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.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

10/29/2024
Image for display with article titled San Jose Expands Paid Family Leave to Attract Police, Workers

More than 1,000 officers with San Jose's police union will no longer have limited hours of parental leave to spend with family.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

10/28/2024
Image for display with article titled 49ers Spend Millions in Santa Clara Council Races

Special interest groups have sunk millions of dollars into November's Santa Clara city elections to decide its future government.

Gilroy Dispatch logo From Gilroy Dispatch...

10/23/2024
Image for display with article titled Nursery Crops, Mushrooms Top Annual Santa Clara County Ag Report

Nursery crops retained their top spot in Santa Clara County in 2023, according to Santa Clara County’s latest Crop Report, with mushrooms clinging to the No. 2 spot despite a drop in crop value of almost 8% from 2022 due to the closure of one mushroom farm, according to county officials.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

10/23/2024
Image for display with article titled San Jose Leaders Approve Costco Amid Resident Uproar

San Jose officials have greenlit the long-planned Westgate West Costco warehouse in what some residents describe as a once-thriving shopping center.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

10/22/2024
Image for display with article titled Silicon Valley Nonprofit Opens First Store Inside Jail

Goodwill of Silicon Valley launched its first-ever store at the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas last week, providing incarcerated women hands-on training in using a cash register and how to select and sort items.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

10/18/2024
Image for display with article titled Silicon Valley Latinas Face the Greatest Wage Gap Disparities

Latinas in Silicon Valley have the largest pay gap of any large metropolitan area in California.
Latinas had a median annual per capita income of $34,400 in 2022, compared to white males who made a median income of $102,000, according to a recent report by Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE).

Morgan Hill Times logo From Morgan Hill Times...

10/17/2024
Image for display with article titled Locally Grown at Silos in Downtown Morgan Hill

Morgan Hill has been evolving over the past decade, with new housing and a growing number of eateries bringing fresh energy to the town. While the surrounding areas still hold onto their agricultural roots, the town itself has embraced its small-town charm.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

10/17/2024
Elon Musk, the tech mogul who runs Tesla, said in December that diversity, equity and inclusion efforts “must die.” Now, two civil rights groups are calling for the nation’s largest public pension fund to divest from the electric vehicle maker.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

10/16/2024
Tens of thousands of California ride-hailing drivers, and possibly more, could eventually get back pay after a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that clears the way for the state and some cities to proceed with their lawsuits against Uber and Lyft.

Los Gatan logo From Los Gatan...

10/09/2024
Image for display with article titled State Senator Dave Cortese Urges More Protections for Farmworkers

Dave Cortese, who most recently stopped by Los Gatos Council during the farewell for former Town Manager Laurel Prevetti, today turned his attention to the plight of those who do the food-production heavy-lifting.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

10/09/2024
A new business improvement district is being considered for the Monterey corridor between the between Capitol Expressway and Alma Avenue in San Jose.

San Jose Inside logo From San Jose Inside...

10/07/2024
Image for display with article titled Supt. Of Schools Dewan Says Board Met and Acted Illegally When It Fired Her

Mary Ann Dewan was dismissed Oct. 2 after six years leading the county Office of Education. She is now demanding reinstatement, claiming the board violated California’s Brown Act and had no authority to fire her.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

10/04/2024
Image for display with article titled Silicon Valley Students Say Their Teachers Need Better Pay

Hundreds of Prospect High School students marched out of class this week chanting, “What do we want? Teacher’s pay!”

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

10/03/2024
Image for display with article titled San Jose Leaders Sign Off on East Side Improvement Plan

San Jose is moving forward with establishing its sixth business improvement district, giving East Side leaders hope for a thriving economic sector and community going into 2025.

California Local Pin Marker From Palo Alto Online...

10/02/2024
Following the defeat of their lawsuit over images in a Black Lives Matter mural, a group of Palo Alto Police officers is taking their suit to the California Sixth District Court of Appeals.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

10/02/2024
The state Labor Commissioner sometimes struggles to get back pay to workers when it reaches wage theft settlements. It tries social media, TV and hotlines. But money owed to employees is still sitting in state accounts.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

10/01/2024
A California minimum wage law that was delayed amid budget troubles is now set to go into effect Oct. 16. It’s expected to benefit hundreds of thousands of workers.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

10/01/2024
The Assembly approves Gov. Newsom’s bill on oil refineries on a 44-17 vote. But the state Senate will have its say during the special session.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

09/28/2024
Image for display with article titled San Jose Considers Tax Breaks to Fill Downtown Offices

City leaders want to give new businesses a tax break and parking benefits to lure them into downtown.

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