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A new report bolsters the importance of guaranteed basic income programs as a lifeline for families in Santa Clara County who can’t afford the necessities. More than a quarter of working families in the county do not make enough money to cover their basic needs, according to a recent study from Joint Venture Silicon Valley....
San Jose targets retail theft with new police unit
Thieves hoping to snatch items off the shelves of San Jose retailers may have a tougher time this holiday season. City policymakers this week launched a new police team to stop retail theft after the city saw a 25% spike in the crime from 2021 to 2022. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved creating...
Beloved San Jose burger joint set to close
A Blossom Hill burger joint that has been a go-to since before fast food was even a thing is calling it quits. The Burger Pit, a South Bay staple since the 1950s, will close its doors for good next April, according to co-owner Paul Berger. He’s been working the grill and serving the eatery’s half-pound...
The Biz Beat: Milohas in San Jose makes divine empanadas
As you enter Milohas Pastries in San Jose, the enchanting aroma of fresh-baked empanadas fills your senses long before you can take in the display cases packed with a bounty of the golden brown pastries. They range from sweet and savory Colombian standards to imaginative takes on calzone ingredients. “People would come in, thinking we...
San Jose wants to be the center of the AI boom
San Francisco is the self-proclaimed artificial intelligence capital of the world—but San Jose is looking to clinch that title in the coming years. In an effort to attract the next generation of AI startups to the South Bay, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan wants San Jose to explore creating incentives for AI companies to move or...
Santa Clara raises hotel tax to tackle deficit
Santa Clara is brainstorming strategies to improve the city’s economic future while grappling with a budget crisis. The Santa Clara City Council unanimously voted last week to raise the transient occupancy tax from 11.5% to 12.5%, up to a maximum of 13.5% within the next two years, as a way to tackle the city’s deficit....
San Jose leaders say downtown is entering ‘a new era of promise’
The tone of an annual meeting on the state of downtown San Jose was hopeful, despite the city core’s slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. San Jose Downtown Association members met today at the Hammer Theatre Center, along with city leaders who rallied support for a “vibrant, community-driven” downtown. The area is facing a number of setbacks, including the...
The Biz Beat: Try the grasshoppers at Mezcal in San Jose
Mezcal Restaurant in San Jose specializes in authentic Oaxacan cuisine, from the mole negro and mole coloradito—two of the seven famed Oaxacan chocolate sauces—to the chapulines, or grasshoppers sauteed in garlic, lime and salt. Umm… grasshoppers? “Why not?” owner Adolfo Gomez told San José Spotlight. “It’s a traditional item for us. People say we’re trying...
San Jose workers are not returning to downtown
The San Jose metro area ranks in the top 10 among the lowest in the country for employees returning to the office. San Jose sits in the ninth spot at 40.7% for return-to-office rates, according to a recent study by Kastle, a facilities security firm that tracks office visits by analyzing keycard swipes at buildings...
UPDATE: Why is San Jose starting its own power utility?
As San Jose’s power needs increase with electrification and climate change solutions, the city will explore creating its own power utility. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the creation of San Jose Power, a city-run electric utility touted as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide power at lower rates and bring in more...