California residents can expect a variety of new laws to take effect in 2024, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed hundreds of bills to tackle the state’s most pressing issues. These bills range from updates to mental health services and housing to worker protections to safe drinking water, and Silicon Valley lawmakers championed many of them....
Silicon Valley minimum wage bump doesn’t cover costs
The minimum wage is going up across Silicon Valley in January, but it won’t be high enough to cover the rising expenses of daily living. Although minimum wage is going up as high as $18.55 in Sunnyvale, workers and business owners say the increases aren’t enough to make a dent in the region’s expensive rent...
Lawsuit alleges harassment by former Santa Clara County sheriff
A Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office employee is suing the county, claiming former Sheriff Laurie Smith created a hostile work environment for her and others who participated in a corruption investigation targeting Smith. Lara McCabe, a management analyst in the sheriff’s office, alleges in a complaint filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court last month...
Bay Area election offices advise voters with no party to take action
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News Registrar of voters offices across the Bay Area recently issued guidance to “No Party Preference” voters who will have to take action if they want to vote in the presidential primary contest in the March election. A joint statement by 11 local county registrar’s offices noted that the March 5,...
2023 in review: The top 10 Biz Beat stories
One of the great pleasures of compiling stories for The Biz Beat is meeting remarkable restaurant owners and soaking up their enthusiasm. Having the chance to stand in a corner of a kitchen and watch them prepare their dishes is a joy and an education. Their stories are diverse, from those who learned recipes by...
Major Silicon Valley developments to watch in 2024
In 2023, San Jose and Silicon Valley’s development scene faced numerous challenges, including increasing costs due to inflation and spiked interest rates making financing projects of all kinds more difficult and expensive. While development approvals continued at a rapid pace, many projects are on hold or being changed or resized to cut costs, office space...
Embattled Silicon Valley chief gets warm send off from boss
The top investigator at the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, who was found to have made discriminatory remarks against co-workers and others, has retired and received a glowing review by his boss. In a Tuesday email to all staff, a copy of which was reviewed by San José Spotlight, District Attorney Jeff Rosen praised Moises...
Hundreds died on Silicon Valley streets this year
San Jose and Santa Clara County have spent decades and millions of dollars trying to end homelessness, and while some progress has been made, thousands remain on the street each night—and hundreds die each year. In 2023, 201 unhoused people died on county streets, a number officials say is a grim reminder of a failure...
Silicon Valley office vacancies stuck in double digits
Silicon Valley’s offices are rapidly emptying out, as the paradigm-shifting remote work culture brought on by the pandemic continues to affect the commercial real estate market. A December report from the research arms of Joint Venture Silicon Valley and commercial real estate firm JLL Silicon Valley shows demand for office space in the third quarter of...
‘Dying to stay here’: The plight of Black people in Silicon Valley
A local economist startled by the staggering disparities pushing African Americans to the margins in Santa Clara County is launching a video and podcast project hoping to bring more attention to the issue. Chuck Cantrell’s “Dying to Stay Here” video was formally released at CreaTV studios in San Jose earlier this month. The roughly nine-minute...