 race – Chris Le, Van Le and Thanh Tran –have obvious vulnerabilities of their own. Here’s a quick look. Chris Le does not…
Jun 12, 2017
This weekend San Jose mayoral candidate Steve Brown was spotted marching alongside ACT America, a well-known anti-Muslim group. This is not the first time Brown has stood on the side of hatred and bigotry. Let’s not forget that during his failed bid for San Jose City Council, Brown stated that he saw nothing wrong with businesses refusing to serve individuals…