Moryt Milo

1 week ago | sanjosespotlight.com | Moryt Milo |Ramona Giwargis

Nearly 40 years ago, two parents clutched their frightened daughters’ hands to make a treacherous overnight escape from war-torn Iran in the 1980s. The family couldn’t carry more than a suitcase of family photos and mementos. They narrowly fled air bombs dropped by Saddam Hussein’s regime on their country, fleeing buildings and hospitals where tarps covered windows to hide the people inside. Those were my parents.

1 month ago | sanjosespotlight.com | Moryt Milo

The Foothill-De Anza Community College District wants to help house its students struggling to find affordable rent. The district’s solution displaces Cupertino residents. The board of trustees had five years to come up with a plan after district voters passed Measure G in 2020 — a $898 million general obligation bond to help upgrade college facilities and consider affordable housing. Trustees had an opportunity to be creative trendsetters in student housing.

2 months ago | sanjosespotlight.com | Moryt Milo

Accountability. Honesty. Reliability. The next District 3 San Jose councilmember is going to need all three in spades. Residents will be watching and expecting their newly-elected representative to uplift the downtown and help wash away the stain laid upon their neighborhood by disgraced former Councilman Omar Torres. A special election on April 8 will determine who fills the seat and applies those principles. The most significant of the three qualities is honesty.

Feb 21, 2025 | sanjosespotlight.com | Moryt Milo

To bring homelessness to “functional zero,” San Jose will need to commit hundreds of millions of dollars in the coming years to be able to say the number of people exiting homelessness is greater than those becoming homeless — unless city officials rethink their approach. Building more temporary shelters, tiny homes and safe parking and sleeping sites may appear to be an expeditious way to get unhoused people off the streets.

Dec 27, 2024 | sanjosespotlight.com | Moryt Milo

It’s been quite a year for Santa Clara County. Local elections dominated much of 2024, bringing new faces into government and long-term officials bidding farewell. Other than a congressional race that began with a historic three-way runoff and recount in the primaries and an onslaught of political accusations throughout the season, the outcomes ended without a hitch. The same can’t be said about other decisions which have rolled into 2025, leaving officials with formidable challenges.