Sunnyvale officials may have found a new source of revenue, with a green light from residents to place a proposed tax measure on the November ballot. A city survey collected responses from 444 Sunnyvale voters, 63% of whom supported a possible property transfer tax measure after hearing the pros and cons. The details in the...
San Jose Chamber CEO wants to build inclusive community
The new leader of a once-powerful San Jose business group is determined to rebuild the organization after years of controversy. Bay Area native Leah Toeniskoetter began her role as CEO of the San Jose Chamber of Commerce in January. She is the third CEO in roughly three years — a result of the fallout from...
Cupertino cuts millions in city services
Cupertino officials are about to implement some of the largest cuts to city services residents have ever seen, as the city works to balance its budget in the face of a multimillion-dollar deficit. The Cupertino City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a $9 million reduction in services for fiscal year 2024-25 in an effort to...
Santa Clara County gives few contracts to minority-owned businesses
A study of Santa Clara County’s public contracts shows only a fraction goes to small, local businesses. The county launched a vendor disparity study in 2022 to examine the number of minority-owned businesses that won public contracts between July 2016 and June 2021. The study’s final draft was released last week, finding that local, minority-owned...
Milpitas launches rent relief program for local workers
Some Milpitas residents are about to get a break on rent, as the city pushes to address the affordability crisis. Milpitas’ workforce rent relief program will give up to 50 households $645 a month to help supplement rent for up to two years, prioritizing low-income residents who live and work in the city. The program,...
Cupertino spent affordable housing funds on lawsuit
Cupertino is scrambling to fix what city officials are calling an “accounting error” after discovering more than $100,000 in affordable housing dollars went to pay off fees from a housing lawsuit, drawing backlash from residents in a time of fiscal uncertainty. The city used money from its below-market-rate housing fund to pay for a lawsuit filed last year by...
San Jose leaders want budget to focus on housing, homelessness
San Jose officials have a daunting task of balancing the budget as they attempt to preserve city services with a $52.1 million shortfall. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved Mayor Matt Mahan’s March budget message on Tuesday, but not before numerous councilmembers added their own amendments around housing, homelessness and other city services. Over the next few months, councilmembers,...
San Jose Water proposed increases rankle residents
Roughly 1 million people in and around San Jose are facing significant increases to their water bills starting next year, if state regulators approve a local company’s plan. San Jose Water Company, a for-profit water retailer, is asking the California Public Utilities Commission to allow an increase of the company’s average water rates by about 22% over three...
San Jose mayor’s budget plan saddled with a shortfall
A looming multimillion-dollar deficit will force San Jose to make cuts in the next budget. Instead of detailing what will be lost, Mayor Matt Mahan has outlined his nonnegotiables. His March budget message prioritizes addressing street homelessness and blight, increasing public safety and making San Jose easier to invest in. Those may seem like the same...
San Jose police’s failure to stop cannabis robbery fuels fight over fees
San Jose cannabis entrepreneurs say police don’t care about protecting their property, and a shocking video appears to validate their frustrations. Security camera footage obtained by San José Spotlight shows three getaway cars easily maneuvering around two San Jose Police Department vehicles and escaping unscathed after suspects robbed Exotix, a South San Jose weed shop...