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
My friends in the Liccardo-for-Mayor camp keep telling me that Sam will not be like Chuck Reed. It’s hard to believe. Sam has voted with the Mayor on every major economic justice issue. The two of them opposed the minimum wage increase, voted to undermine the City’s living wage policy, imposed work conditions on most of the City’s employees and…
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 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 7, 2014
Summer’s here and many of our elected officials are on recess. With the exception of Cupertino’s Master Plan Study Update (7/7) and Mountain View’s study session on the San Antonio Precise Plan (7/8), not much is on deck in the way of policy. The picture of Clint Eastwood is just cool. Ahhh, summer! Tweet
Jul 3, 2014
To many people Brazil consists only of Rio De Janeiro and São Paulo. Conflicting images persist of beautiful beaches, Carnaval, and vibrant music or the favelas of the poor and the impoverishment of the rural landless and indigenous. Throw into the mix a month of the World Cup simultaneously enjoyed by many and despised by some. This grand mixture reflects…
Jul 3, 2014
It’s been made startlingly clear this week that U.S. Supreme Court justices are playing politics with the health and well-being of women. The Court’s recent rulings have curtailed women’s rights to enter health centers without harassment and hindered affordable -access to the most effective birth control methods. If you were wondering whether we can trust this Supreme Court to dispense justice…