The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved expanding the city’s community wireless network plan and prioritizing its distance learning strategy to provide every student with a computer, broadband access and digital literacy. In the wake of COVID-19, schools across the nation have shuttered until fall, forcing classes online. But with 1 in 10...
Santa Clara County’s unemployment rate rose to 3.3 percent in March
Unemployment rates across California spiked last month following record lows across the state and Silicon Valley, according to data released Friday. Santa Clara County’s unemployment rate rose to 3.3 percent last month, according to the California Employment Development Department, which handles workforce services including Unemployment Insurance. While these preliminary labor market numbers lag several weeks, that’s...
Newsom, local officials tap business leaders to plan economic recovery
Though Californians are likely weeks away from seeing restrictions loosen around the statewide mandate to stay home due to the novel coronavirus, officials are making plans to jump-start the economy. California Gov. Gavin Newsom Friday announced a new task force to “pave the way toward a fast, safe recovery of jobs.” The Task Force on...
Planning for a ‘new normal,’ San Jose launches economic recovery council
San Jose has launched a new advisory council to help map out economic recovery in the tenth-largest U.S. city, as leaders begin mulling the region’s “new normal.” The five co-chairs of the council, announced by Mayor Sam Liccardo on Thursday, will aim to jump-start the region’s economy and help bring back the 200,000 Santa Clara...
San Jose leaders, residents endure the rise of ‘Zoombombings’
San Jose Councilmember Raul Peralez fell victim to hackers twice in one week in a new, online harassment trend. The trend, known as “Zoombombing” is when videoconferences are interrupted by unwanted visitors, who often display pornography or slurs. It has become so pervasive, the FBI issued a warning about the harassment last month. While many...
California unveils new benefits for unemployed, undocumented
The state of California is fielding 2.7 million unemployment claims filed in the last four weeks alone, putting strain on phone lines and processing times as residents lose hours and pay due to the statewide stay at home order issued last month due to the coronavirus. But applying for unemployment is about to get easier,...
Real estate experts talk COVID-19 impacts on tech, government and economy
The coronavirus changed how — and even if — Silicon Valley works following statewide and regional orders to stay home. But real estate insiders say it may change the way employees work long after the outbreak, too. “I truly believe the biggest change coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 will be the downsizing...
Tying the knot — or not: coronavirus leaves couples, businesses reeling
Everything was in motion for Afsha Wasi’s April 19 wedding, part of a three-day affair in Fremont that would kick off a new chapter of her life in Chicago, half a country away from her hometown of San Jose. Then the coronavirus hit the Bay Area, events were canceled and it all ground to a halt....
How will Santa Clara County enforce non-medical cannabis sales ban? The honor system.
A little more than a week ago, top Santa Clara County officials banned all recreational cannabis sales at dispensaries as part of a widespread shelter-in-place order meant to slow the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Now, those administrators are saying they have no way to enforce the new rules. Their solution? The honor system. “There...
San Jose ranks in top 25 cities for women in tech, but the gaps remain wide
Being a woman working in tech in Silicon Valley is still not as lucrative as being a man doing the same work, but the gaps are shrinking, new data show. A report by New York-based personal finance technology company, SmartAsset, which asks which cities are best for women in tech, looks at four factors to...