How Artificial Intelligence Could Strengthen Affordable Housing Oversight and Protect Taxpayer Investments San José has spent years positioning itself as one of the nation’s leaders in government artificial intelligence. City leaders have promoted GovAI as a tool that can modernize government, improve public services, and help employees work more efficiently. The initiative has generated national […]
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Will San José Cut Services Too Soon as Its Reserve Falls to $12.5M?
San José’s reserve has dropped to $12.5 million while financial discipline and new revenue proposals move forward at the same time. San José’s Budget Stabilization Reserve has fallen from $63 million to just $12.5 million in roughly 18 months. At the same time, the City is projecting a $55–$65 million General Fund shortfall and signaling […]
Read Full Article →Why I’m Doing This
I’ve spent years watching how choices get made in city halls, commission chambers, and behind closed doors — choices that shape how we live, work, and move around the Bay Area. Some are smart. Some are baffling. Many never get the attention they deserve. And too often, the people who care the most — residents, […]
Read Full Article →Palo Alto looks to rezoning to limit impacts of state bill
Palo Alto looks to rezoning to limit impacts of state bill – San José Spotlight The Big PicturePalo Alto is moving quickly to get ahead of Senate Bill 79, a state law that significantly increases allowable housing density near transit. The city is exploring a mix of rezoning and historic preservation strategies to blunt the […]
Read Full Article →San Jose’s Last Railroad Trestle Sparks Preservation Fight Amid Trail Expansion Plans
San Jose residents rally to save railroad trestle – San José Spotlight The Big Picture A growing coalition in San Jose is pushing to preserve the century-old Coyote Creek Trestle, a 1922 railroad bridge now caught in the middle of a planned trail expansion. City officials had leaned toward demolishing the structure to make way […]
Read Full Article →PG&E Reverses Course, Protects Coyote Valley in Power Project Shift
PG&E reverses decision environmentalists say threatened wildlife in San Jose’s Coyote Valley The Big Picture Pacific Gas and Electric Company agreed to relocate a major South Bay transmission project to land adjacent to the existing Metcalf Substation, abandoning earlier plans to build on agricultural land in Coyote Valley. The shift follows more than a year […]
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New affordable housing project breaks ground in San Francisco
San Francisco Affordable Project Lands $78M in Financing – Multi-Housing News The Big PictureA major affordable housing development known as “Marvel in the Mission” (also called La Maravilla) has officially broken ground in San Francisco’s Mission District after years of delays, financing challenges, and community debate. The multi-phase project will ultimately deliver about 382 fully […]
Read Full Article →Project would replace downtown San Jose parking lot with affordable homes
Affordable homes may sprout on a downtown San Jose surface parking lot The Big Picture A surface parking lot in the core of San Jose could become 173 units of housing, with 171 designated as affordable. The proposal, led by The Sobrato Organization and Pacific West Communities, targets a 1.3-acre site near the Hammer Theatre […]
Read Full Article →State Housing Law Could Transform Campbell Overnight
State housing law could reshape Campbell’s small city vibe with up to 40,000 new homes – Local News Matters The Big Picture A sweeping state law, Senate Bill 79, could dramatically reshape Campbell by allowing dense housing near transit without local zoning limits. With three VTA light rail stations in a city of just 6.5 […]
Read Full Article →Cooley Signs Lease for New State‑of‑the‑Art Redwood City Office
Cooley Signs Lease for New State‑of‑the‑Art Redwood City Office // Cooley // Global Law Firm The Big PictureCooley LLP has signed a long-term lease to relocate its Palo Alto office to a newly built, high-end office tower at 1900 Broadway in downtown Redwood City, with a planned move-in around 2030. The firm will occupy roughly […]
Read Full Article →Despite high-profile deals, high office vacancy rates haunt Bay Area’s three major downtowns
Sky-high office vacancy levels haunt Bay Area’s three major downtowns The Big PictureDowntown office markets across the Bay Area — including San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland — remain stuck with vacancy rates above 30%, despite a wave of high-profile leasing activity driven largely by AI firms. A new report from Cushman & Wakefield shows […]
Read Full Article →Is struggling hotel a bellwether for downtown San Jose?
Is struggling hotel a bellwether for downtown San Jose? – San José Spotlight The Big PictureSan Jose’s largest hotel — the Signia by Hilton downtown — may soon be put up for sale, creating a critical inflection point for the city’s recovery. The property, owned by BrightSpire Capital, has faced ongoing challenges since the pandemic, […]
Read Full Article →PG&E Doubles Santa Teresa Substation Capacity, Plans More Expansion to Power AI Growth
The Big Picture PG&E has doubled the capacity of its Santa Teresa Substation in South San José from 40 megawatts to 80 megawatts, adding new infrastructure to support growing electricity demand driven by data centers and artificial intelligence. The expansion was undertaken to meet an additional 40-megawatt power request from data center operator Equinix, and […]
Read Full Article →Palo Alto group buys Coyote Valley farmland in San Jose for $5.3 million
Palo Alto group buys Coyote Valley farmland in San Jose for $5.3 million The Big PictureA new land deal continues to solidify the long-term direction of Coyote Valley as protected open space rather than future development land. The Peninsula Open Space Trust acquired a 71-acre farm for $5.3 million that had been in the same […]
Read Full Article →New South Bay power substation to be built at existing site
New South Bay power substation to be built at existing site – San José Spotlight The Big Picture The California Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved relocating a major energy project to the existing Metcalf Substation instead of building a new facility in Coyote Valley. The decision allows LS Power to move forward with its high-voltage […]
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San José’s Affordable Housing Audit Reveals the Real Test for GovAI
PG&E Doubles Santa Teresa Substation Capacity, Plans More Expansion to Power AI Growth
New affordable housing project breaks ground in San Francisco
Cooley Signs Lease for New State‑of‑the‑Art Redwood City Office
Palo Alto looks to rezoning to limit impacts of state bill
Project would replace downtown San Jose parking lot with affordable homes