San Jose housing advocates say corporate property owners are taking advantage of the latest artificial intelligence tech to drive up rent prices — and renters are feeling the financial pain. Councilmember Peter Ortiz has proposed a policy to restrict the sale and use of “algorithmic devices” to set rents or manage home occupancy levels in the city....
Silicon Valley service workers support no taxes on tips
Bev Lucatelli, owner of The Caravan Lounge, pretends to jokingly strangle one of her bartenders, King Patrick Eugenio, under the warm glow of the bar’s rainbow Christmas lights and they both burst out laughing. All the employees treat each other like family, with Lucatelli even offering to spot Eugenio when he’s low on rent money....
The Biz Beat: San Jose restaurant serves Mexican food with halal twist
Chef Hisham Abdelfattah knows the test of a great restaurant is not how it prepares and plates its highest-end menu items, but the care it takes in its everyday foods and side dishes. And at El Halal Amigos, it all comes down to his magnificent rice and beans. “People ask me what is my best...
Failed contract prompts San Jose hotel worker strike
Frustrated San Jose hotel workers launched a three-day strike over Labor Day weekend against the Signia and DoubleTree after more than two months of failed contract negotiations with Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Unite Here Local 19 hotel workers in San Jose chose to strike Monday night and picket through Tuesday, a union representative told San...
East San Jose businesses to launch growth plan
East San Jose businesses are partnering with the city to launch a plan to drive more shoppers into the Tully Eastridge neighborhoods and breathe new life into its diverse economy. The business owners want to create a business improvement district as a way to draw more foot traffic to the area for upcoming events such as farmers markets...
Santa Clara preps stadium security ahead of Super Bowl
In what regional leaders call a first for American sports arenas, Levi’s Stadium will host World Cup matches and the Super Bowl in the same year — and the costs of making history are taking shape as Santa Clara officials work to secure the venue from threats. World Cup public safety costs could hover around...
San Jose has highest home prices in nation
It’s cheaper to rent a home in San Jose than buy one, though renters still pay steep prices in one of the most costly cities in the nation. A report by real estate platform Clever ranks San Jose as the No. 1 most expensive city to buy and rent, out of the 50 most populous...
AI companies see San Jose as a place for growth
Artificial intelligence lives and breathes thanks to tech innovators of the 1980s and 90s who saw Silicon Valley as the landscape to develop the more than trillion-dollar computer industry. Though AI only recently entered the public vocabulary — with the search term peaking in popularity just last month since Google began tracking the data in 2004...
The Biz Beat: San Jose restaurant sells burgers for $1.99
There’s a new burger joint in downtown San Jose, with prices cheap enough to keep even the most hungry university student fed. Campus Burgers is one block from San Jose State University and will undoubtedly be a magnet for students look for a fast, affordable lunch or dinner. And the demand is there: the restaurant...
San Jose water rates keep going up
The for-profit company providing water for six Santa Clara County cities will walk back proposed rate hikes over three years. But watchdogs say the cuts are a sham and residents will still face higher water bills. San Jose Water Company initially proposed to hike rates by a total of 20% through 2027. A proposed settlement agreement between the...