Santa Clara County Local News: Business, Economy & Jobs


All Local Business, Economy & Jobs News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: Long-duration energy storage, such as this thermal energy storage facility, allows renewable energy sources to operate at full capacity without overloading the power grid.
How California Leads the Race For Long Duration Energy Storage

Long-duration energy storage is essential if renewables are to become the basis for a future, carbon-neutral power grid. Here's how California is leading the race to store energy from solar, wind, and other clean sources for use whenever it's needed.

Image caption: How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland

California has used reclamation districts to turn millions of acres of unusable swamps into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. Here’s how it happened.

Image caption: Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society

Zoning laws determine what can be built and where. These laws have shaped California, but are they really just tools for social engineering? The history of zoning is closely tied to racial segregation, as well as the state's shortage of …

Image caption: They help feed the whole country, but life for California’s farm workers remains a struggle.
How California Feeds the Country

California stands as America’s agricultural powerhouse, growing half of its fruits and vegetables. Here’s how California farming has shaped the state, from the early missions to today’s “factories in the field.”

Image caption: Though life expectancy has declined in recent years, Californians still live longer than most Americans.
Want to Live a Long, Healthy Life? Move to California

Life expectancy in California exceeds all but three other states, but how long you live depends on which county you live in. They're not all equal. Why? The answer may lie in political policies.

Image caption: Owning homes is the primary way the middle class builds wealth, and an option no longer available to most Californians.
Is California’s Housing Crisis Making Inequality Worse?

California has some of the worst economic inequality in the United States. Is the housing crisis a cause?

Image caption: Moss Landing in Monterey Bay is the world’s largest battery storage facility for solar and other renewable energy.
Solar Power and California’s Clean Energy Goals

Solar power, and a network of giant battery storage facilities, are playing an essential role in moving California toward its goal of exclusive reliance on renewable energy sources.

Image caption: Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners

As California insurance companies have revoked the fire policies of thousands of homeowners, the state has taken steps to get them covered again.

Image caption: The cycle of crime and homelessness is escalating, but it doesn't have to be that way.
Homelessness and Crime in California: Even More Complex Than You Think

The links between homelessness and crime are complex, and the idea that unhoused individuals present a danger to their community seems to be exaggerated.

Image caption: Water is a human right under California law, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Agriculture and Water Shortages in the State’s Breadbasket, Explained

Residential wells are drying up in the state’s main agricultural region at the same time that agricultural businesses consume almost 90 percent of the water there.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

05/04/2024
More than half of the U.S. House supports a bill to extend the funds, but it can’t get out of committee.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

05/03/2024
It’s been more than 18 months since Apple Inc. last updated its iPad line, marking the longest gap in new models since Steve Jobs first unveiled the product in 2010. The drought finally ends on May 7.

California Local Pin Marker From Palo Alto Online...

05/02/2024
A mixed-use development of 75 condominiums and retail space is being proposed for 800 San Antonio Road in Palo Alto.

California Local Pin Marker From Mountain View Voice...

05/02/2024
Service connects at-home moms with working moms to provide accessible and affordable child care.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

05/01/2024
Image for display with article titled Silicon Valley Deluged by Health Care Workers’ Labor Fights

A wave of labor disputes is hitting Silicon Valley’s overburdened hospitals as health care workers reach their breaking point with pay and working conditions.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

04/30/2024
Image for display with article titled Kaiser Doctors in Silicon Valley Move to Unionize

Frontline physicians at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara County plan to unionize, and are the last Northern California group within the giant private hospital system to make the move.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Altos Town Crier...

04/30/2024
The City of Mountain View is studying the state of local Internet service for a citywide broadband needs assessment.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

04/29/2024
During the much-ballyhooed “California exodus” amid the pandemic, remote workers moved to other states where they could live for a fraction of the cost compared to cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/26/2024
A bill to rein in a proposed monthly fee on California electric bills would let California’s largest for-profit utility companies charge customers $24 per month — with fees as low as $6 for lower-income customers — as a kind of membership fee for the power grid.

California Local Pin Marker From Mountain View Voice...

04/24/2024
In its April 23 meeting, the Mountain View City Council approved a plan to address the slow recovery from economic effects of the pandemic.

California Local Pin Marker From Palo Alto Online...

04/24/2024
Teachers and supporters attending the April 23 Palo Alto Unified School District board meeting petitioned for cost-of-living increases in teacher salaries.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

04/23/2024
Image for display with article titled San Jose Chamber CEO Wants to Build Inclusive Community

The new leader of a once-powerful San Jose business group is determined to rebuild the organization after years of controversy.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

04/23/2024
A 28-story mixed use high-rise has been proposed for downtown San Jose on East Santa Clara Street.

California Local Pin Marker From Palo Alto Online...

04/23/2024
Documents filed with the California state employment department indicate Tesla will cut layoff close to 500 employees working in Palo Alto.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

04/21/2024
One of the tools in state housing law that’s generated excitement among YIMBYs for its power to build new high-density housing could also end up leading to just the opposite: urban sprawl.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/18/2024
The California Public Utilities Commission will consider on May 9 a new proposal that would change how Californians pay for electricity.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

04/16/2024
Google employees protested outside a company facility in Sunnyvale on April 16 over use of company tech in the Gaza war.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

04/14/2024
A coalition of timber businesses filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the embattled Pacific Gas & Electric Co., alleging $225 million in damages caused by the 2021 Dixie Fire.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

04/12/2024
Image for display with article titled Santa Clara County Nurses Threaten a Second Walkout

Thousands of nurses across Santa Clara County’s strained and overburdened public hospital system may go on strike again — just weeks after taking to the picket line.

Gilroy Dispatch logo From Gilroy Dispatch...

04/11/2024
Image for display with article titled Gourmet Alley Work Begins

Construction began this week on the City of Gilroy’s grant-funded makeover of Gourmet Alley in the downtown, and some business and property owners are concerned about the possible impact the work will have on their operations.

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