Event 1: The People Speak Press Conference

The People Speak's objective is to stop the attack-style campaigning popular among many politicians. There was a press conference to raise awareness about this organization. They believe that if enough voters protest the negative campaigning, it can be neutralized. There were many people that chose to speak about their thoughts, me being one of them. I was really nervous and ended up stammering a lot, even though I had planned out what I wanted to say in my head. It was embarrassing, but I am glad that I had the chance to share my opinion. It's not often that the views of a teenager are valued, but the founder of the organization, Manuel Herrera, was happy to see younger people participating. Overall, it was a great experience.

Person 3: Annhien Nguyen

 

Annhien Nguyen is the ASB Secretary at EVHS.  Her job is to manage the money, as well as do paperwork.

Person 2: Manuel Herrera

Manuel Herrera is the East Side Union High School District Board of Trustees Vice President. I met him at a press conference for The People Speak, a civic initiative which he is the founder of. He was a very nice man who was genuinely interested in what the students thought. I learned that he is also a program administrator for the National Conference for Community & Justice, which is a human relations organization that fights bigotry and racism.

Person 1: Frank Biehl

Frank Biehl is the president of the East Side Union High School District Board of Trustees. Before taking this photo, he was telling us about this district. The ESUHSD is the largest school district in northern California, and its budget is two hundred million dollars. He also told us about his job. He works with four other members and their term in office lasts four years. Frank Biehl is up for office again next year.

Place 7: Department of Motor Vehicles

The Department of Motor Vehicles is located at 111 W. Alma Avenue

San Jose, 95110. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, except for Wednesday. On Wednesday, it opens at 9 p.m. instead. At the DMV, people can get their license or register their vehicle. The DMV also maintains driving records.

Place 6: Zoe Lofgren's Office

The office of Zoe Lofgren is located at 635 N. First Street, Suite B, San Jose, CA 95112. It is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. When we went there, Zoe Lofgren was not there. According to her secretary, she was in Washington D.C. at the time. I learned that Zoe Lofgren used to represent the 16th district, but she began representing the 19th district in 2013.

Place 5: ESUHSD District Office

The East Side Union High School District Office is located at 830 N Capitol Ave, San Jose, CA 95133. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Inside the building, the walls had pictures of students from different schools. There was also a big room that is typically used for board meetings. The People Speak Press Conference that I went to was held in that room as well.

Place 4: Social Security Office

The Social Security Office is located at 2500 Fontaine Road, San Jose, CA 95121. It is open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekdays, except for Wednesday. It is open from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on that day. At the Social Security Office, people can get social security cards, as well as apply to federal programs like Medicare, retirement, or disability benefits.

Place 3: San Jose City Hall

San Jose City Hall is located at 200 East Santa Clara, San Jose, CA 95113. It is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays. I learned that there are event services that can be held there, such as weddings or meetings. I also learned that people go there to apply for permits, get business licenses, and pay bills. There are many uses for the San Jose City Hall.

Place 2: Local Office of Nora Campos

The district office of Nora Campos is located at 100 Paseo De San Antonio.  Her office is in Suite 319. It's open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. Unfortunately, Nora Campos was not there at the time.

Although we didn't get to meet Nora Campos, we did get to talk to one of her secretaries. He gave us a tour of the office, as well as a paper with the different branches of government.

Place 1: Robert F. Peckham Federal Building

The Robert F. Peckham Federal Building is the San Jose Courthouse.  It is located at 280 South 1st Street, San Jose, CA 95113. The front desk is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the building is open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and the court filing drop box is open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The men who worked there were really nice and allowed us to take a photo. They also gave us a paper that had the dates of future trials and a link to their website that gave us more information, such as numbers to contact the court, how to file a case, and many more things.