After more than a year of unprecedented fiscal uncertainty, Cupertino’s future could be flush with cash. The unexpected turnaround in the city’s mid-year financial report projects a $4.5 million budget surplus in 2026. This comes on the heels of a $30 million loss, largely due to a depletion of sales tax revenue from tech giant...
San Jose film festival is a five-star economic boost
Film-lovers from across the globe have landed in San Jose for Cinequest, giving downtown a multimillion-dollar economic boost. Echoing its theme of luminate, the Cinequest Film and Creativity Festival will generate more than $9 million in revenue over the event’s two-week run. Cinequest generates 800 to 1,000 paid room nights for San Jose hotels and...
San Jose mayor’s budget plan targets homelessness
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has long said he wants elected officials and city leaders to be accountable for eliminating homelessness and improving public safety. That’s the centerpiece of his latest 2025-26 budget message. Mahan released his annual March budget message alongside Vice Mayor Pam Foley Wednesday, which is focused on his usual core issues...
Divided Silicon Valley has conditions for ‘instability and revolt’
Foreign workers are arriving in Silicon Valley at record levels while the general labor force is getting older and leaving in droves — driven away by soaring housing and health care costs and enabled by the seismic shifts of remote work. That’s according to the 2025 Silicon Valley Index, an annual report on regional economic...
Billboard company spent thousands lobbying San Jose officials
An Ohio media company spent thousands of dollars lobbying San Jose officials to vote in favor of new digital billboards downtown — and succeeded. Public lobbying reports show Orange Barrel Media spent as much as $30,000 in January and February to hire lobbyists who met with everyone on the San Jose City Council or their staff, excluding...
Silicon Valley women’s wage gap among highest nationwide
For decades, women have been fighting to level the playing field with men when it comes to how much they earn on the job, especially in Silicon Valley. Local cities have some of the nation’s highest gender pay gaps, according to a recent report from TruckInfo.net, which compiled U.S. Census data comparing the median incomes...
UPDATE: San Jose approves digital billboards to boost revenue
Digital billboards will soon be part of Downtown San Jose’s landscape. The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to allow digital billboards to be placed in various downtown locations with advertising company Orange Barrel Media responsible for upkeep and operational costs. The city will receive 15% of the advertising time. The billboards are projected...
Santa Clara County to weigh potential budget cuts
Santa Clara County officials say critical safety-net services could abruptly end as early as next month, as congressional lawmakers prepare to vote on a plan to trim trillions in spending over the next decade — and cut off billions of federal dollars flowing west to Silicon Valley. The Board of Supervisors is weighing the “devastating...
Downtown San Jose to add two-floor music venue
San Jose’s downtown core is about to get more lively with a new late-night concert venue and bar in the works. The City Council has unanimously approved permits for Pete Be Center, a more than 10,000-square-foot building located in the SoFA District at 439 South First St. with two newly-built mezzanines that can hold 1,142...
Santa Clara finalizes World Cup contracts
Santa Clara officials are paving the way for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by finalizing responsibilities. The City Council approved various agreements with the Bay Area Host Committee and the 49ers’ stadium management branch, ManCo, Tuesday in a 5-2 vote, with Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Councilmember Kelly Cox voting no. The agreement details operational and...