For many public officials, artificial intelligence holds the promise to massively boost government operations. But the emerging technology also faces serious questions about how it can be used without compromising data security and user privacy or displacing workers. For the past two years, San Jose has been helping government agencies across the globe navigate this...
San Jose workers want safeguards from AI
San Jose has been an early adopter of generative artificial intelligence tools. Now the city’s largest public sector union is demanding it also move quickly to embrace safeguards for workers. Amid ongoing contract renewal negotiations with the city, AFSCME Local 101 has introduced a package of proposals intended to give workers a greater say in...
San Jose deadlocked on divesting from companies with ICE ties
Despite growing calls for San Jose to divest public funds from certain companies, the City Council has decided to hold off — for now — on making any major changes to the city’s investment portfolio. The decision Tuesday came as a setback to supporters of a proposal that would have seen the city gradually phase...
UPDATE: Santa Clara County workers want guardrails for AI
Santa Clara County officials want to get ahead of artificial intelligence, and are exploring how to implement guardrails as the growing technology sparks displacement fears among public servants. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday, with Supervisor Susan Ellenberg absent, to move forward with a comprehensive study on how AI is used across its various...
The Biz Beat: San Jose’s Sixth Street Burger is a smash
Abram Chandler’s path from plumbing contractor to co-owner of Sixth Street Burger in San Jose was circuitous, but in some ways it was a short one: The restaurant sits just two blocks from his childhood home at Sixth and St. James streets. “I went to Horace Mann Elementary,” he told San José Spotlight. “I used...
Cupertino to poll residents on potential tax increase
Cupertino officials are asking residents if they’re willing to pay more taxes, as the city faces mounting financial pressures and rising service costs. The City Council on Tuesday directed staff to poll residents on a potential increase to the city’s utility users tax, signaling that as the most likely path toward placing a measure on...
Rifts emerge in San Jose budget talks
The fault lines are beginning to show as San Jose leaders continue budget talks that must balance a $56 million deficit. After lengthy deliberations Tuesday, the City Council ultimately approved Mayor Matt Mahan’s March budget message — a document that will set the terms of the city’s budget debate in the coming months. However, the...
San Jose thrift shop funds historic preservation efforts
A new thrift shop is bringing estate furniture, vintage china, clothing and other unique finds to San Jose’s Creekside neighborhood — with all proceeds going toward preserving the city’s architectural heritage. Housed in a 5,000-square-foot warehouse, the Found SJ Rummage & Reuse Hub provides a second life for items while supporting the efforts of the Preservation...
San Jose mayor behind in polls but ahead on prediction markets
Traditional polling puts San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan toward the back of the pack in the race for California governor. But online gambling markets are betting bigger on his success. While polls by Emerson College, UC Berkeley and the Public Policy Institute of California have all put Mahan under 5% favorability in the race, the...
San Jose mayor issues budget plan amid projected shortfall
As San Jose officials prepare a budget proposal that’s sure to involve significant cuts, Mayor Matt Mahan has marked out his own spending priorities for the city. The mayor’s annual March budget message, released Tuesday, directs city administrators to strive for maintaining key service areas — around homelessness, neighborhood blight, public safety, housing affordability and economic...