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Santa Clara County Business, Economy & Jobs Digest



Palo Alto City Council Approves University Avenue Plan

12/09/2024

In their December 9 meeting, the Palo Alto City Council approved a $43 million plan to upgrade the University Avenue streetscape. Get more information about the next steps in the development process.

California’s Employment Safety Net Is Still Broken. Will Anyone Fix It?

12/03/2024

Out-of-work residents fight new fraud battles. The system bleeds money. And a $1 billion technology overhaul marches on.

Palo Alto Eyes University Avenue Changes

11/28/2024

Read on to learn how the Palo Alto City Council is planning to revitalize the streetscape and retail experience on University Avenue.

California Dairies Ignore Bird Flu Threat

11/25/2024

Learn how health officials and California dairies are responding, or not, to the explosive spread of bird flu through dairy herds across the state.

Gavin Newsom Vows to ‘Leave No Region Behind’ on California Jobs

11/21/2024

Gov. Newsom gets the first of 13 regional plans to boost economic development across the state. The others are to be ready in January.

Gavin Newsom Pledged to Release His Tax Returns Every Year. The Last One Was for 2020

11/19/2024

Gov. Newsom just bought a $9 million house in Marin County, but his sources of income haven’t been made public recently. He had pledged to release his tax returns.

How Three Trump Policy Decrees Could Affect California’s Agricultural Industry

11/18/2024

Voters in California’s farm belt, stretching more than 400 miles from Kern County on the south to Tehama County on the north, delivered solid majorities for Donald Trump in this month’s presidential election.

Lobbying Activity This Past Summer Cost a Record-Breaking $168 Million. Here’s What We Know.

11/18/2024

Between the summer session of the California Legislature featuring hot topics like AI regulation and money for journalism, and a special one focusing on gas prices, powerful corporations poured in record-setting money to influence lawmakers.

Unique Partnership Forms for Green Energy Development

11/13/2024

Read on for details about how the City of San Jose, PG&E and a top developer are coming together with plans for a green energy downtown featuring new data centers and housing high rises.

Palo Alto to Encourage Retail Chains

11/13/2024

The City of Palo Alto is preparing to update zoning laws to encourage more retail chain stores. Read on to learn why.

Trump’s Proposed Tariffs, Especially on China and Mexico, Could Hit California Hard

11/12/2024

Trump has threatened new, higher tariffs on two of California’s biggest trade partners, China and Mexico. The state’s workers and economy could feel the most impact.

Agrivoltaic Project Under Development Near Gilroy

11/12/2024

Learn more about a large solar renewable energy, storage and agriculture project is under development in Santa Clara County.

CA Workers Could Lose Deportation Protections

11/11/2024

Immigration advocates are sounding the alarm over the prospect of mass deportations upending California immigrant communities, which Donald Trump has vowed to initiate when he returns to the White House in January.

California Empowered Immigrants to Speak Up at Work. Trump Could End Their Protections

11/10/2024

California wants to protect witnesses in workplace investigations from deportation, but the Biden administration program for undocumented employees is at risk with Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

Gilroy's Gourmet Alley Debuts

11/08/2024

You are invited to the newly completed Gourmet Alley public pedestrian plaza served by bars and restaurants in downtown Gilroy.

Planned San Jose Industrial Center Advances

11/07/2024

Get the latest details about a planned industrial and manufacturing center slated to be built on a 32 acre parcel in north San Jose.

Los Altos Bans Single-Use Plastic

11/05/2024

Learn more about the Los Alto City Council approval of updated ordinances banning single-use plastic in restaurants and stores.

Why CalPERS Is Being Pushed to Divest From Tesla

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.

CA Ride-Hailing Drivers Could Get Back Pay

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.

Business Improvement District Proposed in San Jose

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.

California Collects Millions in Stolen Wages, but Can’t Find Many Workers to Pay Them

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.

Palo Alto Police Officers Take BLM Mural Suit to Appeals Court

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.

Newsom’s Gas Price Bill Passes Assembly, but Senate Plan Still Uncertain

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.

A Minimum Wage Increase for California Health Care Workers Is Finally Kicking In

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.

Newsom Plan on Gas Prices Clears First Hurdle

09/27/2024

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to combat gasoline price spikes appears headed to a long-awaited Assembly floor vote next week after passing out of committee on September 26.

Economists Like Newsom’s Plan to Help Control Gas Prices. Refiners Don’t.

09/26/2024

The governor wants new gas reserves to dampen seasonal price spikes. Refiners say the move would raise prices and require new storage tanks.

Will New Laws Improve Housing for CA Farmworkers?

09/25/2024

Many California farmworkers have long lacked safe and affordable places to sleep — an issue thrown into sharp relief after last year’s mass shooting in Half Moon Bay, which left seven agricultural workers dead.

A New California Law Will Scrub Most Medical Debt From Credit Reports

09/24/2024

About 4 in 10 Californians are believed to be carrying medical debt, which can harm their chances of landing a mortgage or an apartment if it shows up on credit reports.

Nonprofits Seek to Get More Women Into Construction Trades

09/22/2024

Jessica Alvarez Castañeda was sick of low-paying jobs. For years, the 39-year-old mother of four had been “breaking her back for almost nothing” as a cashier, nursing assistant, babysitter, house cleaner and cook.

San Jose Could Considers New Business Improvement District

09/12/2024

San Jose is considering the creation of a new business improvement district advocated by the Tully Road-Eastridge Business Association.

Mixed-Use Community Proposed for Charleston Plaza in Mountain View

09/06/2024

A proposal has been floated to develop the Charleston Plaza shopping center in Mountain View into a community of offices, retail and housing.

Are CA Gig Workers Getting Promised Pay and Benefits?

09/04/2024

California voters passed Proposition 22 four years ago. The ballot initiative, backed by Uber, Lyft and other gig companies, promised the state’s more than 1 million gig workers new benefits, such as guaranteed minimum earnings, health care stipends, occupational accident insurance and accidental death insurance.

Featured

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
There are many causes contributing to this crisis. And as you may already know, this situation really is nuts.
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
What causes the cycle of homelessness and crime, and how to stop it.
Thousands of homeowners have been kicked off their fire insurance policies.
California Fire Insurance Crisis: How the State Helps Homeowners
The state tries persuading insurance companies to cover homes in fire zones.
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
How the sun is helping push the state toward 100 percent renewable energy.
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 housing a cause? Could it be a cure?
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
Californians live longer than people in all but three states, but not all counties are equal.
They help feed the whole country, but life for California’s farm workers remains a struggle.
How California Feeds the Country
California, a state known for high-tech and show business glitz, is also America’s farming powerhouse.
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 is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
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
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
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
For renewable energy sources such as solar and wind to be viable, ways to store the power they create are essential.
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