A road in Florida flooded by the massive rains brought by Hurricane Helene.
As I write this, people across the southeast states are reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene.
As an emergency communications geek, I follow a number of emergency service professionals on social media, and the information coming out of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee is both dire and inspiring.
Yes, inspiring. Even before the winds and rain had died down, neighbors and professionals leapt into action to perform swift water rescues, dig survivors out of mudslides and destroyed buildings and do house to house welfare checks in their neighborhoods. With power, cell phone, landlines and internet down, Ham Radio operators hastily organized networks to help coordinate relief efforts throughout the affected regions.
And right now, people across the country are gripped with an desire to reach out and help .
This week, The Newsletter contemplates that human impulse to cooperate and give support and aid to our fellows, and how we've organized our society around it.
How We Take Care of Each Other
For all of our flaws, there is an essentially decent part of human nature that compels us to render aid to the afflicted and unfortunate.
We celebrate our humaneness with the first two articles of what will be an ongoing series documenting "service clubs" whose names may be familiar— organizations that are doing good in our communities.
The Changing Nature of Doing Good
The legacy of ‘service clubs’ such as Soroptomists and Rotary lives on in a new generation of social clubs and volunteer organizations.
Meet the five candidates running for three open seats on the Palo Alto Board of Education in the November election.
(10/01/2024) Palo Alto Online
Meet the nine candidates running for four open seats on the Mountain View City Council in the November election.
(10/01/2024) Mountain View Voice
Meet the candidates and incumbents running for seats on the Gilroy City Council in the November election.
(10/01/2024) The Mercury News
A look at candidates Sam Liccardo and Evan Low, running to represent Silicon Valley in the District 16 seat in the US House of Representatives in the November election.
(09/30/2024) Mountain View Voice
Meet the candidates running for the District 5 seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in the November election.
(09/30/2024) Mountain View Voice
Candidates running for the Palo Alto City Council in November respond to policy questions.
(09/30/2024) Palo Alto Online
The City of Milpitas has placed a measure on the November ballot to extend an existing quarter-cent sales tax another eight years to fund emergency services, street repairs and city parks.
(09/26/2024) The Mercury News
In their September 24 meeting, the Los Altos City Council continued deliberations on maps outlining five voting districts for future elections.
(09/25/2024) Los Altos Town Crier
A proposed African American cultural center slated to be built at a site on The Alameda in San Jose has partnered with a nonprofit housing partner to add housing to the project.
(09/25/2024) The Mercury News
Candidates running for Los Altos City Council share their thoughts on environmental objectives.
(09/24/2024) Los Altos Town Crier
An introduction to the 10 candidates running for open seats on the Santa Clara City Council in the November election.
(09/24/2024) The Mercury News
A California minimum wage law that was delayed amid budget troubles is now set to go into effect Oct. 16. It’s expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of workers.
(10/01/2024) CalMatters
The Assembly approves Gov. Newsom’s bill on oil refineries on a 44-17 vote. But the state Senate will have its say during the special session.
(10/01/2024) CalMatters
An estimated 1 in 5 schools has no air conditioning and another 10% need repair. Underfunded schools struggle to keep classrooms cool as heat waves intensify. “It’s a hot mess,” one teacher says.
(09/30/2024) CalMatters
Homeless service providers are scaling back and taking out loans as they wait for late payments from the government.
(09/30/2024) CalMatters
California’s private nonprofit colleges will no longer be able grant students an admissions advantage if their parents donated to or went to the same college after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law this morning banning the practice.
(09/30/2024) CalMatters
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to combat gasoline price spikes appears headed to a long-awaited Assembly floor vote next week after passing out of committee on September 26.
(09/27/2024) CalMatters
The Mercury News guide to the Proposition 2 $10 billion bond to build and repair public schools.
(09/27/2024) The Mercury News
The governor wants new gas reserves to dampen seasonal price spikes. Refiners say the move would raise prices and require new storage tanks.
(09/26/2024) CalMatters
Many California farmworkers have long lacked safe and affordable places to sleep — an issue thrown into sharp relief after last year’s mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, which left seven agricultural workers dead.
(09/25/2024) CalMatters
The Mercury News guide to the anti-crime and ant-drug dealing measure Proposition 36 on the November ballot.
(09/25/2024) The Mercury News
Cal State officials are projecting a 2025-26 budget hole of about $400 million to $800 million. They are warning of layoffs and academic cuts.
(09/24/2024) CalMatters
Tenant advocates say giving renters 10 days to respond to eviction notices, up from 5, will help those who live in rural areas and have trouble finding legal help. Some landlords argue it will increase their costs.
(09/24/2024) CalMatters
Community colleges are designed to help students get an associate degree and transfer to a four-year university. Most community college students never graduate or transfer, a state audit found.
(09/24/2024) CalMatters
About 4 in 10 Californians are believed to be carrying medical debt, which can harm their chances of landing a mortgage or an apartment if it shows up on credit reports.
(09/24/2024) CalMatters
