With corporate giants like Monsanto lining up to invest in cannabis, some San Jose lawmakers are trying to make room in the industry for residents who fell victim to the war on drugs. Next week, councilors will decide whether to move forward with a cannabis equity program, previously proposed by Councilmembers Magdalena Carrasco and Raul Peralez. The concept is...
The price of growth: Alum Rock businesses at risk of displacement
From the outside, nothing stands out about the mid-size commercial lot home to about a dozen businesses on the corner of Alum Rock and Foss Avenues. But inside these businesses, a vibrant Latino presence takes place. Busy shopkeepers toil, taco-truck patrons laugh and cheer at the soccer game during lunch and local neighbors stop in just to...
After City Hall fight, California Waste Solutions wins another year in San Jose
After a yearlong battle with its largest recycling hauler over money and contamination, San Jose agreed to allow California Waste Solutions to service 166,000 homes for another year. It’s a decision that means nearly one hundred CWS employees get to keep their jobs. CWS employees in January showed up in strength at City Hall in bright yellow vests to protest a staff...
Google in San Jose: Who signed non-disclosure agreements?
Nearly 20 San Jose officials signed non-disclosure agreements in 2017 at the behest of Google as the tech giant explored building a massive campus in downtown San Jose. The agreements became a major sticking point for advocates who claimed the massive land deal was cloaked in secrecy and that the public deserved to know the...
Growing inequality: A look at the 2019 Silicon Valley Index
As big tech’s grip on Silicon Valley strengthens, the gap between the rich and the poor widens. A new report highlights the downsides of the region’s booming economy: Exacerbated inequality, rising housing and transportation woes, and a stifled market for competitors to break into. The 2019 Silicon Valley Index by Joint Venture Silicon Valley showcases why more people are leaving...
San Jose denies airport commission chair access to records
San Jose leaders on Tuesday denied the airport commission chair’s request to see documents that detail the impacts of raising height limits in downtown San Jose. One government watchdog says the denial could run afoul with California’s public records law. San Jose lawmakers this month will weigh raising building heights up to 35 feet above...
Hospital board approves sale of three bankrupt San Jose medical clinics
The El Camino Hospital Board of Directors unanimously approved the sale of five Verity Medical Foundation Clinics at its meeting Wednesday night, according to a release issued by Silicon Valley Medical Development on Thursday. A $1.27 million bid by SVMD includes the electronic medical records, furniture and equipment at three San Jose clinics located at...
The first Vietnamese small business center in U.S. opens in San Jose
For husband and wife Brian Ly and Minnie Uyen Thai, early February is a bustling time for their business, United Wholesale Flowers. But it wasn’t easy for the San Jose-based flower shop to get off the ground. “Starting a business, at the beginning you need a lot of money to invest in your business,” Ly...
Verity Health announces layoffs at six San Jose clinics
The future for eight Bay Area medical clinics — six of which are based in San Jose — is uncertain following an announcement from Verity Health that 180 positions will be eliminated beginning next month. The SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West announced Friday it will fight back by airing concerns at the El Camino Hospital Board...
Santa Clara Valley Water District unveils new logo, branding
One of Silicon Valley’s most iconic logos is getting a facelift. The Santa Clara Valley Water District on Friday unveiled a new logo, tagline and shortened moniker — Valley Water. After using the same logo for 40 years, the water district’s Board of Directors in December approved a new modernized name and visual brand. The...