The shifting political tides in Washington, D.C. have Los Gatos officials strategizing ways to protect vital services. The Los Gatos Town Council voted 4-1 March 18 to review federal funding changes every two months to determine the effect on town services, with Councilmember Mary Badame voting no. The small West Valley town has yet to receive...
State law blocks potential San Jose flea market site
San Jose Berryessa Flea Market vendors say a city-owned landfill is their best option for a new home, but a state law is stopping the idea from becoming a reality. The 90-acre Singleton site, a former landfill, is the favored location. It’s close to freeways and residential neighborhoods — making it the top option out...
North San Jose business takes hit as insurance bails
San Jose small businesses dependent on liability insurance have fallen on hard times as insurance carriers exit California or increase premiums by double digits. Laine’s Bait and Rentals, one of the most recognizable family-owned storefronts in North San Jose’s Alviso neighborhood, is one of those businesses. The mom and pop shop opened in the 1950s...
San Jose council approves mayor’s budget plan
San Jose officials have signed off on the mayor’s plan to reallocate a majority of funding meant for affordable housing and put it toward temporary homeless shelters. The City Council voted 7- 4 in a contentious meeting Tuesday to accept Mayor Matt Mahan’s March budget message for the 2025-26 fiscal year — with the elimination...
Cupertino gets budget surplus surprise after fiscal uncertainty
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...