May 14, 2019
In less than two weeks, San Jose State graduate student Mike Casas will walk across the stage — a moment he’s dreamt of for years — but the excitement is tempered by a cloud that hangs over his head. Student debt. “The cost of living is so expensive that you have to draw on student loans to be able to…
May 13, 2019
Santa Clara County Update on development agreement negotiations with Stanford University; County has suspended negotiations due to problems with Stanford’s commitments to PAUSD Pursuant to Board of Supervisors direction at the October 16, 2018 (Item No. 9) meeting at which the Board directed the Administration to enter into a negotiation process with Stanford University on a possible development agreement relating…
May 8, 2019
Yesterday, the Milpitas City Council rejected both rent control and an emergency just cause eviction ordinance. Council Members Anthony Phan, Carmen Montano and Bob Nuñez voted against asking staff to draft rent control and just cause eviction policies for the city, while Mayor Rich Tran and Vice Mayor Karina Dominguez supported moving forward with the tenant protections. The rent control…
May 7, 2019
We broke the story that 49ers exec and Stadium Manager Jim Mercurio looks like he has a serious conflict of interest. He makes decisions about stadium vendors and one of them is VenueNext. The company is a “sports and entertainment technology integrator.” Mercurio bought or received between $10,001 – $100,000 of stock in VenueNext. Click here to read the…
May 7, 2019
Santa Clara County Direction on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking, incl. Chavez rec for $5M funding to address gender-based violence On April 15, the County’s Children, Seniors, and Families Committee (CSFC) and City of San José’s Public Safety, Finance, and Strategic Support Committee (PSFSSC) convened a joint Special Hearing on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking to…
May 1, 2019
The Stadium Authority found out that the 49ers/ManCo had violated state prevailing wage laws. The team got a “breach of contract” warning from the Stadium Authority on March 28, 2019. They were supposed to “cure” the problem in 30 days. They didn’t. So last night, Stadium Authority Attorney Brian Doyle told the Board that he issued a “Notice of…
Apr 29, 2019
City of San Jose REPLACEMENT MEMO 4/29 – 4 affordable housing exemption programs will lead to $138M+ in public subsidies for developers REPLACEMENT MEMO 4/26 – The “replacement memo” reflects changes to Attachment E, which lists projects that have not completed the exemption process or are no longer eligible for an exemption. Among the projects listed is Google. Within Attachment…
Apr 26, 2019
By Robert Haugh We’ve been trying to get County Assessor Larry Stone to answer some important questions about last year’s 49ers assessment tax appeal case. That decision gave the 49ers a huge tax break. According to our sources, it may be one of the biggest cuts in Santa Clara County history. Some people estimated the total hit to be…
Apr 24, 2019
Last night, the Mountain View City Council voted on its policy priorities for the year. More than 50 community advocates and local leaders showed up to testify before Council, and there was a strong sense of solidarity between labor and community allies, both of whom backed prioritizing displacement and wage theft issues. The top priority voted on by Council was…
Apr 23, 2019
When Sam Liccardo was elected Mayor in 2014 he had an opportunity to bridge the gap that divided the City. He had been elected by a bare majority composed of the whiter, more affluent parts of the City. People of color in less affluent neighborhoods, largely on the eastside, voted for his opponent Dave Cortese. During his first term, Liccardo…