California lawmakers, whose state is home to the most advanced artificial intelligence developers, are concerned that Congress is not prepared to respond to a job market where AI takes over entry-level jobs in the technology sector. It’s not clear yet how often AI is replacing — or will replace — entry-level jobs, but there are...
San Jose State scores 5-star rating
San Jose State University is among the best public colleges in the U.S., according to recent rankings. Money magazine has given San Jose State University a five-star rating in its 2025 Best Colleges list, which scored more than 700 four-year universities nationwide based on quality of academics, affordability and outcomes for alumni. Eighteen other public...
New building reforms change pace of San Jose development
San Jose officials are celebrating the rollback of a long-standing environmental law, which has been a hurdle for housing production. Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 30 signed two bills, Senate Bill 131 and Assembly Bill 130, which bring significant reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) — allowing many developments to circumvent an environmental...
Federal government punishes San Jose university but keeps it secret
President Donald Trump had already cut hundreds of millions to Columbia University over antisemitism allegations and put 59 other colleges on notice when word came down to staff that he wanted to punish more campuses. “Can we get something going on Twitter in a short bit?” Senior Policy Strategist May Mailman asked several members of the White...
Apple rescues Cupertino’s transit project
A significant West Valley interstate project was about to be abandoned. Then a tech giant stepped in with millions of dollars. Cupertino, in collaboration with VTA and Caltrans, can move forward with the Interstate 280 and Wolfe Road interchange improvement project thanks to a roughly $4 million donation from Apple to bridge the remaining funding gap....
Santa Clara County could lose millions in food assistance
The federal government is abandoning its role in providing critical social safety nets, advocates and policy watchers warned. The Senate reconciliation bill would cut $186 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office. It would be the largest cut in the program’s history. SNAP, known...
California lawmakers celebrate AI moratorium stripped from bill
Lawmakers from both parties are celebrating the Senate’s decision to cut a provision that would have put a 10-year pause on state-level regulation of artificial intelligence from the reconciliation bill hours before it passed. California lawmakers are among those who are most relieved that they narrowly avoided this provision getting tucked into the legislation. The...
Silicon Valley BART project gets millions in funding, but still short
VTA is finding ways to patch the Silicon Valley BART expansion’s nearly $1 billion budget gap, from extra state funding to restructuring expensive contracts. The California Transportation Commission awarded two grants to the BART expansion project on Thursday and Friday, totaling about $100 million. At the same time, the VTA board of directors has approved...
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San Jose advocates rally against Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” will create staggering losses for America’s most vulnerable families, advocates say. About two dozen protesters from the Solidarity and Unity Network (SUN) rallied in front of Robert F. Peckham Federal Building in San Jose on Thursday to speak out against the bill, which has passed the House and is...
Silicon Valley BART tunnel launches construction
The whir and thunks of heavy equipment hauling clay and soil from underground could be heard throughout the Newhall Maintenance Yard on Monday, as VTA begins construction on the BART expansion through Silicon Valley. Contractors have been working in the yard 22 hours a day since June 9 pulling bentonite — a clay-like material —...