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In the wake of the tumultuous shut down of Silicon Valley Bank and a weekend of uncertainty that has made national headlines, the local impact of the financial institution’s collapse in the tech-driven region was clear by the dozens of people who lined up outside the bank’s Santa Clara branch Monday. Everyone was hoping to...
San Jose mayor blasts ‘weak’ government response to Silicon Valley Bank collapse
In the aftermath of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is blasting the federal government’s approach to the crisis — calling it “weak” and “half-hearted.” U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said during a Sunday morning broadcast of Face the Nation that the government could not commit to guaranteeing the deposits...
Silicon Valley officials shut down their Twitter accounts
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen recently deactivated his office’s Twitter account, but he isn’t the first South Bay politico to leave the social media site—and he likely isn’t the last. Rosen deactivated the DA’s official Twitter account earlier this week, noting the recent takeover by billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has resulted...
Silicon Valley’s big tech donates little locally
Tech companies based in Santa Clara County earn billions in revenue but only donate a tiny portion to local nonprofits as social inequality in one of the country’s wealthiest counties worsens. A review by San José Spotlight of donations from several Santa Clara County-based tech companies shows these corporations gave a fraction of 1% of their revenue...
San Jose limits use of license plate data
San Jose is tightening rules around how police officers can use license plate data, hoping to build more trust with residents as the city prepares to expand its use of automated cameras. The updated rules are a key part of the city’s digital privacy program to help ensure its mass surveillance and information gathering systems don’t...
San Jose mobile app rife with problems
San Jose spent millions on a mobile app to improve community services, but only about 10% of residents use it. The city has put $2.3 million into developing its San Jose 311 app, which became operational in 2017. The app is designed as a one-stop shop for residents to report a variety of issues including...
San Jose gets stricter with parking enforcement
If you thought you could get away with parking over the time limit on San Jose streets, think again. The city is ramping up enforcement of time-restricted street parking with automated license plate readers this month. The controversial technology is a high-speed, computer-controlled camera system that automatically captures all license plate numbers that come into view, along...
Silicon Valley gig workers demand corporate support after deaths
It is a simple ask: gig workers don’t want to be killed on the job. More than a dozen Lyft drivers and other ride-share app workers rallied for more protections on Thursday in front of the San Jose Lyft office. They want corporations to invest not only in more security, but to also financially support family...
San Jose mayor’s Twitter hack raises broader security concerns
Cybersecurity experts are urging public officials to beef up their online security in the wake of San Jose mayor’s Twitter account getting hacked. An unknown person or group briefly hijacked Mayor Sam Liccardo’s Twitter account last week and used the account to promote non-fungible tokens or NFTs—a digital product similar to cryptocurrency. Liccardo’s office referred...
State bill could give San Jose speed enforcement cameras
San Jose is one step closer to getting speed enforcement cameras to combat a leading cause of traffic fatalities. The California Assembly’s transportation committee voted unanimously Monday to advance Assembly Bill 2336, which would authorize the use of automated speed enforcement cameras in San Jose, Los Angeles, Oakland, Glendale and San Francisco. The bill heads to...