As San Jose officials prepare a budget proposal that’s sure to involve significant cuts, Mayor Matt Mahan has marked out his own spending priorities for the city. The mayor’s annual March budget message, released Tuesday, directs city administrators to strive for maintaining key service areas — around homelessness, neighborhood blight, public safety, housing affordability and economic...
East San Jose residents watch gas prices jump from Iran war
The ongoing Iran war is driving gas prices up across the U.S., including East San Jose — where residents and small business owners are carefully weighing where to fill up. Prices observed at local gas stations along Alum Rock Road ranged from as low as $4.09 per gallon up to $5.17 for regular unleaded fuel,...
Advocates want San Jose to divest from companies tied to ICE
San Jose officials are weighing growing calls to divest the city from companies that critics say don’t align with local values. The City Council is set to take up the controversial divestment conversation March 24 during an annual review of the city’s investment policy. A group of local advocates has long been urging the city...
Silicon Valley tech economy is hot, but not everyone benefits
Silicon Valley’s tech economy is hotter than ever, but many residents are being left behind. That’s one key message from this year’s Silicon Valley Index, an in-depth annual report card for the region from local think tank Joint Venture Silicon Valley. The group presented the report at its annual State of the Valley event Friday...
State card room crackdown could cost San Jose
San Jose officials are urging California regulators to rescind new rules for the state’s card rooms, warning of dire economic fallout if restrictions take effect as planned in the coming months. In a Feb. 19 letter sent to Attorney General Rob Bonta, city officials warned the regulations, which set stricter rules for certain types of gameplay,...
Super Bowl gave San Jose and Santa Clara major economic boost
South Bay leaders say preliminary figures and anecdotal observations gauging the economic impact from Super Bowl 60 suggest a yearslong effort to prepare the region for the flood of new visitors has paid off. If they’re correct, it’s a sign the South Bay managed to secure a larger slice of the economic pie than when...
Santa Clara County DA says budget cuts threaten public safety
A routine address from Santa Clara County’s top prosecutor became a dark vision of potential injustice across Silicon Valley’s criminal landscape. District Attorney Jeff Rosen — during his annual State of the Office speech on Tuesday — warned of threats to public safety as a $470 million county budget deficit will require his office to...
Santa Clara County tackles $470M budget shortfall
Santa Clara County leaders are looking at a $470 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year — forcing the largest midyear budget adjustment in more than a decade as they look to close $200 million of the gap. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to reshuffle 60 employees — mostly out of the public...
UPDATE: San Jose council puts hotel tax measure on June ballot
Facing yet another major budget shortfall, San Jose leaders have greenlit a proposal to hike taxes on hotel stays as a means of boosting revenue for city services. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday in favor of placing a measure to increase the city’s hotel tax, also known as a transient occupancy tax, on the...
San Jose faces tough choices to balance budget shortfall
San Jose leaders are warning of “tough” financial decisions and “hard choices” as this year’s budget season officially gets underway. The months-long process kicked off Thursday with a special study session considering how to balance a projected deficit of up to $65 million. While the city managed to balance last year’s shortfall without laying off any workers,...