Swiftie or not, pop star Taylor Swift is undeniably a money magnet — and new financial figures show a massive boost for Silicon Valley’s economy from the artist’s two-day stop at Levi’s Stadium. Dan Rascher, president of Sports Economics, LLC, who analyzes the business of sporting events and concerts, told San José Spotlight that 60,000...
Op-ed: How to help San Jose’s food trucks flourish
Since Nov. 2018, Veggielution has worked with seven low-income immigrant street food cart entrepreneurs to explore a new model of community engagement and economic opportunity. These mobile food vendors receive technical assistance workshops, secured tax identification numbers, city business licenses, and food handler’s certificates. Veggielution in 2019 partnered with San Jose’s Office of Economic Development...
San Jose has hundreds of vacancies but barely hiring
As San Jose braces for what could be largest strike by employees in 40 years, an examination of the city’s 800 job vacancies reveals that only a fraction are open for applicants. City officials say this is intentional and strategic – prioritizing the most important positions to fill first. But union leaders say some of...
Santa Clara County leads electric car sales
Santa Clara County is leading the way in electric car purchases as sales soar across the state. More than 43% of new car purchases registered in the county this year were zero emission vehicles, the highest in the state, according to 2023 California Energy Commission data. Last year the county’s percentage was 34%. Laura Neish,...
Silicon Valley Black cultural center receives funding boost
As Silicon Valley’s Black population continues to shrink, local leaders are celebrating a decades-long effort with a new cultural center to honor the history and contributions of Black residents. The Silicon Valley African American Cultural Center is slated to open its doors in 2027, with the help of $3 million in state funds thanks to the...
San Jose is failing on promise to add more police officers
San Jose is off to a slow start staffing up the police department since Mayor Matt Mahan took office in January. Filling dozens of empty vacancies at the San Jose Police Department has been a long term goal for Mahan dating back to his time on the campaign trail. But so far it’s been an uphill...
Silver Taube: We need to protect employees who speak up for fair workplaces
A persistent misconception among American workers is that employers can only terminate them for good cause. This misconception arises, in part, because in other countries such as Mexico and the Philippines, termination can only be for just cause. In the Philippines, an employer must provide two written notices and a hearing once the employer provides...
Silicon Valley governments rank high in state lobby spending
Three local governments in Silicon Valley spent more than $1.9 million lobbying for local causes this year. Santa Clara County spent about $630,807 lobbying the state Legislature and agencies as of June, according to a CalMatters report. The county trailed behind the city of Santa Clara but was ahead of San Jose. All three landed...
DoorDash Kitchens in San Jose offers dine-in options
DoorDash Kitchens’ new San Jose location has evolved to become a fast-food restaurant as well as a delivery service. Although it initially resembled a ghost kitchen, DoorDash Kitchens now offers dine-in services at the Plant Shopping Center on Curtner Avenue. The location, which had its soft opening in May and officially opened on July 31,...
Former San Jose staffer enters District 10 race to unseat ex-boss
Former city employee Nooran Bayzaie was considering a run for the District 10 San Jose City Council seat when his boss and sitting councilmember fired him. Bayzaie, 22, most recently worked as a legislative and policy aide for District 10 Councilmember Arjun Batra. Bayzaie said he was let go a couple of weeks ago, the...