Contrary to prior predictions, San Jose will not see a budget shortfall this upcoming fiscal year. San Jose is in better financial shape than expected for the 2024-25 budget. The city will not see a surplus or deficit, but will still have to be conservative with spending as it braces for the years ahead, according to...
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How many Santa Clara County tech workers have been laid off?
Silicon Valley made everything the world needed when the pandemic reared its head, including testing kits, medical records software and virtual meeting platforms — and with it came a tech sector hiring frenzy. But after COVID subsided and the Bay Area began adjusting to a post-pandemic world, scores of tech workers started losing their jobs....
Silicon Valley parents face highest child care costs
A national survey ranks California among the top five states with the least affordable child care. Local officials say Santa Clara County is worse. California ranked third, second and fifth for least affordable nannying, babysitting and infant day care in 2023 respectively, based on a national survey of 2,000 respondents with children under age 14...
Once a booming industry, San Jose cannabis shops face closure
Two San Jose cannabis dispensaries have temporarily closed — and the city stands to lose millions in revenue if they go out of business. MedMen and Herbs both closed their doors in the last few weeks, raising alarm across Silicon Valley’s cannabis industry. While they closed for different reasons, local cannabis lobbyists and retailers say...
The Biz Beat: One Fish Raw Bar in Campbell pairs fresh fish with fine sake
The ever-changing selections at One Fish Raw Bar in Campbell offer a daily adventure for customers, not to mention for chef and owner Trent Lidgey and General Manager John VanBuhler, who finalize the menu half an hour before they open. “We have standing orders for lots of things,” VanBuhler told San José Spotlight, “but for...
Milpitas to survey residents about extending sales tax
Milpitas is hoping to hold on to a revenue stream dedicated toward city services and keep its budget from falling into the red. The Milpitas City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resident survey to gauge support for a ballot measure this November that would extend Measure F, a citywide quarter-cent sales tax which sunsets...
Santa Clara County expands use of license plate readers
License plate reading cameras are about to become more common along Silicon Valley roadways. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an expansion of license plate reading cameras, adding coverage of unincorporated county areas that have not been annexed into neighboring cities. The expansion was approved without funding, which the Santa...
Santa Clara County won’t appeal 49ers tax break ruling
A yearslong debate over whether the 49ers should be allowed a multimillion-dollar property tax break for Levi’s Stadium has come to a close. Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone says he will not appeal a recent Superior Court ruling that upheld a decision to significantly reduce the tax burden associated with the stadium for the...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County caps spending for district projects
In light of looming budget challenges, Santa Clara County supervisors will cap how much money they give to various organizations in their districts. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors today voted to cap community spending per district at $1 million. They also directed county employees to come back at a future meeting with options...
The Biz Beat: Poor House Bistro is a bit of New Orleans in San Jose’s Little Italy
There’s something improbable about the existence of Poor House Bistro in San Jose, as if the fates were playing a game of chance with unlikely twists and turns that made this stellar New Orleans-themed restaurant land in the center of Little Italy. Take the building itself, built as a sorority house in the 19th century....