As Yogi Berra famously said, this is deja vu all over again. San Jose is setting up a replay of the same budget battle it went through last year. Once again, Mayor Matt Mahan and his allies are floating a proposal to redirect Measure E funds away from permanent affordable housing and into emergency solutions...
Silver Taube: Support ‘know your rights’ training for fast-food workers
Step Forward Foundation and the California Fast Food Workers Union, SEIU have released a report that includes the findings of a first of its kind survey conducted last July and August with 300 workers at 213 fast-food restaurants owned by 32 different brands in 83 cities across California. The eye-popping findings revealed that 88% of...
Ritchie: A word on women in commercial real estate
The commercial real estate brokerage industry on the whole has been an inclusionary catastrophe, and is still vastly dominated by a basic white male upper-middle-class demographic across the U.S. The one saving grace on this score is held almost entirely by women, as the count on people of color of any shade including pink is...
Bramson: Sounding the alarm before housing disappears
Heading into what will surely be a challenging budgeting season for governments large and small, it’s important to remember that the choices we make will have significant ramifications. Last year, a coalition of San Jose leaders decided that affordable housing mattered most by continuing to allocate the majority of Measure E funds — a real...
Mallon: Major sporting events offer Bay Area transit a chance to shine
In 2026, the Bay Area will host the Super Bowl and World Cup at Levi’s Stadium. As anticipation builds for these events, transportation agencies and leaders have a huge opportunity to showcase our public transit system. Levi’s Stadium is well-served by public transit, including VTA light rail and buses, Capitol Corridor and the ACE train....
Cloutier: Without Prop. 1, our dire housing and untreated mental health crisis will get worse
On March 5, Californians will be asked to vote on Proposition 1 — creating housing and a range of treatment options for the state’s unhoused citizens with complex mental health and substance use conditions. We know this proposition has trade-offs, as any piece of legislation does. But will this move California forward in addressing homelessness...
Collins: Behind the listings — professional perspectives on today’s real estate market
Coming off a challenging housing market last year, I wanted to check with some of our members to get a pulse on how 2024 is shaping up. Despite low inventory and fluctuating interest rates, Doug Goss of Keller Williams Bay Area Estates feels optimistic about 2024. “We have several buyers in the market and it’s...
Robinson: No bad choices in the upcoming election
Unlike November’s general election, which will pit good (President Biden) versus evil (he who will not be named), the March 5 primaries offers voters a chance to vote for the best among us. Certainly the president will win the primary. The two most contested races locally will be the U.S. Senate race and the congressional...
Waite: The right candidates for San Jose City Council
Prior to the 2022 San Jose mayoral runoff, Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility opined that “Mahan …is a vocal advocate of measuring results and holding government accountable. He recognizes the failures of more than a decade of pouring money into affordable housing complexes, now costing up to $1,000,000 per door…” We are pleased that Mayor Matt...
LaFortune: San Jose’s story is delicious
San Jose is a city filled with stories, but which stories do our destination sales and marketing teams tell to best drive visitor dollars into our city? It’s important these stories promise and deliver on something that is unique, differentiate us from other California destinations and illuminate who we are. While there are many great...