Our public education system is a disaster. It is not the teachers, students or even the curriculum. It is the SYSTEM. We need a new innovative approach that utilizes 21st century tools to keep our students competitive.

In unanimous vote Tuesday, the City Council OK'd a lease agreement with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Though it boasts some of the highest median incomes in the nation, Silicon Valley also claims one of the greatest disparities between men and women’s earnings.

A federal lawmaker wants regulators to re-think the way they clean up some of the most toxic waste sites in the nation.

A judge disqualified one of the Republicans running against seven-term Congressman Mike Honda (D-San Jose), while also clearing Democratic challenger Ro Khanna of wrongdoing.

Business groups worry that San Jose could scare away developers if it imposes a fee on new home construction to pay for more affordable housing, an effort to recoup a fraction of the money lost when the state closed all redevelopment agencies. The City Council, which was supposed to talk about the inclusionary housing fee in December, decided to table the discussion until the new year.

The titans of Silicon Valley need some personal public relation advisors. Marissa Mayer, Tim Cook, Meg Whitman, Scott McNealy and many others fail to grasp the most basic PR concepts. They don’t have to look far for good role models. David Packard, Bill Hewlett, Steve Jobs and Gordon Moore were masters at molding their public image.

We’re sad to announce that Leigh Weimers has passed away at the age of 76. Warm and easygoing, Leigh was a much beloved figure in San Jose who wrote a column for the San Jose Mercury News for 47 years. Leigh went into the hospital a month ago for congestive heart failure and was scheduled for heart surgery this week.

Silicon Valley is home to tech behemoths such as Google, Adobe, Facebook, and HP. Being one of the biggest business hubs in the world, Silicon Valley has also become a fundraising battleground for President Obama and his likely opponent in November, Mitt Romney.

For as long as I can remember, the body politic in San Jose has often displayed disturbing public signs of penis envy of its once-larger neighbor to the north, San Francisco. But a little rebranding could be exactly what San Jose needs to compete in the future.