San Jose-based Cisco Systems Inc. will pay $4.75 million to employees after the U.S. Department of Labor found the local tech giant had paid female, black and Hispanic employees less than male and white employees for comparable work. In an agreement announced Monday, Cisco will soon pay a total of $2 million to 1,505 affected...
Bay Area transit measure delayed as business sector focuses on COVID-19
The novel coronavirus has set back a transit measure that local leaders were pushing to get on the November ballot. A measure, known as FASTER Bay Area, to raise an estimated $100 billion for transit investment over the next 40 years, was expected to appear on the ballot near the end of the year, but...
Coronavirus death toll rises as San Jose State student, first responders test positive
Five people have died from coronavirus in Santa Clara County as of Tuesday evening. Officials announced a man in his 50s died Tuesday after being hospitalized since March 9. One of the deaths in Santa Clara County so far includes a homeless resident, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. As of Monday night, 392 people had...
Santa Clara declares local emergency due to coronavirus
The Santa Clara City Council ratified a local emergency Tuesday in an effort to combat the spread of coronavirus, following the lead of Santa Clara County, which issued a heightened shelter in place order on Monday. “There is a hollow sound in this chamber,” Mayor Lisa Gillmor said, sitting six feet from her fellow councilmembers...
San Jose adopts measures to help businesses amid coronavirus closures
As cancellations, school closures and mandatory quarantines ramp up, San Jose leaders are scrambling to help the city’s most vulnerable residents, fearing devastating economic consequences for residents and local small businesses that are losing income. Following last week’s call to place a moratorium on evictions for residents who can’t pay rent because of lost income,...
San Jose bars serve their last cocktail amid coronavirus shutdown
Like other San Jose watering holes, San Jose’s Britannia Arms in Almaden has temporarily closed its doors following the health mandate from Santa Clara County and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request. On Sunday, Newsom asked all state bars, nightclubs, wineries, and brewpubs to close in an increased effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Restaurants...
San Jose Public Libraries to close in wake of coronavirus pandemic
City officials are closing all San Jose Public Libraries beginning Tuesday after Santa Clara County and five other Bay Area counties issued a shelter in place mandate, ordering residents to stay at home as much as possible to decrease the spread of coronavirus. “We’re following the county of Santa Clara order along with several other...
Paz-Cedillos and Shieh: A rough year for the creative sector
So far, 2020 has been a rough year for the creative sector. From the ongoing repercussions of a well-intentioned, but poorly informed policy meant to protect workers (AB 5) to the cancellations of events that support hundreds of local artists due to COVID-19, our community life is reeling. At the School of Arts & Culture...
Sam Liccardo joins California mayors to support tax break reform to tackle homelessness
Mayor Sam Liccardo is among nine mayors across California’s biggest cities to support proposed legislation that would reduce state tax breaks for homeowners, raising funding to tackle the state’s burgeoning homeless crisis. Assembly Bill 1905, introduced by San Francisco Assemblymember David Chiu, would eliminate the mortgage interest deduction (MID) for taxpayers’ second homes. It would...
San Jose: Senior care facilities take steps to protect residents from coronavirus
As the number of coronavirus cases continues to climb in Santa Clara County, those caring for the most vulnerable residents — senior citizens — are increasingly on edge. Senior home workers in the South Bay are wiping down commonly touched surfaces more frequently and taking inventory of items such as hand sanitizer, masks and gloves....