Oct 1, 2015
The need to preserve and construct affordable housing in Silicon Valley is critical. One way to combat the housing crisis we are facing is through a multi-city nexus effort that would help jurisdictions explore the feasibility to fund affordable housing through impact fees on new commercial and/or residential development. The current efforts underway in Santa Clara County are modeled after an…
Sep 24, 2015
The Pope’s visit to the United States is reenergizing organizations throughout our nation that advocate for the just, humane and dignified treatment of workers. The Pope’s message on income inequality, workers’ rights, migrant rights and economic justice has put the spotlight on a very real issue facing working families in Silicon Valley: the significant and growing economic disparity between those…
Sep 11, 2015
Today, the County of Santa Clara decided to terminate its contract with Turner Construction. Turner is years behind schedule for completing the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and is costing the County thousands of dollars a day in lost revenue. In addition, last year’s steam explosion at the Medical Center, which injured workers, raised questions about the company’s safety procedures.…
Sep 11, 2015
Last night, the efforts started by Silicon Valley Rising (SVR) to achieve a regional minimum wage took a solid step forward at the Santa Clara County Cities Association (Cities Association) meeting. For more than a year, Silicon Valley Rising has been leading the charge to raise the minimum wage throughout the Valley and has seen success in Sunnyvale, Mountain View,…
Aug 26, 2015
Despite the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the fight for gender pay equity is far from over. Currently, full-time working women make an average of 77 cents on the dollar when compared to their male counterparts. Sadly, the gender pay gap is worse for minorities, with African American women earning 64 cents and Latinas earning 56 cents for every dollar…
Aug 19, 2015
One of the hottest topics sweeping the Silicon Valley is the desperate need to raise the minimum wage. We have seen a trend of local cities taking the issue head-on, especially as they see more of their community members working for wages that keep them below the poverty line. What started as one daring city, San José, taking the lead…
Aug 11, 2015
Today, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors showed its renewed commitment to setting high job standards by extending the Living Wage Ordinance to officially include its employees. The board voted 4-0-1, with Supervisor Wasserman supporting the measure and Supervisor Simitian abstaining. The County’s actions demonstrate that fair compensation, paid sick-leave and a fair work week are among the top…
Jun 11, 2015
Santa Clara is the heart of Silicon Valley, where some of the world’s biggest companies began in cramped garages. These cramped garages used to symbolize resourcefulness that led to some of the greatest innovations in the world. But now, these same garages where billion-dollar companies were founded represent something darker: they are home to individuals and families that can’t afford…
Jun 1, 2015
On May 26, 2015, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) formally announced his candidacy for the presidency. It wasn’t a surprise: Bernie had been getting out there a lot lately with some of his whacked-out ideas, such as—prepare to faint—free college education for all, a progressive tax system and breaking up dangerously large Wall Street banks (who are even larger today than…
May 29, 2015
The Whopper of the Week is back! Nothing seems to bring out whoppers like city discussions about land and housing. Recent debates over the conversion of land from commercial to residential use and over renter protection policies (like rent control) vividly demonstrate this correlation. Tweet