A proposal by Milpitas Councilmember Karina Dominguez to eliminate health benefits for her and her colleagues and level the playing field for part-time city workers did not receive enough support for further discussion by the council during Tuesday’s meeting. Councilmember Anthony Phan was the only official who called to place the item on a future...
UPDATE: San Jose residents will pay more for garbage services
San Jose residents aren’t just paying more for gas—they’ll soon pay more to take out the trash too. The City Council unanimously approved rate increases for garbage collection at Tuesday’s meeting. In July, rates will increase 8% for single-family homes and 4% for multi-family homes. Officials attribute the need to increase rates to rising costs...
San Jose hockey arena expansion to heat up downtown
Jon Gustafson, senior vice president of SAP Center and Sharks Ice, has dedicated most of his career to growing the game of hockey in San Jose. Now, Gustafson is leading a major expansion of Sharks Ice and opening the South Bay’s newest ice arena. This next chapter of Gustafson’s efforts is close to reality. The San Jose Barracuda,...
Silicon Valley cities cook up new restaurant model
Families across Santa Clara County are flocking to food halls, one-stop eateries to order a variety of cuisines from local restaurants. Similar to food courts, food halls—also known as “micro kitchens”—let customers come to a storefront to order food from multiple restaurants and enjoy their meal on site. Variations on the idea are popping up...
Silicon Valley food banks struggle with soaring gas prices
The rising cost of gas is impacting Santa Clara County nonprofits and threatening food for the homeless. Increased fuel expenses are cutting into budgets of local food pantries, including Martha’s Kitchen, Lighthouse Ministries and Loaves & Fishes. Martha’s Kitchen is facing a monthly budget increase of $5,000 due to increased fuel prices, a significant hit...
The Biz Beat: San Jose feed store caters to every anteater and zebra
With its roots anchored in agriculture and old-style customer service, Sam’s Downtown Feed & Pet Supply has served San Jose for more than 30 years. Advertised as “feeding anteaters to zebras,” the store provides livestock and chicken feed, beekeeping supplies, grain, hay and zoological feed. In addition to feeding llamas, alpacas and flamingos, it also...
San Jose national quality of life ranking gives critics pause
This week, San Jose moved up the ranks to become one of the Bay Area’s two best places to live in the United States. But for researchers crunching similar statistics, vaulting onto the top 10 list is a bona fide head scratcher. According to the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Places to Live in...
Valley Fair parking fees a burden for San Jose student workers
A coalition of mall workers and San Jose State University college students are fighting to be heard at Westfield Valley Fair. On Thursday, the group known as Low Income Versus Elite protested in front of the mall on Stevens Creek Boulevard against its employee parking fee policy. For retail workers who make minimum wage, having...
Amended settlement allows new housing in North San Jose
A legal obstacle that blocked new housing in North San Jose for almost a decade has now been removed, thanks to an amended settlement between San Jose and Santa Clara. San Jose councilmembers voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an agreement with Santa Clara, which will free the city to pursue housing development in North San...
San Jose council ponders airport improvements amid budget talks
As San Jose leaders consider budgets for transportation services, some are expressing cautious optimism about the recovery of air travel. At a recent budget workshop meeting, San Jose Aviation Director John Aitken said the city is focused on the air transportation industry’s recovery. He said the Mineta San Jose International Airport is still well below its pre-pandemic...