Social Service Agency

333 West Julian

San Jose, CA 95110

(408) 755-7100

Mon-Fri (8:00AM - 5:00PM)

          This is the County of Santa Clara's Social Service Agency. This is one of the most visible ways that the U.S.  "promotes the general welfare" and "provide domestic tranquility." This place offers a broad range of services from child protection to financial assistance, medical assistance, and senior assistance, basically offering aide to all things socially included, and by all things socially included, I mean people. This is one of those places where the government and the common people get to interact directly. It is a moderately busy place, everyone here are quite professional, and probably have a hatred for a group of teenagers. There was a crabby lady who wouldn't let me and my group take pictures of the building under the pretense that "You can't take pictures of a federal building." It was a profound experience, and I learned that we can't take pictures of federal buildings. She was probably just wary of our group....I mean who wouldn't be......five laughing talking loitering teenagers spells no good in the adult world.

          Whatever first-hand experiences I had doesn't change the fact that this is a very important place, and offers invaluable services. In time of needs, one could always look to the Social Service Agency, and if you're too far away, you can look at it on a computer with a working internet. They have an up-to-date website http://www.sccgov.org/sites/ssa/Pages/County-of-Santa-Clara-Social-Services-Agency.aspx where you can look at services they offer, and how to contact them. I feel that this place is one we should all know about, and is one of the more "visible" government centers.

East Side Union High School District

830 N Capitol Ave, San Jose, CA 95133

(408) 347-5000

          This is the East Side Union High School District....center. There are 11 "traditional" high schools in ESUHSD, quite a lot, and the school board can be found here. I came here once in the summer to pick up my reduced/ free lunch form, and it was like a vacant building...no one was here but the door was unlocked. I wonder if this place is unlocked 24/7. Anyways, I came here again on 12/12 to work on my scavenger hunt. There was conveniently a Board Meeting here, which allowed me to meet members of the school board. It doesn't seem that there are many people in this building, but that's okay since they have an awesome website with online directories to make it easy for parents and others to keep in touch with the school board. http://www.esuhsd.org/ The website is also quite convenient in that you can use it 24/7, and book appointments with your local school board members. This place is decorated with pictures of school board members, and you can find frames of valedictorians from every ESUHD schools here, which is kind of neat. P.S. every school uses Lifetouch service, so every single student portraits look similar. 

          This place is not one of the more busy government buildings around, but if you need anything regarding education services and educational aides, you can find it here. School Board meetings are also held here, but if you want details, their website is a great source of information.

California DMV (San Jose)

Office hours: Mon- Fri: 8:00AM-5:00PM
111 W. Alma Avenue
San Jose, 95110
(800)777-0133

           This place, is hell on earth. It reminds me of a mini-airport, everybody looks expressionless. The receptionists were expressionless, the people sitting in chair were expressionless. The guy behind me when I was scheduling my permit test was the only one NOT expressionless, and he was red in the face and clearly frustrated. I went here to take my permit test and my behind the wheel test. Others also come here for vehicle registrations and voting registrations, according to my mom. I went here four times in my life, and every single time, there would be that ONE person who is sniffing and crying, which basically sets the mood of misery for the entire DMV place. The lines are ridiculously long, so it's advised to schedule an appointment ahead. There is always a lot of people here, and everything here makes me anxious and miserable, especially THAT GUY who skims over the papers and ask for my thumbprint, and tells me that there is something wrong with the computer in the midst of looking over my vehicle insurance information. I learned that I absolutely hate the DMV, and that it stands for Department of Motor Vehicle, and deals with driving related....everything, really, as well as voter registration. Despite everything painful that goes along with it, the DMV is an important part of our life, and is one of the few government places that have a lot of direct interactions with the common people...pleasant or not.