Santa Clara County supervisors took their first step toward adopting a $14 billion budget that weighs the region’s critical services against federal funding losses under President Donald Trump. After weeks of workshops and hearings, supervisors tried to close their budget talks on a high note. But their unanimous vote Thursday – with the final one...
Santa Clara balances budget, restores rainy day funds
Santa Clara’s budget reserves are back to normal, but officials are still working to address hundreds of millions of dollars in needed infrastructure maintenance. The Santa Clara City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a $1.9 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2025-26 and $1.4 billion for fiscal year 2026-27. The city anticipates ending it’s current...
Silicon Valley begins countdown to next year’s World Cup
The countdown has begun for the FIFA World Cup coming to Silicon Valley next year. Representatives from the Bay Area Host Committee and Santa Clara celebrated the one-year countdown to the World Cup Wednesday with speeches and a youth soccer clinic led by the San Jose Earthquakes. Levi’s Stadium will host six games in 2026,...
Homelessness takes center stage at San José Spotlight’s PolitiBeat
A regional homelessness crisis and the local shockwaves of President Donald Trump’s second term dominated discussions at San José Spotlight’s third annual, all-day political festival tackling the future of Silicon Valley. Hundreds of people converged on the Hammer Theatre in downtown San Jose last week to learn about how the region is dealing with critical...
Los Gatos balances budget but projects future shortfall
Los Gatos has managed to balance its budget despite a multimillion-dollar deficit by cutting funding for programs and services, ranging from library resources to legal fees. But it might not be smooth sailing for long. The Los Gatos Town Council unanimously approved a fiscally sound budget for fiscal year 2025-26 June 3 after facing a...
San Jose’s $5.5B budget tackles controversial plans
San Jose officials have agreed to green light Mayor Matt Mahan’s latest budget plans — but stopped short of tying portions of councilmembers’ pay to their perceived performance. The City Council voted Tuesday to approve a $5.5 billion proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2025-26. Several of the mayor’s proposals moved forward, including reallocating Measure...
The Biz Beat: El Bazar Azteca shares Mexican art and heritage
Before opening El Bazar Azteca in San Jose three years ago, Teresa Saldana was selling her imported Talavera pottery on street corners out of a van. Even then, the bright colors of the ceramics, instantly recognizable as symbols of Mexican culture, were almost impossible to resist. “I am probably one of her first customers,” devoted...
Santa Clara may add parking fees to city-owned lots
Santa Clara needs to bolster its city budget — and public parking fees could be on the menu. Small businesses aren’t on board and worry customer traffic could drop because they won’t want to pay. Although the proposed 2025-26 city budget anticipates a $9.3 million surplus, the following five years are projecting red ink. To...
Santa Clara data centers hit max energy capacity
Santa Clara leaders are raising concerns about how the city’s dozens of data centers affect residents and the environment. Santa Clara has more standalone data centers than any other California city — 55 in operation and three in the pipeline, according to the city. Demand is growing as more people use the internet and digitally...
Campbell considers funding pool upgrades despite deficit
Campbell is dedicating millions of dollars to improve quality of life for residents in spite of a budget shortfall. The Campbell Planning Commission unanimously agreed Tuesday that more than $100 million in public projects aligns with the city’s goals for the next five years, including a $12 million proposal to redo the community center pool....