As a final California state budget is being negotiated, special interest goodies are being written into it and the dozens of related “trailer bills” that follow.

People who fail to grasp the big picture, or choose to ignore the combined impacts of poor planning, discriminatory zoning practices and the complexities required to fund affordable housing projects are among the first to argue passionately how much they feel sorry for the homeless – but just as passionately argue that they shouldn’t be allowed to live in their neighborhoods.

Californians who lose a loved one to a violent crime can receive support for funeral costs, counseling and other expenses from the state’s Victim Compensation Board. A bill under consideration in the California Senate would extend the program to victims of police violence.

There are 50,000 humanitarian reasons for the state to follow through on its funding commitment. There is also a powerful economic incentive.

Spinning off parks from underfunded government departments to entities that work closely with them has created “a golden age” for urban parks.

The San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP wants an independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigation of the SJPOA and any public agency named in association with the alleged international fentanyl smuggling network.

Bluster and hubris at Silicon Valley Bank built a bank that damaged others along the way.

For most banks, higher interest rates are good news because they can charge more for loans. But for SVB, they hurt.

In “Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World,” author and Palo Alto native Malcolm Harris tells tales of the city’s founding, highlighting how some grew rich through technology and science while others were left out of the growth and prosperity.

The political debate over California’s highest-in-the-nation homelessness has boiled down to money with Gov. Gavin Newsom and local officials at odds.

For the past 30 years, the Air District has waged a war against wood-burning fireplaces while allowing oil refineries to continue to operate without impunity in the Bay Area.

General election victories by Councillmembers Matt Mahan and Sylvia Arenas created two upcoming vacancies on the San Jose City Council., which will decide how to fill the vacated seats of Districts 8 and 10.

I bucked the advice of many friends and ran as a Republican for the Board of Equalization.

Chavez is the architect of many of our city and county’s key policies on crime, homelessness, housing and government accountability. The problem is those policies are failing. They don’t need to be defended; they need to be changed.

A recent political mailer accuses mayoral candidate Cindy Chavez of giving evasive answers to a grand jury 16 years ago. Is this true? We went back and counted again.

Think more broadly and consider billboards from the perspective of how the city works and how our elected and appointed officials do their jobs.