Lawmakers in Silicon Valley have wrapped up a tumultuous and busy year. 2021 was marked with major decisions that will have a lasting impact on the region—as well as those that lay the groundwork for future changes. With the world entering the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, local businesses struggling to recover, housing costs exploding and San...
Minimum wage in Silicon Valley going up in January
The new year will bring a bigger paycheck for those earning minimum wage in Silicon Valley. San Jose workers will see their hourly rate go from $15.45 to $16.20, while those in Mountain View and Sunnyvale will see theirs bump to $17.10 from $16.30—the highest minimum wage in the region. Once a national leader in increasing...
Santa Clara County property value grows despite COVID pandemic
When COVID-19 first emerged in early 2020, the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office braced for a repeat of the Great Recession, when property value plummeted. Instead, 2021 boomed in residential and commercial property sales, even with a pandemic hanging over the South Bay. The Santa Clara County assessment roll—which includes the value of all real estate...
Unemployment continues to drop in Silicon Valley
Unemployment continues to drop in Silicon Valley, but the recovery remains lopsided for certain industries. The unemployment rate in the South Bay dropped half a percentage point to 3.1% between mid-October and mid-November, according to a recent report from Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies. This is within 0.3% of the March 2020...
Santa Clara County businesses brace for COVID once again
After almost two years of struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses may not be able to survive another hit caused by the omicron variant. To help small businesses endure, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $20 million in federal pandemic relief grants on Tuesday. The details are still being worked out. Join...
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Food delivery fees remain uncapped in San Jose
A San Jose measure to limit fees DoorDash and other delivery companies charge businesses expired six months ago—and it’s not coming back, officials say. San Jose capped delivery fees at 15% in December 2020 to help alleviate costs for local businesses, but it expired in June. The city has no immediate plans to reinstate a...
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UPDATE: San Jose extends outdoor dining program through 2022
San Jose residents will be able to dine outdoors at their favorite restaurants through next year. With pre-pandemic indoor dining not expected to return anytime soon, the San Jose City Council unanimously extended its popular Al Fresco outdoor dining and business program on Tuesday, as the region deals with another COVID variant. The extension allows...
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San Jose locals support small businesses with holiday shopping
Black Friday retail lines may have been shorter than expected this year, but San Jose residents still flocked to small businesses for their holiday shopping. The San Jose Made Craft Holiday Fair drew unexpectedly large crowds at the Santa Clara Convention Center over the three-day event, which included Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. More than...
Uptick in holiday travel at San Jose airport
After a turbulent year, the Mineta San Jose International Airport is seeing a promising uptick in passengers traveling for the holidays. Approximately 300,000 passengers passed through the airport from Nov. 19 through Nov. 28. Daily traffic data is not yet available, but airport officials say overall travel volume was nearly three times higher than the...
Santa Clara mayor gives social media silence to council colleague
Blocking people on social media is a no-no for elected officials, no matter how frustrating some trolls can get. But that didn’t stop Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor from allegedly blocking someone on Facebook. This time, it was one of her colleagues: Councilmember Anthony Becker. Becker first found out about his banishment from the mayor’s...