San Jose’s polling on a sales tax increase shows voters are ready to approve new revenues for city services, especially for police and fire. But is a tax increase merited?

San Jose’s parking enforcement officers are a notorious bunch. The cash-strapped city, not too proud to strip the couch cushions as it scavenges for revenue, has an army of these ticket punchers at the ready, ruthlessly hunting down the tardy. But a recent Smart Meter malfunction had me questioning what kind of program they're running over there.

Members of San Jose’s Levitt Pavilion Exploratory Committee recently had the opportunity to visit two sites in Southern California: Pasadena’s Memorial Park and Los Angeles’ Macarthur Park.

The November election will either shift the body politic in San Jose toward change or provide a continuation of the status quo. With the problems facing the city, change should be in the air.

Considering the national obesity rate and the health benefits of playing outdoors, parents have every incentive to encourage their children to get off the couch and under the sun.

“What went wrong?” It’s a question I have been asked repeatedly regarding the demise of San Jose Rep, which filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy earlier this summer.

Another political sign stealing incident made headlines. This time it was a “Sam Liccardo for Mayor” sign on a Willow Glen lawn. These thefts are becoming all too common and it’s just a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt.

The Food and Drug Administration is the man at the end of the bar that you would prefer tells his story walking. His claims are rote, the bark of calamity whistling through his toothless bite. But the FDA’s continued ban on allowing gay and bisexual men to donate blood is not toothless—it’s spineless.

The San Jose Rep began as an idea in my 27-year-old brain in 1979. For more than three decades, it was a home to top-notch professional theatre. I was then saddened and shocked to find out last month that the Rep board was declaring bankruptcy and ending the company’s existence.

Bay Area officials offended George Lucas, the creator of the iconic Star Wars saga, to the point that he has decided to locate his Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (LUNA) to Chicago.

Post-election: When people stop being polite and start being real. According to a report, Bobby Lopez and Neil Struthers recently had a public dispute about the East Side City Council race. At a Starbucks.

This country is still paying for the mistakes of George W. Bush—the worst President in our history. But the predictable civil war that now rages in Iraq is President Obama’s dilemma. And for now he seems resolved not to repeat his predecessor's mistakes.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu ruled last week that five provisions of the state education code are unconstitutional, including teacher tenure, sending shock waves from Eureka to San Diego.

The Mercury News will return to downtown San Jose, the newspaper announced Thursday in a deliciously meta article of self-praise. But the adulation of the expected move isn't the real takeaway from this story. The real takeaway is a sweetheart parking deal.

Looking at St. James Park here in San Jose, many people forget that it is not simply a matter of cleaning out undesirable elements to make everything alright.

California’s political elite, including Gov. Jerry Brown, turned out in mass Wednesday at the State Capitol to honor the late former State Sen. John Vasconcellos. “John always believed people were born good,” Brown said. “I have a darker view.”