As more people integrate artificial intelligence into their everyday lives—from students using ChatGPT for homework to adults using AI for art—San Jose leaders are adapting it into their daily work. The city released its first set of employee guidelines on Monday for generative AI, a technology that has the ability to generate text, images and...
Silicon Valley’s AI boom could widen disparities
Silicon Valley has long been recognized as the center of tech innovation. Now artificial intelligence is pushing the region into its next iteration. The outcome could end up driving a greater wedge between the haves and have nots. San Jose and the Bay Area have become the nationwide hub for the AI industry, according to...
San Jose police union hides web pages after scandal
The San Jose Police Officers’ Association has blocked significant portions of its website from public access after its executive director was charged in connection with an international drug smuggling scheme. The association, which is the union that represents about 1,100 San Jose Police Department officers, previously had its website largely open to the public, including pages for its board...
Silicon Valley lawmaker explores legislation after bank collapse
Two weeks after Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse left thousands of businesses reeling, one Silicon Valley lawmaker is exploring legislation to ensure it doesn’t happen again. At a discussion in Santa Clara on Saturday with nonprofit and business leaders, Congressman Ro Khanna announced he’s crafting legislation that would require banks to pay higher premiums to the...
Milpitas city attorney under fire for offensive tweets
A Milpitas official is raising concerns about a series of offensive tweets from the city attorney, who claims his account was hacked. Councilmember Anthony Phan said Twitter posts from City Attorney Michael Mutalipassi that were made 13 years ago are misogynistic. The tweets from 2009 and 2010 include misogynist comments on rape and female body...
Dozens line up to pull money from Silicon Valley Bank
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...