Santa Clara County Business, Economy & Jobs Digest

Empty storefronts dot the Saratoga Village downtown. Officials are working to to bring businesses, and shoppers, back to the area.

Tech that helps businesses make decisions or target ads will be given freer rein following pressure from the governor.

As the Los Angeles fires raged in January, about 1,000 inmate firefighters labored on hand crews alongside professional firefighters battling the blazes.

Delivery drone service for small packages has begun in Mountain View and Sunnyvale.

In their April 22 meeting, the Mountain View City Council approved moving forward with planning for higher density and commercial development along Moffett Boulevard.

The California economy continues to grow, now ranking as the fourth-largest on the planet.

From higher costs to export worries, California’s agricultural and wine industries face many possible tariff effects. But some hope for opportunity.

Robotaxis may be a fixture on San Jose streets as Waymo applies for permits to operate in the city with the support of Mayor Matt Mahan and local Congressperson Sam Liccardo.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the lawsuit Wednesday, saying the tariffs hurt “states, consumers and businesses.”

The Gilroy Teachers Association and the Gilroy Unified School District School District reached a tentative contract agreement on April 15.

The Senate Judiciary Committee spiked a bill to let wildfire victims sue oil companies over climate change. Labor unions, not Big Oil, led the opposition.

After a three day hearing this week, State Farm is one step closer to approval for a rate hike on its California customers.

California Democrats are backing a legislative proposal that would allow gig workers to form unions. Expect big pushback from companies like Uber, Lyft and Doordash.

The stock market selloff that followed President Trump’s latest tariff announcement underscored the “unprecedented” risk that California pension funds see in a potential trade war.

It's now easier and faster to launch a small business or build a home in Mountain View.

It’s hard to find the disciplinary history of for-profit colleges regulated by California. CalMatters is making it easier.

Though back at work following a court order, the workers union is making little progress toward a new deal with the Valley Transportation Authority.

Rural counties are some of the most reliant on federal funding and federal workers. But some still welcome Trump’s upcoming cuts to forestry and other departments

In an April 1 appellate court filing, the union representing Valley Transportation Authority workers appealed the superior court ruling ordering them to end their strike.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has regularly worked side jobs at Bay Area nonprofits to earn extra income because he says the state pay is insufficient.

A report on the first “Morning with the Mayor” breakfast hosted by the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce.

Thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers seek back pay, damages in wage claims they filed with California before industry-backed gig worker law took effect.

As businesses like SpaceX and Amazon seek to undo the National Labor Relations Board, California unions are trying a novel tactic to preserve labor organizing rights.

The community maker space Hacker Dojo is seeking to open a second facility, but is short on funds.

As of Sunday March 23: VTA raised offer yet again, union vote Tues or Wed. Read on for the latest updates on the VTA strike from the folks at the Palo Alto Daily Post.

When Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara testified about California’s property insurance market before the Assembly’s insurance committee this week, he mentioned a recent trip to Bermuda — somewhat defensively.

Read on for details behind the new infrastructure and service deal between the City of San Jose and PG&E.

In a March 21 statement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta reminded customers of struggling genetic testing corporation 23andMe of their right to demand the company delete their data to prevent it being sold.

Read on for more information about the proposed CityView project to build a housing highrise, new retail, and reconfigure an office building in downtown San Jose.

The permit lays the groundwork toward a driverless taxi service. Tesla has said it will launch such a service in Austin, Texas in June.

Read on for details about the proposal to build housing adjacent to data centers in branded as a transformation of downtown San Jose into a "green energy hub."

Billions of state and federal dollars are spent on Lake Tahoe. But is all this attention actually protecting this unique treasure? Pollutants pour in, while development continues. Funding has shifted in focus to tourism and traffic projects, while money spent directly on fixing the lake has declined.