Events

1150 McGinness Ave, San Jose, CA 95127

Visit http://www.laperlataqueriasj.com/ to view their extensive menu.

Fantastic little Mexican Restaurant in the heart of San Jose

There is nothing to dislike about La Perla. It is a family owned and operated Mexican restaurant with authentic Mexican food. Jose and Anna, the owners, take great pride in the food, service and experience of their customers which shows in every bite you eat. Their Mole is the best I have found anywhere, and I get it on almost everything - just not the salads.

If you are in the mood for reasonably priced yet excellent Mexican food, stop by La Perla Taqueria. You won't be disappointed.

- Eric Peterson

3212 S White Rd, San Jose, CA

Ms. Susan Mineta, Sr. Vice- President, Forward Planning for Republic Urban will be presenting an update on a proposed  13 acre neighborhood commercial development along San Felipe near Yerba Buena in partnership with San Jose Evergreen Community College District.  She will be discussing the current zoning change request and the proposed commercial uses including Senior Assisted Living and Medical offices.  The college hopes to use the ongoing revenue generated from this project to fund student Programs like San Jose Promise that helps make college more accessible and affordable for deserving students  by  paying tuition, books and other expenses during their first two years of college. The presentation will be followed by audience Q&A.

Preparation begins at 10AM

Lunch is served at noon

Cleanup starts at 1PM

For thirty years, Family Supportive Housing has been helping homeless single- and two-parent families with children remain intact, while addressing their needs for food, shelter, employment and education. We offer families a respite, an opportunity to make life-altering changes, and a system to aid in finding permanent housing.

Four Points by Sheraton San Jose Airport
1471 N 4th St, San Jose, CA 95112

Ramona is San Jose Spotlight’s Editor and Co-Founder. She has covered politics and government for a decade, working in San Jose, Merced, Salinas, Eureka and most recently Las Vegas. A San Jose native, Ramona is passionate about investigative and watchdog journalism that searches for truth, exposes wrongdoing and sheds light on injustice. Ramona broke countless stories as The Mercury News’ San Jose City Hall reporter, delving into the South Bay’s housing crisis, state and local elections, the city’s pension woes, technology, homelessness and the city’s recovery from massive flooding. Ramona’s housing stories revealed loopholes in San Jose laws and prompted city leaders to adopt new tenant protections.  As the state government reporter for Nevada’s largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Ramona followed President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence as they campaigned in the Silver State, covered the nation’s most exciting U.S. Senate race (Dean Heller), interviewed the legendary Congressman John Lewis and chronicled former President Barack Obama’s stop in Las Vegas to discuss technology. She also wrote a groundbreaking series about the lack of mental health care services in Nevada, which led to proposed changes in state law.

Ramona is a graduate of San Jose State University and has won numerous journalism awards, including the McClatchy President’s Award, George F. Gruner Award, and 1st Place awards for investigative reporting and coverage of local government from the California Newspaper Publishers Association. She’s thrilled to be home — where she can stock up on the orange sauce again — and to provide independent and unbiased political news coverage to her hometown.

Josh is San Jose Spotlight’s Co-Founder and Director of Development. He is excited about building partnerships in the community, fundraising and coordinating events. His professional career has included roles with the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, various state and city lawmakers and Silicon Valley At Home, where he served as Political Manager and led advocacy campaigns for affordable housing policies including a plan to double Mountain View’s affordable housing stock. Most recently, Josh worked for the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas as an Outreach Specialist, establishing community partnerships and providing outreach for vocational training to youth, adults and displaced workers. As a volunteer, Josh has served on the board of numerous community organizations, including the City of San José Human Rights Commission, City of San José Independent Police Auditor Advisory Committee, East Side Union High School District Citizens Bond Oversight Committee, the District 8 Community Roundtable, and as a Fellow with the New Leaders Council- Silicon Valley, Latino Leadership Alliance and the American Leadership Forum.

Josh is a San Jose native who grew up in Evergreen and graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology- Community Change and a Master of Public Administration degree. In his free time, Josh enjoys reading, hiking and spending time at the dog park with his wife, Ramona, and their dog, Lucky.

Prof. Duane Cheers received his Ph.D from Howard University, Washington, D. C., in African Studies and Research. He has  MA, African-American Studies  MS, Journalism and  BA, Journalism from Boston University. He is currently a Professor of Photojournalism at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at San Jose State University. 

He was a Fulbright Scholar to Johannesburg, South Africa where he taught documentary photography to township children and freelance photographers. He organized an exhibition of their work that was on display the Durban City Hall Gallery and at the Bensusan Museum in Johannesburg. 

Last year, he was a part of a CSU-Faculty Seminar held at the University of Ghana, in Accra, the capital city. During the week, he met Mary Nyamson, a principal at the Edumfa School. He discovered that the school with 19 teachers and 335 students, had no computers, few school supplies, and few desks. He has been working with the school to provide with supplies, and community meal for the students, who live in a rural, farming town. He is returning in mid-July with more school supplies. 

Edward Alvarez has extensive background and experience in the education sector. His education experience includes services on various advisory committees, including the Eastside Union High School District and the California Community Colleges Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs. He was elected to the Eastside Union High School District Board of Trustees and served a seven-year term during which the District constructed 8 high schools. He served a 7-year term on the Board of trustees of Santa Clara University as well as the Board Real Estate and Finance Committee.

He is a Trustee Emeritus of the University as well as a member of the Role Model Board of Trustees, an elementary school mentor program. During his law practice tenure, he represented the Mision-DeAnza Community College District and was instrumental in the information of the formation of the Mission-DeAnza Community Foundation, including the creation of enabling legislation required by law.

Mr. Alvarez has served as the Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Hispanic Education (formerly The NHU Foundation) since 2004. Currently, Mr. Alvarez also serves on the Board of Trustees of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School San Jose, a private school whose enrollment is restricted to low-income families. Mr. Alvarez has been recognized as a recipient of the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s first-ever Latino Leadership Awards.