Santa Clara County Business, Economy & Jobs Digest

The Santa Clara Planning Commission denied a conditional use permit for a development at 2805 Bowers Avenue involving the replacement of an existing two-story building with a new four-story data center.

Meet Jason Reynolds and Jinxbot, a 3D printing service operating out of a storefront at 693 Calderon Avenue and a workspace on Old Middlefield Way in Mountain View.

The consumer price index shows services are mostly responsible for persistent inflation, but prices for food and other goods in California remain high.

Republicans want to scrap the law, accusing Gov. Gavin Newsom of corruption in dealings with a Panera Bread franchisee who is a major campaign donor. McDonald’s franchisees are funding a committee that is attacking Democrats who supported the law and are seeking local office in the primary.

On March 1, the California Public Utilities Commission gave approval for driverless taxi company Waymo to expand service into Los Angeles and San Mateo counties.

Mountain View’s revenues and expenditures are mostly following budget projections, but the outlook for the next fiscal year is not as bright.

In the largest independent expenditure to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors race so far, the California Apartment Association threw its weight behind District 5 candidate Margaret Abe-Koga.

The Cupertino City Council unanimously voted to stop exploring ways to create new taxes or increase taxes after the majority of small business owners surveyed said they wouldn’t support it on the November ballot.

New to California is Senate Bill 1186, which requires local governments to allow medicinal cannabis deliveries. But in Milpitas, “It remains unlawful to deliver recreational cannabis within the City.”

Contrary to prior predictions, San Jose will not see a budget shortfall this upcoming fiscal year. The city is in better financial shape than expected for the 2024-25 budget.

Logistics has been an economic lifeline for the Inland Empire for decades. Now that the industry is hitting a downturn, the region is feeling the pain.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office projects the 2024-25 shortfall at $73 billion, putting more pressure on legislators and the governor to find savings.

After months of negotiations, the city and the Milpitas Professional and Technical Group—made up of office and recreation services assistants, enforcement officers, and accounting techs—have forged a new agreement.

Silicon Valley made everything the world needed when the pandemic hit—and with that came a hiring frenzy. But after COVID subsided, tech workers started losing their jobs, with nearly 16,800 laid off since July 2021.

California’s latest Master Plan for Aging underscores the need for policies to address the challenges aging populations face. But it fails to portray the realities for older adults in rural areas, who are at greater risk of poverty.

Members of the California Faculty Association approve a two-year agreement that the union and administration hammered out after a strike last month that lasted one day.

The Mountain View-based company, which supplies building materials to contractors and homeowners, got its start when Harry Jr. Morey established a supply yard, stocking road base that paved the way for the automobile era.

When and if California legalizes sports gambling, the policy should honor the laws established in partnership with tribes decades ago, says Assemblyman James Ramos.

For the first time in decades, California is tightening its rules on workplace exposure to lead, a poisonous metal that can wreak havoc throughout the body.

Coalitions on opposite sides put out competing studies on the little-known Private Attorneys General Act, which allows employees to file class-action lawsuits over some labor law violations.

The San Pedro ports had a busy January as they rebounded from last year’s labor troubles and picked up cargo redirected because of Suez and Panama canal troubles.

As agents hunt for business in Southern California's slow real estate market, some are trying out new ways of tracking down leads. Others are quitting the industry.

Nearly 2 million Medi-Cal enrollees can now accumulate savings and property without limitations and still qualify for the state's health insurance program for low-income residents.

Officials want to prepare more Californians for good jobs, and the state has spent roughly $370 million on workforce programs. But the results are mixed.

The Bay Area is home to a rich tapestry of food-based enterprises owned by Black chefs and entrepreneurs. Here’s a list by geographic area of many in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

When Gov. Gavin Newsom launched his landmark effort to shelter homeless residents in hotels during COVID, the state and local governments were relying on FEMA to foot much of the bill.

The closure of Madera Community Hospital created a new health care desert in a community that already had fewer doctors per capita than other parts of the state. UCSF and Adventist have a plan to reopen it.

The funds would help California ports expand to handle giant wind turbines and other equipment. California’s first offshore wind farms are on a fast track off Humboldt County and Morro Bay.

A state tax agency wants to use generative AI to give business owners tax advice. The state of California calls it an opportunity. Risk assessments are forthcoming.

State lawmakers grill Cal/OSHA officials, with allegations that employers get tipped off to inspections. The chairperson of the Assembly Labor Committee is seeking an audit.

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced consumer tools to help tenants and landlords understand how much rent can rise under a state law.

The term “unsubsidized 100% affordable project” was once an oxymoron. Under Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles is now approving them by the hundreds.