Response to SJ Merc article

By Angelica Ramos

This letter is in response to an article by the San Jose Mercury News titled “San Jose mayor and council race money pouring in — what did everyone raise?

Dear Editor: What About the Women?

I was disappointed that Mr. Rosenberg’s article on San José campaign finance (Feb. 2) failed to discuss the significant fundraising totals of the only female candidates in two City Council races. In a city of almost one million people, where women make up half the electorate, residents deserve a chance to learn about all viable and qualified candidates. An article heralding the achievements of mostly male candidates is dismissive of female ones who raised impressive amounts of money – in fact, more money than other candidates – while loaning little or nothing to their campaigns. Big congratulations to Kathy Sutherland in District 3 and Susan Marsland in District 1 for doing this, respectively, in the first fundraising period.  Considering the obstacles grassroots female candidates are known to face, these accomplishments should be celebrated – without apology.


The Women’s Media Center says it best, “[w]e’re counting on the media to remain a public trust, watchdog, and accurate and fair arbiter in the age of spin…And the females that make up 51 percent of the U.S. population want their voices heard and to be portrayed accurately and without stereotype.”  The media has a responsibility to provide complete and accurate information so that voters can make educated decisions; in the future, I sincerely hope the San Jose Mercury News/Bay Area News Group will report journalistic content through a gender educated lens.

Angelica Ramos, President
National Women’s Political Caucus of Silicon Valley
PO Box 6953
San Jose, CA 95150
408.597.4946

Join a Neighborhood Association

By Omar Torres,
Long time SVYD member and current D3 City Council Candidate

San Jose is in desperate need of neighborhood coalitions and the community involvement they foster. Crime has increased and extensive cuts have been made to basic neighborhood services. With our quality of life at stake, it is important for residents to get involved with their local neighborhood associations or community groups. My roommate and I both direct community centers in the Guadalupe-Washington areas and are part of two neighborhood associations near our home: Guadalupe-Washington and Tamien.

Both neighborhoods have suffered from budget cuts that significantly impact residents, but those same residents are increasingly attending neighborhood meetings and becoming more active for the benefit of their families. Our residents want to organize and these neighborhood coalitions provide rich and meaningful opportunities for community involvement.

Last Wednesday, District 3 residents and community groups toured downtown’s South University Neighborhood, located immediately south of San Jose State. Issues of concern for residents were discussed, such as traffic, blight, gangs, crime, lack of community involvement, and other quality of life topics.

Earlier in the summer, the D3 Community Leadership Council, which includes residents and neighborhood groups, hit the pavement and conducted “neighbor walks” in the Vendome, Guadalupe-Washington and Delmas Park Neighborhoods. And D3 is not alone in this coalition building effort.

Just over Highway 101, the same night we walked last week, District 5 United, along with Councilmember Xavier Campos, hosted county supervisors Cindy Chavez and Dave Cortese. Both supervisors answered questions from residents and covered critical issues facing the county. And last month, District 7 United held an inaugural informational meeting at the Tully Library.

Jeremy Barousse, of the District 8 Community Roundtable, told me that neighborhood coalitions such as his and those mentioned above bring value to the community by providing forums where “residents can come together to learn about and discuss relevant and timely local issues, most notably public safety, neighborhood services, land use and development, education, and traffic.”

These neighborhood coalitions are collaborative efforts between elected officials and community members to improve our communities. Specific bylaws and community members—not city staff or elected officials—guide the work of these coalitions. Residents lead the groups, although councilmembers, such as D3’s Sam Liccardo, attend coalition meetings on a regular basis.

If you do not have an existing neighborhood association—currently, D4 and D9 are the only council districts without a district-wide coalition—I encourage you to create one like the residents of the Tully Ocala Capitol King Neighborhood Association did a few years ago. Contact your councilmember or utilize the resources of United Neighborhoods of Santa Clara County.

Below is more information on current coalition groups. These people can be the loudest voice at City Hall, and we need neighborhood more advocates to come up with creative ideas to move our city forward.

D1 Leadership Group, Second Saturdays of every month, West Valley Branch Library,  Steve Landau http://www.d1leadershipgroup.com

D2 Neighborhood Leadership Council , First Mondays of month, Edenvale Branch Library,  Roseryn Bhudsabourg http://groups.yahoo.com/group/D2NLC

D3 Community Leadership Council, Third Wednesdays of every month, City Hall Tower T-1446 Dave Truslow, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SJ_District3_Group

D5 United, Third Wednesdays of every month, Dr. Roberto Cruz Alum Rock Library, Juan Estrada, http://www.district5united.org

D6 Neighborhood Leadership Group, Last Tuesdays of every month, Hoover School Community Center, Bob Sippel http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SJ-D6NL

D7 United, more information contact Johnny Lee @ Johnny@whatsanjoseneeds.com Tully Library, http://district7united.org/

D8 Community Roundtable, First Thursdays of every month, Evergreen Branch Library, Jeremy Barousse http://www.D8CRT.org

D10 Leadership Coalition, chaired by Dave Fadness for more information contact the Michele.Dexter@sanjoseca.gov

A Student Bill of Rights: to ensure higher education is a path out of poverty…not into it

By: Bob Wieckowski

Note: The Silicon Valley Young Democrats (SVYD) approved Assemblymember Wieckowski’s Student Bill of Rights during their March Membership meeting and it went on to be approved by the California Young Democrats (CYD) at the California Democratic Convention in April.

A college degree is still the best road to financial security, helping to improve quality of life for millions of American families. But with the soaring cost of higher education, the route is paved with too many potholes. A few wrong turns and poor choices can lead students straight off the road of financial prosperity, into a ditch filled with crippling debt.

In fact, with student loan debt now hovering above $1 trillion nationally, many financial experts predict this mass of red ink could swamp our economy. But with some key reforms we can make sure education remains a pathway out of poverty, not into it.

That’s why I am proposing a Student Bill of Rights, a four-bill package that focuses on debt prevention through education and easing the burden on student borrowers.

In the past decade, starting salaries for college graduates have fallen 15 percent, while education debt has soared 500 percent. Unlike federal student loans, which have multiple options for of deferment and forbearance, private student loans lack many of these crucial safeguards. With private student loans, a creditor can garnish 25 percent of a debtor’s disposable income. Preventing wage garnishment will make the lenders more inclined to work with students on manageable repayment plans and give graduates a chance to stabilize their finances.

This is why I introduced AB 233, which would allow a student debtor to claim an exemption from a wage garnishment on private student loans. It now awaits action in the Senate.

Students should also receive counseling on private loans, just as they do on federal student loans. Private loans, which are becoming more of a necessity for students seeking degrees, charge higher interest rates, lack several protections and are generally a riskier transaction. By requiring parity with the counseling students receive on federal loans, AB 534 ensures students will be able to make more informed decisions.

Recently, Congress designated April as Financial Literacy Month. But California is one of only four states that do not include personal financial literacy in their economic education standards. My Student Bill of Rights would create a Common Cents curriculum (AB 391) that includes coursework on savings, checking accounts, credit cards and ways to pay for college.

Last year college students took out more than $100 billion in loans. They are taking on more and more debt at an alarming level. Yet Congress in 2005 prohibited student debt from being discharged through bankruptcy. Virtually every kind of debt — even gambling debt — can be discharged through bankruptcy.

Since that time, the average student loan debt has increased 58 percent to more than $27,000. This needs to end. I am pushing Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR 11) to urge Congress to allow private student loan debt to be discharged via bankruptcy.

In his State of the Union address this year, President Barack Obama asked us to better equip our students for jobs in a high-tech economy. The Public Policy Institute of California says the state needs to dramatically increase its number of college graduates to meet the demands of its workforce in 2025.

The road to a strong and vibrant economic future for California will be much smoother if we act now to reduce rapidly growing student debt. Providing an affordable avenue to higher education has made California the ninth largest economy in the world. Burying students with thousands of dollars of debt will limit opportunity and financial security.

California can do better.

Upcoming Event: Student Bill of Rights

If you are available, please join Assemblymember Wieckowski on the UC Davis Campus (East Quad) on Wednesday, 5/22 @ 12:30pm, where student leaders will gather for a Rally to Tackle the Student Debt Crisis and urge the Legislature to pass the Student Bill of Rights.