By Matt O’Brien, AP Technology Writer Before the mayor of San Jose, California, arrives at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new business, his aides ask ChatGPT to help draft some talking points. “Elected officials do a tremendous amount of public speaking,” said Mayor Matt Mahan, whose recent itinerary has taken him from new restaurant and...
Hello Kitty Cafe fans line up for Santa Clara opening
The Bay Area’s first character cafe opened in Westfield Valley Fair to hundreds of excited fans. The Hello Kitty Cafe opened Friday as the mall continues to bring new stores and different businesses into its $1.1 billion expansion. The mall is planning to open 25 new stores and restaurants in 2025 and remains one of...
Santa Clara County projects $1B in Medi-Cal cuts
Congressional Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” could deal a bleak, brutal blow to Santa Clara County’s public hospital system — the second largest in the state after expanding just months ago. President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July signing of H.R. 1, his watershed budget bill, has county leaders anticipating more than $1 billion in revenue losses...
Return of Campbell summer concerts a boon for businesses
Campbell is ready to groove again after one of the region’s largest free summer concert events was canceled last year. The annual Campbell summer concert series is returning this year after downtown construction led to a yearlong hiatus, and the city is anticipating the economic windfall. The free concert series, featuring live music from local...
Santa Clara County property values up while growth slows
Santa Clara County property values are seeing their lowest growth in more than a decade due to economic uncertainty and stalled development. Yet the total net assessed value of all real estate and personal property – known as the assessment roll – reached a new height of nearly $726 billion, County Assessor Larry Stone announced...
Lawsuit ties up millions of dollars in Campbell revenue
An anti-tax group is fighting to end Campbell’s sales tax hike, tying it up in the courts and putting the city in a multimillion-dollar bind. The Silicon Valley Taxpayers Association, along with Campbell resident David Wolen, is suing Campbell over Measure K, a half-cent sales tax hike. The measure raises the sales tax to 9.875%,...
San Jose nonprofits threatened by federal funding cuts
Santa Clara County nonprofits serving the region’s vulnerable residents are facing funding cuts coming down from the Trump administration. Among proposed cuts is the planned elimination of the $3.3 billion Community Development Block Grant program tied to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. San Jose distributes millions of dollars annually through the program...
The Biz Beat: Mommy’s Bánh Mì in San Jose knows best
The seeds for Mommy’s Bánh Mì in San Jose were sown when owner Curtis Lai joked to his mother — who was obsessively pursuing the perfect Vietnamese sandwich — she was making so many she should sell them. Little did he know she would take him at his word. “She was always saying, ‘Try this,...
Santa Clara County growers unclear about ICE policy
South County growers are walking a tightrope between trusting the Trump administration to support them while hoping their workers aren’t caught in ICE raids. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in East San Jose have led to concerns about whether immigrant farmworkers will feel safe enough to work during the approaching harvest season, namely...
Santa Clara County approves budget amid Trump cuts
Santa Clara County supervisors took their first step toward adopting a $14 billion budget that weighs the region’s critical services against federal funding losses under President Donald Trump. After weeks of workshops and hearings, supervisors tried to close their budget talks on a high note. But their unanimous vote Thursday – with the final one...