Economy

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren on Monday presented five checks totaling 2.45 million for community projects for public safety and infrastructure projects in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. The Community Project Funding was requested by Lofgren and was included in Fiscal Year 2024 government funding legislation, signed into...

In an effort to minimize impacts on wildlife and tribal resources, as well as to satisfy critics of the proposed Sargent Mine in southern Santa Clara County, the project’s applicant recently offered to scale back their original plans for the property. However, some of those...

With seemingly constant rain storms pummeling the South Bay so far this winter, a federal drought monitoring program recently downgraded most of Santa Clara County from “Severe” to “Moderate” drought. But local water supply authorities warn that residents and property owners should continue to...

Valley Water crews have dug about 160 feet into a giant tunnel that will be able to divert massive volumes of water out of Anderson Reservoir when the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project is completed.  The 20-foot diameter tunnel—which will be 1,750 feet long when...

Since Valley Water evicted dozens of unhoused residents of Gilroy from the water district’s properties along local creeks in November, many have relocated to a growing encampment on Sixth Street near Camino Arroyo Drive.  On Feb. 9, the Gilroy City Council voted 4-2 to give...

A $30 million incentive project is underway to help businesses, nonprofits, public agencies and tribes fund the installation of electric vehicle chargers in disadvantaged and low-income communities across the state.  Santa Clara is on the list of 30 counties where such parties are eligible for...

Food pantries across South County are experiencing unprecedented demand following the suspension of SNAP benefits due to the federal government shutdown, with lines wrapping around blocks and new families seeking assistance at rates not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Reach Out Food Pantry in...

Driven by increasing residential values and despite a “troubled” commercial real estate market, Santa Clara County’s overall property assessment roll grew by $35.6 billion, or 5.4% in the last year, according to Assessor Larry Stone’s office. The growth includes an increase of around 5% in...

Every year,  lawmakers in Sacramento introduce a flurry of bills, most of which are eviscerated during the legislative process and end up on the Assembly or Senate trash heap. A select few make it to the governor’s desk, and assuming they dodge the veto...

Although farm and food production workers were considered essential workers during the pandemic, many of California's food employers endangered those workers, violating Cal/OSHA's Covid-19 guidelines more often than most industries, a new report said. The California Institute for Rural Studies’ report said farm and food...