Carl Guardino, the longtime president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, who championed public policy in San Jose for more than 20 years, publicly announced Tuesday he is stepping down from his role as the business organization’s influential executive. Guardino, 58, has been with the organization since 1997 and for nearly 24 years...
Property sales, new construction added $25B to county assessment roll
The South Bay had a banner year for major property sales and new construction. Changes that had ripple effects — good or bad, depending on whom you ask — throughout Silicon Valley. But a recent Santa Clara County assessor’s office breakdown offers another perspective on those changes: additional assessed property of more than $25.6 billion...
Higher state cannabis taxes in 2020 raise concerns in South Bay
Cannabis consumers in the South Bay — who already pay between 30% and 40% in taxes when their budtender rings them up — are about to feel a fresh pinch to their wallets when a statewide tax on farmers and retailers takes effect in 2020. Industry lobbyists, including Sean Kali-rai of the Silicon Valley Cannabis...
Five key San Jose developments to watch in 2020
San Jose has seen a nearly unprecedented development proposal boom in recent years, and 2020 is set to be a critical year as some of those visions get off the ground or attract critical companies to the city. Here are five major projects to watch in the upcoming year. Will Museum Place finally begin to...
San Jose: Shuttered Camera 12 site could soon have a new purpose
More than three years after spinning its last movie, the vacant Camera 12 site in downtown San Jose could soon be transformed into a vibrant office and retail space. Urban Catalyst, a San Jose-based real estate equity fund focused on development in opportunity zones, announced this week it has closed on the property at 201...
How has Prop. 13 affected tax distribution in Santa Clara County?
Most Californians are aware that the way property taxes in the state are divvied out is uneven, skewed by a state law known as Proposition 13 that could be amended next year through a vote at the ballot box. But a recent report outlining property values in Santa Clara County breaks down the disparity in...
Cambrian Park Plaza redevelopment will include more bike amenities, open space
Plans for a massive renovation of the historical Cambrian Park Plaza shopping center are taking a new direction to include public art and more pedestrian and bike friendly amenities. “It is substantially different from the original proposal,” said Councilmember Pam Foley whose district includes the 17-acre shopping center famous for its carousel display. Foley met...
Tech drives Silicon Valley leasing to the top, even as companies expand elsewhere
Silicon Valley is far outpacing all other metro areas when it comes to companies leasing and moving into commercial space, a trend driven primarily by tech, according to a recently released report. The trend, outlined in commercial real estate brokerage CBRE’s annual Tech-30 report, shows that even as many Bay Area companies increasingly look outside of...
Silicon Valley’s minimum wage workers will see bigger paychecks in 2020
The lowest wage earners across Santa Clara County will get a boost in pay in 2020, with workers in Sunnyvale and Mountain View due to get the biggest bump as both cities increase their minimum wages to $16.05 in January. And San Jose, once a leader in raising the minimum wage, will fall in last...
Silicon Valley Leadership Group appeals to business leaders on $100B transit ballot measure
A trio of Bay Area planning and business leaders are ramping up efforts to promote a years-long initiative to get a $100 billion tax measure for transit investment on the ballot in Nov. 2020, as opponents of the measure start to push back. The measure, called FASTER Bay Area, is backed by The Silicon Valley...