Apr 9, 2015
Fairly priced clean water is considered to be a basic human right. Given all Californians are in a severe and historic drought, we must ask: What can be done to minimize the effects on the disadvantaged? Tweet
Mar 30, 2015
Mountain View Minimum Wage Ordinance – Regional Update and Potential Work Plan Date/time/location item will be heard: March 31, 2015 Receive an update on minimum wage ordinance regional developments and provide direction to staff on whether or not to proceed on a proposed work plan to achieve Council’s adopted goal of reaching a minimum wage of $15.00 per hour…
Mar 27, 2015
Microsoft announced that it will require many of its 2,000 contractors and vendors to provide their employees who perform work for Microsoft with 15 paid days off for sick days and vacation time. This comes after months of public pressure by Silicon Valley Rising, a coalition of faith, community and labor groups, who have been working to improve the conditions of…
Mar 23, 2015
San Jose Expansion of Disadvantage Business Enterprise goals Date/time/location item will be heard: March 25, 2015, 1:30 pm Memo from Liccardo, Herrera, Kalra & Peralez to approve the proposed overall Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation goal as a minimum, while making every effort to surpass the goal; Work with community stakeholders, such as the Minority Business Consortium, ethnic/minority Chambers of Commerce,…
Mar 20, 2015
Affordable housing advocates won another battle on the local level with the passage of a housing impact fee in one of the valley’s fastest growing cities. Earlier this week the Sunnyvale City Council voted to support staff’s recommended level of $17/sf. It was a good discussion that had only one member line up against the fee at all (Jim Davis).…
Mar 16, 2015
Cupertino: General Plan Amendment hearing pushed back The General Plan Amendment (GPA) public hearing to consider changes to city-wide development allocations for office, commercial and hotel uses, height limits and building planes, and adoption of a Community Benefits Program Policy was changed to the April 21 City Council meeting. Tweet
Mar 12, 2015
This week marks the two-year anniversary of implementing a $2 increase in San Jose’s minimum wage. At the time, this 25 percent increase was one of the largest jumps in minimum wage in the nation’s history. Proponents said it would help low-wage workers pay for the basics with little harm to the economy, while opponents warned of economic catastrophe. As…
Mar 11, 2015
In late 2013, activists in San Francisco began protesting against “Google buses” – large commuter shuttle buses that ferry high tech workers from all over the Bay Area to Silicon Valley under contract with companies such as Apple, Google, and Facebook. The protests quickly spread to other cities including Oakland and Seattle. And what it brought to the forefront is…
Mar 10, 2015
Collective bargaining and good public policy is needed for California’s tech corridor to foster widely shared prosperity Silicon Valley is the center of innovation in our economy. But are the profits it generates helping to bolster a strong middle class? This question is as relevant today as it was in the 1990s, when the dot-com boom began. In fact, tech…
Mar 9, 2015
San Jose SB 3, Minimum Wage Fairness Act vote NEW MEMO: Councilmember Chappie Jones states his support to SB3 if it is amended with the following exemptions: 1) non-profits with job training programs; 2) small business with fewer than 15 employees; and 3) youth employment and job programs. Tweet