Silicon Valley Voice is the local voice for Silicon Valley, covering Santa Clara and the surrounding communities. We are committed to providing our community with reliable and relevant information daily.
Dear Madam Mayor and City Council, I hereby submit my formal resignation from the Planning Commission effective immediately. While I have been fortunate enough to live in Santa Clara County for a majority of my life, I can sadly no longer afford to do so. My family has decided to relocate to the Greater Sacramento … Read more
On my first day of teaching the Legislative Branch, we discussed the demographics of the current 115th Congress. Here are the frightening stats: The average age of a House member is 59 and of a Senator is 63 years old. Yes, this is one of the OLDEST Congressional terms in our republic’s history. Less than … Read more
Every year I think about how to teach redistricting and gerrymandering to my seniors at Santa Clara High School. It can be boring and seem academic, but this year was different. “Judith” asked why politicians pick the voters instead of the other way around. “Madison” answered with one word: Gerrymandering. As their teacher, I rolled … Read more
I want to tell you a story about miracles, about war, and about love. My grandparents grew up in the same city, Beltsy, in modern day Moldova. When they were born it was Romania, and when they were teens it was annexed by Russia. They had gone to school together. And, in 1941 when they … Read more
The word “magical” generally makes those of us on cliché patrol reach reflexively for the red pen. Especially when used in close proximity with “Christmas.” But clichés are “clichés” for a reason. Their genesis is in the universality of certain human experiences. And one of those experiences is the winter solstice, when dark comes close … Read more
In a recent event in the topsy turvy world of Council logic, they approved payment for services some on the dais claim were not rendered. Believe it or not, this is not a generally accepted accounting process. At the Nov. 21 City Council and Stadium Authority concurrent meeting Vice Mayor Dominic Caserta questioned Mayor Lisa … Read more
“How did Trump win deeply blue states like Michigan and Wisconsin,” was the first question out of “Molly’s” mouth as we started class with a discussion on voting rights. “Lance” blurted out that it’s because of bogus Voter ID laws. As their teacher, I was floored! First, how did Lance know what Voter ID laws … Read more
There have been a lot of words published, posted and uttered about fake news and real news and whether Americans have the tools necessary to differentiate between the two. President Trump seems to simply label stories he doesn’t like and the institutions responsible for them as fake news. This last sentence is an opinion – … Read more
Poor BAREC. The former UC agricultural Bay Area Research and Extension Center at 90 North Winchester seems doomed to be a real estate Flying Dutchman: forever the future site of the next big idea in urban development. Everything looked settled in 2006 when Santa Clara bought six acres from the state for low-income housing. The … Read more
The Aug. 24 Stadium Authority Meeting was one for the books. In a seven-hour meeting with many contentious topics on the agenda, statements were made that might have slipped past unnoticed. After Santa Clara Police Chief Mike Sellers’ broadside to the Stadium Authority, Stadium Authority/Council Member Teresa O’Neill followed with a scolding response. Along the … Read more