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3211176	有图 <p>By Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters</p><p>California’s drive to run its electric grid entirely on wind, solar and other clean sources of energy just got harder after President Donald Trump signed a sweeping new budget law.</p><p>The changes in federal tax incentives could affect the feasibility of new solar and wind projects as the state is counting on them to provide more electricity for Californians. A state law requires 100% of electricity to be powered by renewable, carbon-free sources by 2045, at the same time it’s moving to electrify cars and trucks.</p><p>RELATED:California reaches new record clean energy milestone</p><p>Incentives championed by former President Joe Biden were rolled back, shortening the timeline for the industry to obtain tax credits. Developers of wind and solar projects now face a new, shorter deadline for obtaining tax credits — most now expire at the end of 2027 instead of no sooner than 2032.</p><p>In addition, the new federal rules bar companies from accessing tax credits if they rely on major components from China or other “foreign entities of concern.” This restriction could hit California’s solar and wind industry especially hard, experts said.</p><p>The changes to tax credits are estimated to save the federal government approximately $499 billion from 2025-2034.</p><p>“For too long, the Federal Government has forced American taxpayers to subsidize expensive and unreliable energy sources like wind and solar,” Trump wrote in an executive order last week. “The proliferation of these projects displaces affordable, reliable, dispatchable domestic energy sources, compromises our electric grid, and denigrates the beauty of our Nation’s natural landscape.”</p> <p> </p><p>Projects can still be built without tax credits. But it puts more of a financial burden on their investors. In California, 11 solar projects and one onshore wind project now face potential delays or cancellation, according to an analysis of federal data by Atlas Public Policy provided to CalMatters. The projects are spread across the Central Valley, Inland Empire and Northern California.</p><p>Sean Gallagher, senior vice president of policy for the Solar Energy Industries Association, said in a statement that the industry was still “assessing what the federal tax bill means for them.” He warned the changes could jeopardize up to 35,700 solar jobs and 25 solar manufacturing facilities in California — including existing positions and factories as well as future projects that may now never materialize.</p><p>“The reality is, with or without clean energy tax credits, California’s energy demand is growing at a historic rate, and solar and storage are the fastest and most affordable way to meet that demand,” Gallagher said.</p><p>California in recent years has been fast-tracking massive floating offshore wind farms 20 miles off the coasts of Humboldt County and Morro Bay. The federal changes add some uncertainty that could chill investment. But experts say it’s not a death knell for the industry because the projects weren’t set to seek federal permits or generate electricity for at least several years.</p><p>“Offshore wind is what we would call a long-lead project. It does take years and years to develop,” said Assemblymember Dawn Addis, former chair of the Assembly’s Offshore Wind Select Committee. “Solar is a little bit shorter of a time frame…but it’s also his incredibly erratic behavior when it comes to market stability overall that is also going to affect these projects in a negative way.”</p><p>Experts say in the long-run, the federal changes could drive up energy costs.</p><p>“Tax credit savings are typically passed onto ratepayers through lower contracting costs. In the long term, the repeal of the tax credits will result in higher future electricity rates for customers,” the California Energy Commission told CalMatters.</p><p>Rising utility bills are already a major political headache for state leaders and a challenge for clean energy advocates who want the state to lead the way in making electricity cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable.</p><p>“The whole point of California’s climate policy is not just to reduce California’s carbon footprint — because we are less than 1% of global emissions — but to set an example and show that this can be done,” Berkeley economist Severin Borenstein told CalMatters. “There are going to be fewer other states following our example because it’s going to be more expensive.”</p><p>The new hurdles for solar and wind come as they are scaling up to meet surging electricity demand nationwide, including from energy-hungry data centers fueling the rise of artificial intelligence.</p><p>California Energy Commissioner Nancy Skinner, in an interview with CalMatters, said the federal law is a national “job killer” and was short-sighted. “The economics of renewable energy generation speak for themselves….The cost of solar generation now is competitive with natural gas,” she said.</p><p>“We’re not going to back away from our commitments and our goals,” she added. “Our commitment — whether it is to zero-emission vehicles, or to renewable energy generation — is about cleaning the air as well as addressing the climate crisis…Nobody wants to live in smoggy communities, where the air you’re breathing hurts you.”</p><p>Solar and wind projects have helped California log key renewable energy milestones in recent years. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom said nine out of every 10 days so far in 2025 have been powered by non-fossil fuels for at least a part of the day.</p><p>The state’s grid runs on a mix of renewables — solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, biomass and hydropower — an average of seven hours a day, the governor said, citing new data compiled by the California Energy Commission.</p><p>“The fourth largest economy in the world is running on more clean energy than ever before,” Newsom said in a statement. “Trump and Republicans can try all they want to take us back to the days of dirty coal but the future is cheap, abundant clean energy.”</p><p>But industry officials say the state isn’t doing enough. They say the state has too many hurdles for building wind and solar projects and needs to offer more funding.</p><p>“For years now, too many California leaders have retreated from true clean energy leadership — hopefully the tax bill serves as a wakeup call that their leadership on clean energy is more important now than ever,” Gallagher said.</p><p>Trump and Congress did not shorten the tax credit deadlines for nuclear power plants, hydroelectric facilities, battery storage and geothermal plants. Congress also dropped a provision that would have added a new excise tax on wind and solar.</p><p>For wind and solar, there’s still a possible path to claim tax credits if construction starts within a year or they come online by the end of 2027. Senators added that provision to soften the blow. In theory, those projects could be finished and connected to the grid as late as 2031and still qualify, but that depends on how the Treasury Department defines what it means to “start construction,”said Kevin Book, an energy analyst based in Washington, D.C.</p><p>“In the short-term, it might actually increase or shift earlier expenditure on these kinds of clean energy projects and all else equal,” said David Victor, a professor of public policy at UC San Diego. “California is in a pretty good position to profit from that acceleration.”</p><p>But Victor warned that the long-term costs could become “a political nightmare.”</p><p>“The long-term incentive, clearly, is to try to slow down investment in solar and wind and electric vehicles,” Victor said.</p><img src="https://i0.wp.com/calmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/072822_SolarPanels_LV_CM_019.jpg?resize=780%2C519&ssl=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">Solar panels at the Kettleman City Power solar farm on July 25, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local<p>Borenstein took a more measured view about the impact on costs: California’s high electricity prices aren’t mainly about power production — they’re driven by wildfire costs, including past damage payouts and upgrades to prevent future fires. Other drivers include subsidies for low-income customers and the cost shift from rooftop solar, he said.</p><p>Some legislators have advocated for the state budget to cover more of these costs, but Borenstein said it’s politically easier to keep charging customers through their electric bills.</p><p>Alex Jackson, who leads the industry group American Clean Power California, said the state should use money from its cap-and-trade program to lower bills. Cap and trade is a market system that charges California companies for the greenhouse gas emissions they produce. Jackson said those funds could help pay for grid upgrades so ratepayers don’t have to.</p><p>He said the state also could lower clean energy costs by speeding up permitting, easing environmental rules for upgrades to existing projects and reducing costs for turning farmland into solar farms. He also called for expanding regional electricity markets to help California trade power more efficiently — a controversial idea being debated in the Legislature this year. </p>Related Articles Sunnyvale plans a makeover in the form of ‘Village Centers’ — but displaced businesses face a difficult future Following long wait, Oakland Coliseum sale ready for Alameda County board’s vote Astronomer CEO, HR chief face ‘professional downfall’ over Coldplay scandal: report Bay Area and California each lose thousands of jobs in June Mystery investor grabs hundreds of empty acres near East San Jose <p>The state Legislature has debated for years exempting some clean energy projects from the state’s landmark environmental law, the California Environmental Quality Act, which is often blamed for delays. State Sen. Scott Wiener, of San Francisco, has advocated for such changes.</p><p>“California has always been a leader, and we need to step that up significantly,” Wiener told CalMatters. “We’ve really aggressively invested in clean energy, and we need to ramp up that investment, and we need to make it easier and faster to get clean energy deployed.”</p><p>In addition to the wind and solar credits, the budget signed by Trump also ends tax credits for purchase of electric cars, rooftop solar panels, home batteries, heat pumps, insulation, energy-efficient windows and doors, and other upgrades. Rooftop solar tax credits end this year. Federal tax credits for hydrogen production end after 2027 — a blow for California, which had positioned itself as a national hydrogen hub. Those changes are estimated to save about $543 billion from 2025–2034.</p><p>The state Energy Commission said the elimination of the EV credits beginning on Sept. 30 will mean “lower adoption of electric vehicles” and a “potential short-term spike in ZEV sales” before that date. Rooftop solar projects and heat pump sales also are likely to decrease, the agency said.</p> California’s wind and solar projects face new federal hurdles – Silicon Valley	查看 11118	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-16 06:38:01 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211175	有图 <p>Brea-based Mullen Automotive Inc. announced Tuesday, July 15 that it’s moving commercial operations to Michigan and shedding jobs as the electric vehicle truck maker struggles to improve its finances and vehicle sales.</p>Related Articles Tesla failed to stop autopilot misuse, safety expert testifies Hyundai’s Supernal startup laying off 53 in California as it pivots flying taxis to production Joby Aviation expands Monterey County site, adds sixth aircraft to its test fleet Tesla plans robotaxi expansion to Bay Area ‘in a month or two’ Silicon Valley VC helps lead controversial race to start mining ocean floor <p>The company also is changing its name to Bollinger Innovations and ticker symbol before Aug. 15. The stock (MULN) finished trading Tuesday at just above 11 cents a share. The company does not yet have a new ticker.</p><p>Since January, the company has eliminated 155 jobs and reduced annual operating expenses by roughly $35 million. The company’s consolidation includes the operational shift to Oak Park, Michigan, and merging Mullen and Bollinger sales, marketing and service operations under the Bollinger brand.</p><p>The company said it plans to continue focusing on building its Class 1, 3 and 4 commercial vehicles. Class 1 through 3 trucks are generally considered light-duty vehicles, while Class 4 trucks are medium-duty.</p><p>David Michery, chairman and chief executive officer of Mullen Automotive, will have the same executive position with Bollinger Motors after the consolidation takes place.</p><p>Mullen began assembling EV cargo vans in 2024 at plants in Tunica, Mississippi, and Mishawaka, Indiana. The Indiana facility was recently sold to the GEM Group through a legal settlement, said Mullen spokesman Jason Putnam on Tuesday.</p><p>He said that the company has no plans to move its headquarters and battery plant out of California, despite the concentration of operations in Michigan — including a move for its sales and marketing teams.</p><p>Manufacturing will remain in Mississippi while production on EV truck batteries recently started in a leased a 121,615-square-foot warehouse built on the former home of Kraft Heinz Foods in Fullerton, Putnam said.</p> <p> </p><p>In September 2023, Mullen announced the initial purchase of battery production assets from Romeo Power, a unit of Nikola Corp., for $3.5 million. In January, the Fullerton facility furthered its U.S. battery production capabilities with the additional purchase of battery line equipment from Nikola, which filed for bankruptcy protection in February.</p><p>“Both Brea (headquarters) and Fullerton are staffed and operational,” Putnam said.</p><p>The EV truck business hasn’t been smooth sailing for Mullen.</p><p>In June, Bollinger Motors said it emerged from receivership after parent company Mullen Automotive settled claims in a lawsuit filed by Bollinger Motors’ founder, Robert Bollinger. In connection with the settlement, Mullen Automotive boosted its investment in Bollinger Motors and became a 95% owner.</p><p>In the past year, Mullenlanded $10 million in financing from Robert Bollinger, and regained Nasdaq compliance to trade on the stock exchange following three reverse stock splits in 2023. Mullen made its first delivery of EV trucks on the East Coast to Randy Marion Automotive Group in North Carolina in June 2023.</p><p>The company claims to have seen a steady order flow in recent months.</p><p>In September, the United Arab Emirate-based Volt Mobility placed $210 million worth of pre-orders with Mullen for EV vans and trucks. The deal with Volt Mobility provided 300 all-electric commercial cargo vans, heavy-duty pickups and commercial trucks in 2024 with a total of 3,000 deliveries in 2025.</p><p><p><img srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-MULLEN-0923-1.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-MULLEN-0923-1.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-MULLEN-0923-1.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-MULLEN-0923-1.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-MULLEN-0923-1.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>Brea-based Mullen Automotive has launched production of the Mullen Three Class 3 EV truck at its Tunica, Miss. assembly plant. The first customer deliveries are scheduled for this month and September. (Photo courtesy of Mullen Automotive)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-MULLEN-1021c.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-MULLEN-1021c.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-MULLEN-1021c.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-MULLEN-1021c.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-MULLEN-1021c.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-MULLEN-1021c.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>Mullen Automotive will assemble its Class 1 and Class 3 commercial delivery vehicles at its plant in Tunica, Mississippi, which is seen here. (Photo courtesy of Mullen Automotive)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-BREA-0909.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-BREA-0909.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-BREA-0909.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-BREA-0909.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-BREA-0909.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/OCR-L-BREA-0909.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>Mullen Automotive, a Brea-based maker of electric cars, has aquired a controlling interest in Bollinger Motors in a move that will expand the company’s reach into EV medium-duty and sport utility trucks. (Photo courtesy of Bollinger Motors)</p></p><p>Show Caption<p>1 of 3</p><p>Brea-based Mullen Automotive has launched production of the Mullen Three Class 3 EV truck at its Tunica, Miss. assembly plant. The first customer deliveries are scheduled for this month and September. (Photo courtesy of Mullen Automotive)</p>Expand</p> California-based EV truck maker shifting operations to Michigan – Silicon Valley	查看 6424	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-16 06:40:32 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211174	有图 <p>MARINA – Joby Aviation announced the expansion of its site at the Marina Municipal Airport in Marina, which doubles its aircraft production capacity at that location and supports the scale-up of commercial operations while bringing Joby’s total presence at the airport to about 435,500 square feet.</p>Related Articles Tesla failed to stop autopilot misuse, safety expert testifies Hyundai’s Supernal startup laying off 53 in California as it pivots flying taxis to production California-based EV truck maker shifting operations to Michigan Tesla plans robotaxi expansion to Bay Area ‘in a month or two’ Silicon Valley VC helps lead controversial race to start mining ocean floor <p>With its newly expanded Marina facility, the company said it plans to add hundreds of full-time jobs to support increased aircraft production.</p><p>Joby Aviation made the announcement on Tuesday, with the company saying that it also expanded its flight test program with the addition of another aircraft from its pilot manufacturing line in Marina to its growing fleet of six aircraft. That fleet includes two aircraft stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, where they are completing testing in conjunction with the company’s defense partners.</p><p>In May, JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, said that with six aircraft in the Joby test fleet, flying multiple aircraft at a time will play an important role in accelerating its certification testing and supporting plans to carry passengers for the first time next year.</p><p>Joby has been doing business in Marina for about seven years and is developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing air taxi designed to carry a pilot and up to four passengers at speeds up to 200 mph, offering high-speed mobility with a fraction of the noise produced by helicopters and zero operating emissions.</p><p>Once fully operational, the expanded Marina site is expected to be able to produce up to 24 aircraft per year, which is nearly one every other week, says Joby Aviation. It will also provide key capabilities including its initial FAA production certification, conforming ground and flight testing components, pilot training simulators and aircraft maintenance.</p><p>“Reimagining urban mobility takes speed, scale, and precision manufacturing,” said Joby Chief Product Officer Eric Allison in a press release. “Our expanded manufacturing footprint in both California and Ohio is preparing us to do just that. We celebrated the opening of the new facility with the flight of our sixth aircraft, which earned airworthiness certification within a week of completion.”</p><p>In September 2023, Joby Aviation chose Dayton, Ohio, as the site for its new manufacturing plant. Currently, Dayton has a newly renovated facility that will manufacture and test aircraft components for Joby’s Pilot Production Line in Marina. The Dayton site demonstrates the capabilities required for FAA production certification and supports the company’s plans to scale operations. Equipment installation is underway, with production ramping up to eventually build up to 500 aircraft a year at that location.</p> <p> </p><p>In April 2024, with the second production prototype aircraft to roll off its pilot production line as a backdrop, Joby broke ground on its new 220,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at the Marina Municipal Airport. In May, the company announced it was nearing completion and would be handed over to the Joby team shortly thereafter. The new building more than doubles Joby’s manufacturing footprint in Marina and also houses an expanded pilot training and flight simulation center as well as aircraft maintenance facilities designed to support the scaling of its commercial operations.</p><p>Strong support from the local workforce and community-based organizations, elected officials, city and county leaders, and nonprofit partners was instrumental in bringing the expanded facility to life, according to Joby Aviation. In 2023, Joby was awarded a $9.8 million grant from Gov. Newsom’s Office of Business and Economic Development to accelerate its growth. The company also benefited from a program through the California State Treasurer’s Office, which helped reduce equipment costs by $10 million, supporting Joby’s efforts to scale today.</p><img src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/MCH-L-JOBY2-0716.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">Joby Aviation broke ground on its new 220,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at the Marina Municipal Airport in April 2024. The new building more than doubles Joby’s manufacturing footprint in Marina and also houses an expanded pilot training and flight simulation center as well as aircraft maintenance facilities designed to support the scaling of its commercial operations. (Joby Aviation)<p>The Marina facility is one of three in California with others at Santa Cruz — where the company is headquartered — and San Carlos, which supports powertrain and electronics. Joby Aviation also has a facility in Munich where it focuses on roles such as process engineering, manufacturing engineering, quality inspection and computer numerical control operations.</p><p>The opening of the new manufacturing space in Marina is a big step forward as Joby gets ready to scale production and enter the market, according to the company. It said achieving this comes down to, among other things, being committed to American innovation by drawing on top talent at its California and Ohio facilities. Joby designs, builds, and tests its aircraft in the U.S..</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 16, 2025 at 7:02 AM PDT</time></p> Joby Aviation expands Monterey County site, adds sixth aircraft to its test fleet – Silicon Valley	查看 5754	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-16 11:04:16 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211173	无图 <p>SAN JOSE — A long-shuttered drugstore in San Jose where a housing development was once proposed has been bought by a Los Angeles real estate firm in a deal that hints at weaker property values for the site.</p>Related Articles Mystery investor grabs hundreds of empty acres near East San Jose Another East Bay hotel foreclosed in blow to Bay Area lodging market Changes eyed for part of exterior of 19th-century San Jose church Applied Materials property buying binge in South Bay tops $400 million with new deal San Jose-area office market improves; San Francisco, Oakland get worse <p>The one-time CVS Health store was bought for $3.3 million, according to documents filed on July 9 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office.</p><p>The retail site is located at 1097 Leigh Avenue in San Jose, the county property files show.</p><p>Orum Capital, a Los Angeles-based real estate firm that acted through an affiliate, bought the retail site from Longs Drug Stores of California. In 2008, CVS Health bought Longs in a $2.54 billion deal whereby all of the Longs retail sites were rebranded as CVS stores.</p><p>It wasn’t immediately clear what Orum Capital’s plans are for the empty store site. The retail building totals29,800 square feet and was built in 1974.</p><p>This deal has occurred at a time when CVS is orchestrating plans to slash the number of stores that it operates in the United States.</p><p>CVS has revealed plans to shut 271 stores nationwide during 2025, according to the retailer’s annual report.</p><p>“During the third quarter of 2024, CVS finalized an enterprise-wide restructuring plan intended to streamline and simplify the organization, improve efficiency, and reduce costs,” CVS stated in its annual report. “The company completed a strategic review of its retail business and determined that it plans to close 271 retail stores in 2025.”</p> <p> </p><p>The drugstore building is next to a dd’s Discounts store at 1792 Southwest Expressway in San Jose.</p><p>In 2022, SummerHill Apartment Communities proposed a 396-unit multifamily residential development and a senior care center at the site.</p><p>The housing would have replaced the dd’s Discounts store and the drugstore property with the housing and the senior center.</p><p>The apartment complex was never built, and SummerHill didn’t buy any of the parcels that were needed for the proposed development.</p><p>Orum Capital, the new owner of the drugstore property, is a real estate firm with expertise in owning and developing commercial properties. Orum Capital’s holdings are primarily in the Los Angeles area. The company doesn’t list any Bay Area sites in the stable of properties that it owns.</p><p>What is certain is the transaction points to weaker real estate values for the proeprty.</p><p>The $3.3 million purchase price was 47% below the property’s estimated value of $6.2 million, as calculated by the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office.</p><p>Slumping property values can imperil tax revenue for an array of public agencies, including cities, counties, regional agencies, and school districts.</p><p>The 1097 Leigh property isn’t the only CVS store site that has been bought in recent years. In 2023, a South Bay real estate investor paid $10.5 million for a CVS building at 1685 Tully Road in San Jose.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 16, 2025 at 8:25 AM PDT</time></p> Shuttered drug store property in San Jose lands California buyer	查看 3483	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-16 08:29:48 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211172	无图 <p>A developer is suing Los Gatos over the town’s application requirements for a builder’s remedy project after almost a year of back and forth on the application’s completeness.</p>Related Articles Mystery investor grabs hundreds of empty acres near East San Jose Shuttered drug store property in San Jose lands California buyer Second phase of San Jose Tamien Station transit-oriented development could begin mid-2026 Bay Area developer building ‘micro-studios,’ and yes, people are renting them Why one California union sided with YIMBYs and developers on housing <p>Vista Capri is a builder’s remedy project led by Campbell-based architectural firm Anderson Architects and owned by Los Gatos LLC, a real estate company based in Fullerton. While developers assert that their project would expand housing options and take advantage of nearby transportation features, they dispute the application requirements requested by the town. Los Gatos LLC said they are in active settlement negotiations with the town and coordinating with the California Department of Housing and Community Development.</p><p>“We have attempted to work with the town, but due to the town’s continued resistance to new housing, we have had to file a suit to bring the town into compliance with the state housing laws,” wrote Los Gatos LLC in an email to this news organization.</p><p>The developer’s plans call for an eight-story apartment building at 14288 Capri Drive consisting of 119 units; 24 of which would be designated as lower-income units, according to the project description. They are offering studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units, a covered barbecue area, a community outdoor roof deck and a basketball court. The outer walls would use stucco finishes, and a metal screening would enclose the parking garage on its base.</p><p>Los Gatos LLC asserted that the town has so far approved less than 6% of the low-income units required by its Housing Element. The town is required to make around 850 units affordable to low-income residents. Based on the recently approved developments on the town’s SB330 Application Tracker, the three projects currently approved would only provide 40 affordable units, less than 5% of the total.</p><p>A letter sent to the town on May 28 from the Law Offices of Richard Jacobs on behalf of Los Gatos LLC alleges that it was unlawful for the developer’s application to be considered incomplete based on the town’s submittal requirement checklist on its Project Plan Submittal Guide. The lawyer asserts that the town’s request for a conditional use permit for the project is illegal. The developers argue that the permit requirement is overruled because the town failed to pass a compliant Housing Element before they submitted their application. The letter goes on to assert that many of the town’s application requirements, including those that ask to specify curb sizes and surfacing materials and to provide the number of stories on adjacent buildings and floor area ratio of nearby sites, are illegal.</p><p>“The town’s continued improper designation of “incomplete” status on this project application appears to simply be carrying out the town’s attempts to block builder’s remedy projects that bring much-needed low-income housing to the Town,” Jacobs wrote in his letter to the town. He refused to provide further comments to this news organization.</p><p>The apartments would be built on a half-acre triangular site between Winchester Boulevard, Capri Drive and Highway 85. The parcel is zoned for commercial use, with a single-story wood-framed building currently occupying it. Developers are requesting to demolish the existing structures to build the complex.</p> <p> </p><p>Los Gatos town staff state that the Vista Capri application is still pending and the town is reviewing the lawsuit, adding that they gave developers the chance to appeal the determination that their application was incomplete, but no appeal was submitted. Staff asserted that the town was within its rights to request a conditional use permit to allow a residential development in a commercial zone.</p><p>“The town’s requirement for a conditional use permit is not a legislative action, but rather a quasi-judicial action,” staff said in its response to the developers.</p><p>The developers have submitted three applications thus far for Vista Capri. The first application was submitted on Aug. 19, 2024. It then went through a second cycle on Dec. 4, 2024 and entered its third cycle on March 28 of this year.</p><p>From the beginning, it seemed that the developers and the town would have a tense working relationship. After the planning division first rendered the application incomplete, the developers asserted that the town was misunderstanding state housing laws, saying that the application doesn’t just expire if their supplemental submission is found unsatisfactory. However, the town asserted that staff can ask for additional information on each resubmittal as long as it is consolidated to a single letter.</p><p>The applicants also took issue with the requirement to provide environmental analysis for the project, per the California Environmental Quality Act. Town staff requested that the developers pay for a CEQA analysis to be conducted and asked if the developers will be providing any technical studies.</p><p>The developers said that they would address CEQA requirements once the application is considered complete, saying that the order that the town was requesting the information in was, “putting the figurative cart before the horse.”</p><p>Town staff responded that while the developers could put off CEQA analysis until after the application is complete, it would delay their application from going before a public hearing.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 16, 2025 at 8:29 AM PDT</time></p> Developers sue Los Gatos over builder’s remedy project application – Silicon Valley	查看 5934	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-17 15:25:48 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211171	有图 <img src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SJM-L-LABUBU-0716-4.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">Residents line up to buy Labubu toys in front of Five Little Monkeys in Albany, Calif., on Saturday, July 12, 2025.<p>The crowd began to gather outside Five Little Monkeys on a recent Saturday, before the Albany toy store even opened. Kids bounced with anticipation, while the unexpected line drew curious passersby. What could possibly be worth the early-morning wait?</p><p>For the fans of Labubu, it was the chance to acquire a quirky plush collectible monster sold by Pop Mart that’s gone viral across the US. With its mischievous charm and blind-box mystery packaging, Labubu is winning the hearts of fans nationwide and stirring a full-blown global craze among millennials and Generation Z.</p><p>“I’ve always loved just, like, cute and kind of creepy little creatures and characters, and they really inspire my art,” said Nikaela Bradford, a tattoo artist at Magnetic Arts in Berkeley.</p><img src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SJM-L-LABUBU-0716-2.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nikaela Bradford, 30, an illustrative artist at Magnetic Arts, shows her new Labubu blind boxes at Five Little Monkeys in Albany, Calif., on Saturday, July 12, 2025.<p>Wearing tiny Labubu earrings and holding her second Labubu, Bradford said she’s designed a series of Labubu-inspired tattoos for her studio, which is popular among clients for its spooky-cute aesthetic. “I think they really resonated with my design.”</p><p>The toy’s signature characters with creepy-cute smiles were originally designed by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, who said he was inspired by his childhood readings of Nordic folklore while living in the Netherlands.</p><p>He created Labubu in his 2015 storybook series “The Monsters.” In 2019 he started a designer toy line in collaboration with Chinese toy company Pop Mart, sparking a global frenzy for Labubu.</p><p>Pop Mart is projecting at least a 350% profit increase and at least a 200% revenue increase for the six months of the year after the craze went global, Bloomberg reported.</p><p>In the Bay Area, Labubu remains rather hard to come by, a scarcity created by Pop Mart’s desire for exclusivity and the toy’s growing global popularity. Stores with a Pop Mart partnership have a stable supply, but others rely on resellers or other importers across Asia.</p> <p> </p><p>Five Little Monkeys recently received its first shipment of Labubu, said Porter Orloff, a staff member. Customers talking about the craze started ramping up about six months ago.</p><p>“They’re really hard to get, and people would go crazy for them,” he said.</p><img src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SJM-L-LABUBU-0716-1.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">Labubu toys are sold at Five Little Monkeys in Albany, Calif., on Saturday, July 12, 2025.<p>A “Have A Seat” Labubu blind box retails for $27.99 on Pop Mart’s official website – when it’s in stock. At Five Little Monkeys’ drop event, the same box was priced at $69.99.</p><p>“They are usually out of stock on Pop Mart, and people sit on websites, too,” said Lori Arrendondo, another employee at Five Little Monkeys in Albany. The store sourced the toys from a reseller, paying prices well above retail, so they have to mark them up.</p><p>Labubu was easier to get last year, but starting in February, it went really viral and became impossible to find, according to Nelson Ng, the owner of Fugitive Toys, a Burlingame toy store with a Pop Mart wholesale account that started to sell Pop Mart toys this past October.</p><p>“Everybody wants to have what they can’t get,” Ng said. “When there’s no supply to meet demand, people are willing to pay.”</p><p>For Labubu lovers and wanna-be collectors, where can they get a Labubu in the Bay Area? Here are some stores that sell them, but call ahead to check availability.</p>Bay Area stores that sell Labubus (when in stock):Pop Mart, 3251 20th Ave #116, San Francisco, CA 94132, 628-338-2843ToysHut, 1350 Travis Blvd, Fairfield, CA 94533, 650-218-7343Popshop925, 2223 Railroad Ave suite 200, Pittsburg, CA 94565, 925-384-3743(out of stock but usually will be restock in 2 weeks)iFun, 3770 Livermore Outlets Dr, Livermore, CA 94551, 415-702-7442Fugitive Toys, 1550 Rollins Rd Suite A, Burlingame, CA 94010Fun Park, 2441 Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704, 626-703-2059iFun, 1350 A Park St, Alameda, CA 94501, 415-702-7442Fun Park, #08624060, Milpitas, CA 95035, 415-702-7442 <p>Originally Published: <time>July 16, 2025 at 10:53 AM PDT</time></p> Labubus: Where can buyers find the quirky plush toys in the Bay Area?	查看 4705	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-17 04:53:09 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211170	无图 <p>By Katy St. Clair, Bay City News</p><p>Authorities have suspended the pyrotechnic licenses of two men following the devastating explosion and fire at a fireworks storage facility in Yolo County earlier this month, Cal Fire said Tuesday.</p><p>RELATED: Fireworks explosion: East Bay brothers identified as two of seven victims</p><p>The July 1 explosion near Esparto leveled at least one building and ignited a 78-acre fire in an agricultural area about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento, killing seven people.</p><p>The Cal Fire Office of the State Fire Marshal suspended the pyrotechnics licenses of Kenneth Chee of Devastating Pyrotechnics Inc. and Craig Cutright of Blackstar Fireworks, who were identified in conjunction with the facility.</p><p>Fire inspectors did not comment on the investigation with specifics on Tuesday, but did say that the case is ongoing.</p><p>“While our Arson & Bomb Investigators have completed their evidence collection from the explosion site, the investigation remains very active,” said Chief Daniel Berlant, California State Fire Marshal, in a statement released by Cal Fire. “We continue to remain laser focused on this investigation as the family and the community deserve answers.”</p><p>Four people from the Bay Area perished in the fire. Neil Justin Li, 41, of San Francisco; Christopher Goltiao Bocog, 45, of San Francisco; Jesus Manaces Ramos, 18, of San Pablo, and Jhony Ernesto Ramos, 22, of San Pablo. Also killed were Angel Mathew Voller, 18, of Stockton; Carlos Javier Rodriguez-Mora, 43, of San Andreas, and Joel Jeremias Melendez, 28, of Sacramento.</p> <p> </p><p>In addition to the deaths and property damage caused by the explosion, it also forced several communities — including San Jose, Cloverdale and St. Helena — to cancel their July Fourth fireworks shows since their pyrotechnic supplies were stored in the Yolo County warehouse that went up in flames.</p><p>Copyright © 2025 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 16, 2025 at 11:25 AM PDT</time></p> California authorities suspend pyrotechnics licenses of two men associated with fatal fireworks storage site explosion – Silicon Valley	查看 2259	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-16 11:33:08 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211169	无图 <p>Each year, more than 60,000 people earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of California. Now, new data released by California’s flagship university system shows whichcompanies have been hiring graduates of the UC system, and for what jobs.</p><p>The UC system itself is a major employer of graduates, according to the data, which accounts for a fraction of alumni who have graduated since 2000.</p><p>The UC system is the largest public research university system in the country, with 10 campuses, five medical centers and other facilities. The data represents “roughly 35 percent of all UC alumni graduating in the past 25 years,” from 2000 through 2024, whose employment data could be found and scraped from public self-reported sources, like LinkedIn.</p><p>The data on employment was provided by Lightcast, a company that specializes in collecting and analyzing data on the labor market. The employment data “should be interpreted as illustrative examples of UC alumni employment rather than a comprehensive account of it,” according to the dashboard released by UC.</p><p>The number of employees includes duplicates, as it is a count of “employment occurrences” and one alumnus could be counted more than once if they held different positions at the same company, or the same position at different companies.</p><p>Still, the data provides some insight as to where graduates are getting jobs, and what jobs they are getting.</p>Related Articles Bay Area and California each lose thousands of jobs in June Hyundai’s Supernal startup laying off 53 in California as it pivots flying taxis to production Intel cuts hundreds more Bay Area jobs as tech layoffs worsen Applied Materials property buying binge in South Bay tops $400 million with new deal California-based EV truck maker shifting operations to Michigan <p>Outside of the university system, who is the biggest employer of Bruins, Golden Bears, Tritons, Aggies, Anteaters, Highlanders, Gauchos, Banana Slugs and Golden Bobcats? Google tops the list, with a slight upper hand over Amazon. Health care giant Kaiser Permanente comes in third, with over 50,000 employment occurrences combined between the three of them.</p> <p> </p><p>The University of California, its campuses and institutions account for four of the top 10 employers, according to the data. Meta, Apple and biotechnology giant Genentech round out the list.</p><p>Overall, the most common job title for those included in the analysis was software engineer, with 56,000 jobs counted, followed by associate, research associate, and research assistant, with between 14,000 and 20,000 each. Law clerks, project managers and founders were next on the list, each with 13,000 to 14,000 jobs among the cohort.</p><p>But many of the job titles are highly industry-specific, with academic positions within the UC system accounting for a large portion. Outside of public and private institutions of higher learning, this chart also shows the 50 most common job titles for UC alumni at each of the top 15 employers. To explore the data, you can sort by number of employees, or employer, and search by job title.</p><p>Software engineers were by far the most common positions for UC graduates at tech companies like Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft, as well as aerospace manufacturer Northrop Grumman. In the health care industry, at Kaiser Permanente, the most common job titles for alumni were pharmacists, nurses and project managers. Genentech has hired hundreds of technicians, scientists and researchers who graduated from UC programs.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 16, 2025 at 1:41 PM PDT</time></p> Who hires the most UC alumni? New data shows the top employers of graduates – Silicon Valley	查看 3744	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-18 04:47:06 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211168	无图 <p>By Christopher Elliott \| Travel Troubleshooter</p><p>Q: My family and I booked flights from Berlin to Seattle on Lufthansa using United Airlines miles. Our initial itinerary had us flying from Berlin to Munich to Seattle. Lufthansa canceled the Munich to Seattle flight, rebooking us on a flight from Berlin to Frankfurt to Seattle, with a stopover in Frankfurt of only 1 hour and 25 minutes.</p><p>My daughter requires a powered wheelchair and a ventilator. This connection time was not enough time to make our flight.</p><p>I contacted United, and they rebooked us on a flight from Berlin to Frankfurt, with an overnight stay in Frankfurt to ensure we had enough time for our connecting flight from Frankfurt to Seattle.</p><p>But then United Airlines changed the flight, this time booking us with connecting flights from Frankfurt to Washington Dulles to Seattle. This is a much longer flight duration — at least 5 hours longer than the direct flight — and adds an extra connection, which will be very difficult for my daughter.</p><p>When I contacted United to complain, an agent who had rebooked our flights had mistakenly canceled the Lufthansa direct flight, and because there were no more award seats available, United rebooked us on the connecting flights. When I asked United to fix the problem, the airline only offered us a $75 voucher per person, which is unacceptable.</p><p>We need United to either book us on the direct Lufthansa flight or provide us with adequate compensation for this mistake. — Brian Landmann, Woodinville, Wash.</p><p>A: When an airline makes a mistake, the airline must fix it, not you. And this was quite a mistake, and an insensitive one at that. I can’t even make an international connection in Frankfurt in less than 1 ½ hours — at least I couldn’t the last time I tried. How do they expect someone in a wheelchair to make it?</p> <p> </p><p>Your case raises several questions. For example, are you considered a second-class citizen if you are redeeming miles for your flight? You probably felt that way. But actually, the opposite should be true. Your airline should be treating you better because of your loyalty. Someone should have ensured that you were booked on flights with reasonable connection times — after all, you’re one of United’s best customers.</p><p>Another question: Should United have gone the extra mile for a passenger with a disability? Clearly, yes. United has a dedicated department for special-needs passengers that should have been able to help. I didn’t see any correspondence with that department in your paper trail, but that might have been a shortcut to a solution.</p><p>You might have also tried reaching out to one of the United Airlines executives. I publish their names, numbers and email addresses on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. Ultimately, when I look at your itinerary, I might have gone with an Icelandair flight with one stop in Reykjavik that would have gotten you to Seattle in about 12 hours. You could have saved your points for another flight.</p><p>I contacted United Airlines on your behalf. After reviewing your case, the airline agreed to rebook you on a flight from Berlin to Newark with a two-night layover in Newark, followed by a direct flight from Newark to Seattle. This new itinerary allows enough time for your daughter to comfortably transfer between flights. The airline also issued you a $350 voucher per person as compensation for the inconvenience caused by the changes to your itinerary.</p><p>While the new itinerary may not be perfect, it allows your family to travel comfortably and safely.</p><p>Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him on his site.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 16, 2025 at 4:10 PM PDT</time></p> United changed our flight, now we can't make our connection	查看 3906	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-17 11:02:34 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211167	无图 <p>By Christopher Elliott \| Problem Solved</p><p>Q: My USbank Kroger credit card was stolen, and the thief charged $1,238 at a local Sam’s Club. The thief also used my stolen Capital One and Cabela’s credit cards to try and charge $1,032 and $1,238, respectively, all at the same Sam’s Club. Fortunately, the Capital One and Cabela’s charges were declined, and the companies issued new credit cards.</p><p>I reported the theft to USbank the next day, called Sam’s Club to report the fraudulent charges, and filed a police report. I’ve called US Bank at least once a week since this happened. I gave them the police report case number and the name and number of the supervisor at Sam’s Club who I spoke with. US Bank is still saying I must pay the $1,238.</p><p>I am almost 80 years old with excellent credit. Also, I have never been a Sam’s Club member. Please help me! — Barbara Bowman, Delphi, Ind.</p><p>A: You shouldn’t have to pay for this, but not for the reasons you think.</p>Related Articles Magid: Paying forever? Subscriptions are taking over tech United Airlines changed our flight, and now we can’t make our connection Jill On Money: Trump’s mega bill winners and losers Magid: Internet Governance Forum focuses on protecting kids I can’t see this Pink concert. Do I deserve a refund? <p>You did everything right by reporting the theft to your bank, the merchant, and the police. You also kept a detailed record of your communication, which is important.</p><p>It helps that you were never a Sam’s Club member, but unfortunately, that doesn’t prove your innocence. A quick review of Sam’s Club policies shows it accepts all major U.S. credit cards, but they do not have to belong to the member. So, for all Sam’s Club knows, you could have given your card to a friend who was a member, and the charges would have been legitimate.</p><p>Still, it’s unacceptable that US Bank refused to remove the fraudulent charges from your account. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your bank should have clawed back the money from Sam’s Club. You had a police report and all of your documentation was watertight.</p> <p> </p><p>You could have escalated your case in writing to one of the executives at your bank or at the retailer. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the USbank executives and the Sam’s Club executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.</p><p>Lately, I’ve noticed a lot of credit card disputes that are summarily dismissed because the bank is using artificial intelligence to determine if a claim is valid. I don’t know if that happened in your case, but if I had to make an educated guess, I would at least say that your bank didn’t review your dispute carefully enough.</p><p>You asked my advocacy team for help and I contacted Sam’s Club on your behalf. In response, you received a notice that USbank had closed your case and issued a full credit to your account. “This nightmare is finally over,” you told me.</p><p>Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at https://elliottadvocacy.org/help/</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 16, 2025 at 4:17 PM PDT</time></p> I didn't make these purchases -- and I have the perfect alibi!	查看 3382	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-17 04:28:13 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211166	有图 <p>SAN JOSE — An IBM research hub in San Jose that produced numerous cutting-edge scientific and technical breakthroughs is slated to close and shift its workers to another lab a few miles away, the company confirmed.</p><p>IBM said it will close its Almaden Research Center at 650 Harry Rd. and move its researchers and workers to IBM’s Silicon Valley Lab at 555 Bailey Rd., on the edges of Coyote Valley.</p><img src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SJM-L-IBMSJSCAMPUS-01.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">IBM Silicon Valley Lab at 555 Bailey Avenue in the Coyote Valley region of south San Jose, seen in 2024.(Google Maps)<p>The company described the shutdown and consolidation as a way for its researchers to operate in a more efficient and collaborative fashion.</p><p>“We look forward to bringing all of our IBMers under one roof at our Silicon Valley Lab, working together side-by-side, to drive more collaboration and to continue to deliver new innovations, from artificial intelligence to quantum computing, for our company and clients,” an IBM spokesperson said in comments emailed to this news organization.</p><img src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/20160805__quinn-ibm-08071.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">IBM Almaden Research Center at 650 Harry Road in south San Jose, as seen in 2016.(Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)<p>The Almaden lab is part of a 700-acre site that IBM owns, according to real estate documents. The merging of the lab sites could be completed sometime in 2026 or by the end of this year.</p>Related Articles Mystery investor grabs hundreds of empty acres near East San Jose Another East Bay hotel foreclosed in blow to Bay Area lodging market Changes eyed for part of exterior of 19th-century San Jose church Applied Materials property buying binge in South Bay tops $400 million with new deal Shuttered drug store property in San Jose lands California buyer <p>“This is primarily a site consolidation, which will take place over the next six to nine months,” the IBM spokesperson said. “We do not expect significant workforce impacts.”</p><p>IBM Silicon Valley Lab occupies a parcel that totals 200 acres, a Santa Clara County property database shows.</p><p>Numerous residential subdivisions are located next to or near the western and southern boundaries of the IBM Almaden lab site. The northern and eastern sections of the property border primarily open space, a review of a county mapping database shows.</p> <p> </p><p>“We are currently exploring options for the Almaden space,” the IBM spokesperson said.</p><p>The pending consolidation marks the end of decades of cutting-edge achievements at Almaden Research Center, which is nestled in the Santa Teresa hills.</p><p>“IBM has been spearheading the development of breakthrough technologies in Silicon Valley for over 60 years,” the company spokesperson said.</p><p>The Almaden lab was an innovation hub whose breakthroughs involved countless endeavors.</p><p>Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, machine learning, cloud technologies and data storage are among the major scientific advances that the complex produced.</p><p>Over the nearly 40 years since the IBM Almaden lab opened in 1986, the site’s researchers have invented the first ink-jet printer prototype, the world’s smallest disk drive, the first disk drive, and encryption for DVD and Blu-ray devices.</p><p>In 2014, William Moerner, a researcher at the Almaden site, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Moerner’s work paved the way for the creation of optical storage technologies that many experts see as the foundation for the modern tech industry.</p><p>Research at the Almaden lab also led to the creation of a computer chip called TrueNorth that mimics how the human brain works. The chip was so cutting edge that it was accepted into the Computer History Museum.</p><p>IBM’s tradition of tech innovation in San Jose stretches back to a time when Silicon Valley wasn’t even known by that name.</p><p>In 1952, IBM established its first West Coast lab at a south San Jose site on Cottle Road. That lab’s achievements included the creation of the first magnetic disk drive device.</p><p>Those IBM sites at and near Cottle Road are now dotted with new suburban homes and apartments as well as a Costco retail warehouse.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 10, 2025 at 10:30 AM PDT</time></p> IBM will merge two South Bay research hubs into one San Jose tech site	查看 4571	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-10 15:16:40 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211165	无图 <p>RICHMOND — An alliance of California real estate firms has bought a huge apartment complex in the East Bay in a deal that tops $200 million for the residential hub that includes some income-restricted units.</p><p>Bella Vista at Hilltop, an apartment complex in Richmond with more than 1,000 units, has been bought for $225 million, according to documents filed on July 7 with the Contra Costa County Recorder’s Office.</p><p>The residential hub consists of 1,008 apartments in a series of three-story buildings, according to the Apartments.com website.</p><p>Some Bella Vista units are affordable and are available on an income-restricted basis. Some units in the apartment complex are offered at market-rate rents.</p><p>It wasn’t immediately clear what level of income restrictions are in place for the property or how many units have income limits.</p><p>Prior to the purchase, the principal owner of the apartment complex was an affiliate controlled by Kennedy Wilson, a Los Angeles-based real estate company, according to county and state public records.</p><p>The transaction creates a new ownership group that now includes an affordable housing company.</p><p>An affiliate controlled by Kennedy Wilson and Sacramento-based nonprofit Pacific Housing now owns Bella Vista. Pacific Housing develops, owns and manages affordable residential properties.</p> <p> </p><p>Bella Vista offers an array of amenities, according to the property’s website.</p><p>“Four resort-style swimming pools, lighted tennis courts, and a state-of-the-art fitness center” are among Bella Vista at Hilltop’s amenities, the property’s website states.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 11, 2025 at 5:30 AM PDT</time></p> Huge East Bay apartment complex is bought for well over $200 million	查看 1721	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-11 13:38:19 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211164	无图 <p>SUNNYVALE — Applied Materials has added a Sunnyvale property in a South Bay buying spree that now tops $400 million as it looks to build a cutting-edge new tech complex.</p>Related Articles Mystery investor grabs hundreds of empty acres near East San Jose Another East Bay hotel foreclosed in blow to Bay Area lodging market Changes eyed for part of exterior of 19th-century San Jose church Shuttered drug store property in San Jose lands California buyer San Jose-area office market improves; San Francisco, Oakland get worse <p>According to documents filed on July 15 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office, the tech company paid $25.1 million for an office and research building at 999 East Arques Ave. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. sold the property, county documents show. The building totals 79,800 square feet.</p><p>Applied Materials is assembling a growing number of properties in the Sunnyvale area. In recent years, It has been busy collecting varied properties, primarily older commercial or industrial buildings.</p><p>The company’s Sunnyvale purchase program began in 2018 when it bought a building at 928 East Arques Ave.</p><p>In October 2024, the company paid $100 million for a long-closed Fry’s Electronics store at 1077 East Arques Ave., county records show.</p><p>With the recent purchase, the producer of equipment and software for the semiconductor industry has now paid $421.5 million for properties in Sunnyvale.</p><p>The purchases could bolster a new tech complex Applied Materials is planning, known as the Equipment and Process Innovation and Commercialization Center.</p><p>The company is putting a $4 billion investment into the facility. Applied Materials believes the site will be able to accommodate about 2,000 Silicon Valley engineering jobs.</p> <p> </p><p>The site might also support even more jobs through collaborative efforts, the company estimated.</p><p>The complex is slated to begin operations sometime in 2026 and become the hub for more than $25 billion in Applied Materials research and development endeavors over the first 10 years of operations, according to the company.</p><p>“This investment presents a golden opportunity to re-engineer the way the global industry collaborates to deliver the foundational semiconductor process and manufacturing technologies needed to sustain rapid improvements in energy-efficient, high-performance computing,” Applied Materials CEO Gary Dickerson said in 2023 in a prepared release.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 16, 2025 at 12:12 PM PDT</time></p> Tech titan South Bay property buying binge tops $400 million with new deal	查看 2656	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-17 04:54:41 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211163	有图 <p>SAN JOSE — The main doors of Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in downtown San Jose could gain a more traditional look if a proposal on file with city planners gains final approval.</p><p>The church at 80 South Market St. dates back to the 19th century. The San Jose cathedral is designated as California Historic Landmark No. 910 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.</p><img src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SJM-L-SJDTCHURCH-01.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">Portico and entry doors of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph at 80 South Market Street in downtown San Jose, concept.(Topa Architecture)<p>Prior plans for an upgrade of the front entrance involved several changes in the portico area. The latest plans have been scaled back, documents on file with city planners show.</p><p>“The currently proposed project is more focused in scope and is limited to replacement of the three pairs of existing non-historic wood entry doors within the entry porch with wood doors,” Page & Turnbull, an architectural firm, stated in a document filed with the city.</p><img src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SJM-L-SJDTCHURCH-01_3ac0dd.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph at 80 South Market Street in downtown San Jose.(Google Maps)<p>The latest proposal envisions installing wood doors with a dark finish instead of metal doors, as previously planned, city public records show.</p><p>“The proposed use of wood doors — instead of metal — would be an improvement to the project, as wood is more consistent with the historic material of the entry doors at St. Joseph’s and more typical of church doors for religious properties from the late 19th century,” Page & Turnbull architectural historian Barrett Reiter wrote in a June 23 memo on file with the city. “The proposed dark color and finish of the proposed doors are visually similar to how a historic stained and varnished door would have looked.”</p><p>The architects behind the project believe the new doors will enhance the historic feel of the cathedral.</p> <p> </p><p>“The overall design and character of the entry porch would remain intact and would continue to express the monumental qualities of the entry porch as originally designed,” Page & Turnbull stated. The proposed project, the architectural firm added, “would return some of the original character of the entry doors and amplify the historic character of the entry porch.”</p><p>Architect Bryan C. Clinch designed the cathedral in Italian baroque style, according to the state Office of Historical Preservation.</p><p>Earthquakes severely damaged the first two versions of the church. A fire destroyed the third and a fourth temporary version operated in the vicinity while the current church was built.</p><p>The cornerstone of the current church was laid in 1876 and a dedication was held in 1877. The current portico was completed in 1884. The church’s large dome was completed in 1885, according to the cathedral’s website. In 1981, church officials launched a wide-ranging renovation of the structure.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 17, 2025 at 8:36 AM PDT</time></p> Changes are eyed for part of exterior of 19th-century San Jose church	查看 3284	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-17 08:38:09 2025-07-19 18:53:43	word
3211162	有图 <p>PITTSBURG – Pittsburg is stepping up efforts to transform its downtown into a lively gathering place through a blend of initiatives that include updated zoning efforts, facade upgrades and public art.</p>Related Articles Where to buy Labubus, the quirky plush monsters that are all the rage in the Bay Area Opinion: California’s small businesses need protection — not legal shakedowns Loard’s Ice Cream, founded in 1950, returns to Oakland More small businesses starting to go cashless Floral design career began with San Jose man’s coffee shop encounter <p>Pittsburg Community and Economic Development Director Jordan Davis said for years the city has envisioned downtown as a hub for dining and retail. However, the shift in traditional shopping patterns has spurred officials to look for other ways to diversify the area.</p><p>The city is preparing to update its zoning development code this year by expanding the types of businesses allowed downtown, including medical offices, salons, and service-based industries to help boost foot traffic and support other businesses.</p><p>“For my entire tenure here at Pittsburg, it has been a hot-button issue. Originally, when all the investment went in downtown, I think there was a hope that it would be able to thrive almost completely off restaurants and retail businesses,” said Davis in an interview with this news organization. “But you’ve seen a transition to a lot more service industries, so we’re figuring out how we can expand the types of uses that are allowed there because right now, that’s something very restricted in the Old Town Pittsburg.”</p><p>In May 2024, the Pittsburg City Council adopted the city’s 2040 General Plan. Part of the plan includes updating the municipal code and zoning map to be consistent with the plan.</p><p>The plan’s purpose is not to be a “wholesale rewrite” but merely a refresh to create a “more streamlined approach and improve permitting processes for development projects.”</p><p>According to the plan, one goal is to promote downtown as Pittsburg’s “symbolic center and community destination, with a variety of land uses, including mixed-use developments, community destinations, and neighborhood retail centers, in a walkable, pedestrian-oriented district.”</p><p>The city has conducted multiple community workshops to receive input, with the next one scheduled for July 26. Following that, the city will get to work drafting needed ordinances, which the City Council plans to adopt in the next few months, said Davis.</p> <p> </p><p>Alongside zoning updates, the city also aims to make downtown more walkable and visually inviting through sign enhancement, mural, and facade improvement programs.</p><p>Murals have become a key part of beautification efforts. So far, the city has funded six, including downtown behind Mechanics Bank, in hopes of drawing younger visitors looking for social-media worthy photo opportunities, said Davis.</p><p>The city also is offering a dedicated sign enhancement program in Old Town by working with existing businesses to replace old or outdated signage with pedestrian-friendly options, making it easier for visitors to see what’s ahead as they stroll, said Davis.</p><p>The facade improvement program, which started last year, offers up to $10,000 for each qualified business across the community.</p><p><p><img srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-4.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-4.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-4.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-4.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-4.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>The Doctorbird Market is one of the businesses that got a grant by the Pittsburg façade improvement grant program in downtown Pittsburgh, California, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-6.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-6.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-6.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-6.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-6.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-6.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>Doctorbird Market’s owner, Zane Fiala, left, looks on as David Santana of Altamont Brewery delivers beer in downtown Pittsburg, Calif., on Friday, July 11, 2025. The Doctorbird Market is one of the businesses that got a grant by the Pittsburg façade improvement grant program. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-1.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-1.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-1.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-1.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-1.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-1.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>Hair Sophistication Salon owner Pershaonda Tolson looks on as hairstylists work on clients’ hair at her salon in downtown Pittsburg, Calif., on Friday, July 11, 2025. Hair Sophistication Salon is one of the businesses that got a grant by the Pittsburg façade improvement grant program. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-18.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-18.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-18.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-18.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-18.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-18.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>A pedestrian walks along Railroad Avenue in downtown Pittsburg, Calif., on Friday, July 11, 2025. Several businesses are receiving grants to improve their facades and storefronts from the Pittsburg Façade Improvement Grant program. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-8.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-8.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-8.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-8.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-8.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-8.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>A pedestrian crosses the street as traffic moves along Railroad Avenue in downtown Pittsburg, Calif., on Friday, July 11, 2025. Several businesses are receiving grants to improve their facades and storefronts from the Pittsburg Façade Improvement Grant program. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-2.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-2.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-2.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-2.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-2.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-2.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>Hair stylist Nyah Richard works on Journi Johnson’s hair at Hair Sophistication Salon in downtown Pittsburg, Calif., on Friday, July 11, 2025. Hair Sophistication Salon is one of the businesses that got a grant by the Pittsburg façade improvement grant program. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-12.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-12.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-12.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-12.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-12.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-12.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>A deteriorated building is fenced off along Railroad Avenue in downtown Pittsburg, Calif., on Friday, July 11, 2025. Several businesses are receiving grants to improve their facades and storefronts from the Pittsburg Façade Improvement Grant program. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-7.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-7.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-7.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-7.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-7.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-7.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>Traffic moves along Railroad Avenue in downtown Pittsburg, Calif., on Friday, July 11, 2025. Several businesses are receiving grants to improve their facades and storefronts from the Pittsburg Façade Improvement Grant program. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-15.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-15.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-15.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-15.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-15.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-15.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>A deteriorated building is fenced off along Railroad Avenue in downtown Pittsburg, Calif., on Friday, July 11, 2025. Several businesses are receiving grants to improve their facades and storefronts from the Pittsburg Façade Improvement Grant program. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-10.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-10.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-10.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-10.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-10.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-10.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>An Apple Maps worker with a designated backpack and a camera system walks along Railroad Avenue in downtown Pittsburg, Calif., on Friday, July 11, 2025. Several businesses are receiving grants to improve their façades and storefronts from the Pittsburg Façade Improvement Grant program. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-17.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-17.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-17.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-17.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-17.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-17.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>Old murals remain in a vacant lot in downtown Pittsburg, Calif., on Friday, July 11, 2025. Several businesses are receiving grants to improve their facades and storefronts from the Pittsburg Façade Improvement Grant program. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p><p><img data-src="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-14.jpg?w=620" data-srcset="https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-14.jpg?w=620 620w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-14.jpg?w=780 780w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-14.jpg?w=810 810w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-14.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https://www.siliconvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/EBT-L-PITTSDOWNTOWN-07XX-14.jpg?w=1860 1860w"><p>A deteriorated building is fenced off along Railroad Avenue in downtown Pittsburg, Calif., on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p></p><p>Show Caption<p>1 of 12</p><p>The Doctorbird Market is one of the businesses that got a grant by the Pittsburg façade improvement grant program in downtown Pittsburgh, California, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)</p>Expand</p><p>Davis said about a dozen businesses, such as Doctorbird Market and Hair Sophistication Salon, have received the grants. Pershaonda Tolson, a third-generation salon owner in Pittsburg, moved her shop downtown in 2012.</p><p>“My mom owned the salon, which she opened in 1993. We were on Power Avenue by City Hall and moved here in 2012,” said Tolson. “My mom gave me this salon in 2019, so I renamed, rebranded, and stayed in the same building.”</p><p>Tolson signed up for the facade program in May 2024 and received $7,200 for painting and signage changes. The work, totaling $9,000, was completed last month.</p><p>“I paid out of pocket, but people noticed the change from how it was before. People come in and say, ‘Oh, I didn’t even know you guys were here’ and we’ve been here for more than 12 years,” chuckled Tolson.</p><p>While she appreciates the efforts by Pittsburg to upgrade and promote downtown, Tolson hopes to see more businesses in the area.</p><p>Zane and Danielle Fiala, owners of a bottle shop and wine lounge featuring craft beer, specialty foods, and wine in Old Town, also received funding to fix awnings and planters for their store.</p><p>The couple, who have been in business since 2023, said foot traffic remains a challenge.</p><p>“There’s rarely an occasion for a lot of foot traffic down here. We don’t get a lot of incidental visitors. Our shoppers come here on purpose, which is cool, but we would like to see a higher density of businesses down here,” said Danielle Fiala.</p><p>She said currently, there are many service-based businesses that are by appointment, which may not be beneficial to bring foot traffic.</p><p>“They don’t serve the purpose of creating community in this area,” said Fiala. “I’d love to see more like an art gallery, a flower shop, just more diversity of businesses.”</p><p>Zane Fiala said the city also struggles with a negative perception, that its downtown is unsafe, which he says is untrue.</p><p>“The perception is that this part of Pittsburg is unsafe, rundown and there’s nothing here, and it’s true, there’s nothing much here, but it’s not unsafe,” he said. “In fact, this might be one of the safest parts, but that pervasive idea that Old Town is somewhere you don’t want to go still permeates in ways that we don’t have a lot of control over it and it’s hard to change that.”</p><p>The couple said there are many privately owned buildings downtown that are empty, some dilapidated and unusable.</p><p>“There is no penalty for the owners creating a blight on what should be a thriving downtown. These owners are allowed to keep these buildings crumbling, empty, and refusing to do anything with them,” said Danielle Fiala.</p><p>Adrian Badger, the owner of Steeltown Coffee Company, Inc., has been in business downtown since 2009.</p><p>Badger, who did not participate in the city’s grant programs, was critical and said the city has tried updating zoning before, but it didn’t make a difference.</p><p>“What they’re trying to do is shut people up who are saying, ‘how come there are so many empty spaces?’” said Badger. “And again, their decisions are being made from fear and a lack of understanding. They don’t understand what needs to be done.”</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 16, 2025 at 4:30 AM PDT</time></p> Pittsburg planning downtown makeover with zoning proposals – Silicon Valley	查看 17752	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-16 16:25:24 2025-07-19 18:53:42	word
3211161	无图 <p>By Venus Feng \| Bloomberg</p><p>Chinese buyers remained the largest group of foreign investors in US residential real estate by both dollar value and number of purchases.</p><p>They acquired $13.7 billion worth of homes in the US from April 2024 through March, representing an 83% jump from a year earlier, according to a report by the National Association of Realtors.</p><p>RELATED: Why more construction didn’t fix California’s high housing costs</p><p>The data shows that Chinese buyers are brushing aside concerns over US-China geopolitical tensions and tighter visa policies. Instead, they are actively seeking overseas assets as a hedge against China’s economic slowdown following years of regulatory crackdowns on the private sector.</p><p>Chinese buyers “were more likely to pay in all cash than any other buyer group,” said Juwai IQI co-founder and group chief executive officer Kashif Ansari. He added that the US is considered a safe place for property investment due to its relatively good yields and well regulated market.</p><p>California remained the top choice for Chinese buyers, attracting 36% of purchases, followed by Maryland and New York, each accounting for 9%, according to the data. About 66% of buyers said the homes were intended for personal use, including as primary residences, student housing or vacation homes.</p><p>Chinese buyers bought 11,700 homes during the period, almost double the number from the previous year. They also continue to boast the highest average purchase price at $1.2 million among all foreign buyers, the report says. They accounted for 15% of all foreign home purchases.</p> <p> </p><p>Their spending still remained below the 2017 peak of $31.7 billion, the report shows.</p><p>Overall, foreign buyers purchased $56 billion worth of US existing homes during the same period, a 33% increase from a year earlier. They bought 78,100 properties, a 44% jump and the first year-over-year increase since 2017.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 16, 2025 at 5:49 AM PDT</time></p> California the top choice for Chinese homebuyers, who spent 83% more on US homes this year – Silicon Valley	查看 2051	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-16 05:53:05 2025-07-19 18:53:42	word
3211160	无图 <p>Citing rising operational costs, the alcohol wholesaler Republic National Distributing Co. plans to exit California come September, shedding 1,756 jobs statewide in its wake.</p><p>A combined 878 jobs will be cut atTustin and Chino facilities, according to company filings with the state’s Employment Development Department. Another 486 positions will be gone in Hayward,Morgan Hill and Pleasanton — all in Northern California.</p>Related Articles Bay Area and California each lose thousands of jobs in June Hyundai’s Supernal startup laying off 53 in California as it pivots flying taxis to production Intel cuts hundreds more Bay Area jobs as tech layoffs worsen Who hires the most UC alumni? New data shows the top employers of graduates Applied Materials property buying binge in South Bay tops $400 million with new deal <p>Other job cuts are coming to Young’s Market Co. LLC, the 137-year-old Tustin-based spirits distributor that Republic National bought in 2022. A combined 392 layoffs are coming to San Diego (80), Commerce (176) and Sacramento (136).</p><p>The layoffs, effective Sept. 2, will come in phases — depending on location — through the end of the year, according to the filings.</p><p>The biggest cuts are coming to the company’s two Franklin Avenue facilities in Tustin, where 640 workers, or 36% of the company’s affected California workforce, will lose their jobs.</p><p>RELATED:Intel chops several hundred Bay Area tech jobs as chipmaker retrenches</p><p>Bob Hendrickson, chief executive officer of Republic National, wrote in a memo to employees that the company would be leaving the California market after spirits giant Brown-Forman downsized its distribution partnership, choosing rival Reyes Beverage Group. A copy of the memo was provided by Republic National spokeswoman Kanchan Kinkade. The memo does not say if any workers will remain in California after the layoffs.</p><p>The decision to exit California was “driven by rising operational costs, industry headwinds, and supplier changes that made the market unsustainable,” Hendrickson wrote to staff.</p> <p> </p><p>Brown-Forman ended partnerships across all U.S. markets, effective Aug. 1. Hendrickson characterized the contract loss as part of “a broader strategic shift — not performance-related.</p><p>“While this brings change, we are actively evaluating the impact and charting a path to emerge stronger. We’ve faced challenges before and grown through them — we’ll do so again,” he wrote. “It’s important to emphasize this is not a reflection of our California team’s performance or dedication.”</p><p>The layoffs cover a broad swath of positions in California, according to July 1 letters filed with the EDD by Ayesha Mahapatra, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for Republic National. Positions include drivers with the Teamsters union, sales representatives, accountants, credit and collection managers, clerks, district sales managers, human resource specialists, pricing analysts and a senior vice president in charge of spirits.</p><p>The filings were made as part of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act — commonly referred to as WARN, which are required when an employer lays off more than 50 employees. All affected employees are notified at least 60 days before their terminations are scheduled to occur, according to Mahapatra.</p><p>Brown-Forman produces a variety of rum, gin and whiskey brands such as Jack Daniel’s whiskey, Woodford Reserve, Herradura, el Jimador, Korbel and Fords Gin.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 16, 2025 at 5:56 AM PDT</time></p> Alcohol distributor Republic National laying off hundreds in Bay Area as it exits state – Silicon Valley	查看 3709	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-16 08:23:18 2025-07-19 18:53:42	word
3211159	无图 <p>Hyundai’s Supernal electric vertical takeoff and landing startup is cutting 10% of its workforce in California as it shifts toward certification of its aircraft and eventual production.</p><p>RELATED:Intel chops several hundred Bay Area tech jobs as chipmaker retrenches</p><p>The company, which moved its headquarters to Irvine from Washington, D.C. two years ago, is cutting about 25 employees at Supernal’s Orange County operations along Laguna Canyon Road and Waterworks Way through Aug. 29, according to a filing made with the state’s Employment Development Department.</p><p>The company also is laying off 27 workers at its Fremont facility in the Bay Area, and a single employee at the company’s Mojave facility, where a demonstration flight test of Supernal’s electric air taxi technology is to take place later this year.</p><p>The layoffs, which began June 30, are expected to be permanent, the filing said. Following the cuts, Supernal will have 500 workers.</p><p>“The primary reason for this reduction in force is organizational realignment from the technology development phase to the product development phase of our business,” said Supernal spokesman Veronica Grigoriou. “The decision is not one we made lightly, and was undertaken after careful consideration of our roadmap, available resources, and goals for the remainder of the year.”</p>Related Articles Bay Area and California each lose thousands of jobs in June Intel cuts hundreds more Bay Area jobs as tech layoffs worsen Who hires the most UC alumni? New data shows the top employers of graduates Applied Materials property buying binge in South Bay tops $400 million with new deal California-based EV truck maker shifting operations to Michigan <p>She said the company is actively working through a certification process for its technology with the Federal Aviation Administration, with the application process beginning in 2026, and a specific design of an aircraft — called “type certification” — expected for approval by 2028. “Our schedule has not been impacted by these changes.”</p><p>“Our production aircraft is slated to begin deliveries in the end of 2028,” Grigoriou said. The company has yet to determine a production site for its flying taxis.</p> <p> </p><p>The company conducted tethered flight tests in March but plans “untethered” tests at its Mojave facility later this year.</p><p>RELATED:Joby Aviation expands Monterey County site, adds sixth aircraft to its test fleet</p><p>The layoffs follow last year’s hiring of a key NASA employee to develop a prototype.</p><p>In March 2024, Supernal named David McBride as chief technology officer. McBride, who formerly worked with NASA on several space missions with the space agency’s Flight Research Program, remains with the company.</p><p>In July 2023, Supernal LLC, which is South Korea automaker Hyundai Motor Group’s Advanced Air Mobility company, opened an engineering headquarters in Irvine to research a flying taxi.</p><p>The layoffs targeted a wide range of positions in order to “support [Supernal’s] long-term strategic goals and priorities,” according to a June 30 letter filed with the EDD by Hyunsik Kim, head of human resources with Supernal. Positions included battery cell test engineers, electrical and wiring manager, head of data, information technology coordinator, senior electric power distribution engineer, manager of intelligent flight and technical project coordinator.</p><p>The filings were made as part of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act — commonly referred to as WARN, which are required when an employer lays off more than 50 employees. All affected employees are notified at least 60 days before their terminations are scheduled to occur, according to Kim.</p><p>Electric taxi concepts lift off vertically and don’t need a runway, creating a niche for air travel in a crowded urban landscape. Once these aircraft take off in the air — like a helicopter — their engines and propellers tilt to fly like an airplane.</p><p>Supernal isn’t the only manufacturer working on an electric flying taxi.</p><p>Others include San Jose-based Archer Aviation, Santa Cruz-based Joby Aviation and Mountain View-based Wisk Aero, a subsidiary of aerospace giant Boeing Co.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 17, 2025 at 5:55 AM PDT</time></p> Hyundai’s Supernal startup laying off 53 in California as it pivots flying taxis to production – Silicon Valley	查看 4434	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-17 05:56:10 2025-07-19 18:53:42	word
3211158	无图 <p>PLEASANT HILL — Hyatt House Pleasant Hill was bought through a court-ordered receivership as part of a nationwide portfolio of hotels whose loans had failed, according to public documents filed in a federal court in New York.</p><p>The 142-room East Bay hotel is tied to a $204 million loan that financed 22 hotels across the country, documents show.</p>Related Articles Mystery investor grabs hundreds of empty acres near East San Jose Changes eyed for part of exterior of 19th-century San Jose church Applied Materials property buying binge in South Bay tops $400 million with new deal Shuttered drug store property in San Jose lands California buyer San Jose-area office market improves; San Francisco, Oakland get worse <p>Located at 2611 Contra Costa Blvd., it is now owned by an affiliate linked to the Texas and Atlanta offices of London-based real estate and finance firm Mount Street U.S.</p><p>In May, the 128-room Hyatt Hotel Pleasanton also was seized by a Mount Street U.S. affiliate as part of the court-ordered receivership for the nationwide portfolio.</p><p>Hawaii-based Shidler Group purchased the portfolio of hotels in 2017.</p><p>In 2020, a few months after the COVID-19 outbreak, hotels in the portfolio that were managed by HHM Hotels were “cut off from some suppliers” and had “not made a payment in the last 2.5 weeks other than taxes,” according to federal court records.</p><p>Some hotels in the portfolio that were managed by Chartwell Hospitality appeared to be operating with no certainty that they could remain open for more than a week or so, court papers show.</p><p>“We are back to where we were two weeks ago, which is out of funds to keep these hotels open,” a Chartwell Hospitality executive stated, according to court papers.</p> <p> </p><p>The hotel managers were also scrambling to obtain funding from the COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program.</p><p>“There is an incredible amount of stress that is being put on the teams at these hotels while they work incredibly hard to keep the assets open for business,” Chartwell Hospitality stated in an email that was part of the court record.</p><p>The foreclosure proceedings against the two East Bay hotels represent only some of the problems that have engulfed the Bay Area lodging sector.</p><p>— The 500-room Oakland Marriott City Center in downtown Oakland was seized through a foreclosure on July 8 that placed a $70.2 million value on a lodging tower that in 2017 was bought for $143 million.</p><p>— On May 12, the 541-room Signia by Hilton, a downtown San Jose lodging tower that is the South Bay city’s largest hotel, was seized through a foreclosure that valued it at $80 million, well below the foreclosed loan’s $134 million total.</p><p>— The 162-room Courtyard Oakland Downtown was bought in October 2024 for $10.6 million, a nosedive of 76% from its prior value.</p><p>— In August 2024, the Hilton Oakland Airport Hotel abruptly closed its doors, a shutdown that eliminated 152 jobs.</p><p>— The 145-room Waterfront Hotel in Jack London Square shut down without warning in late January.</p><p>— The 289-room Radisson Oakland received an appraisal of $15 million in October 2024, according to Morningstar. That was a 70% plunge from the hotel’s prior value.</p><p>— A 276-room dual-branded hotel at 1431 Jefferson St. in downtown Oakland was taken back by its lender through a streamlined foreclosure process.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 17, 2025 at 11:40 AM PDT</time></p> East Bay hotel is foreclosed in blow to frail Bay Area lodging market	查看 3584	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-18 04:46:29 2025-07-19 18:53:42	word
3211157	无图 <p>By WILL WEISSERT \| Associated Press</p><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Make American Coke Great Again?</p>Related Articles Sunnyvale plans a makeover in the form of ‘Village Centers’ — but displaced businesses face a difficult future Following long wait, Oakland Coliseum sale ready for Alameda County board’s vote Astronomer CEO, HR chief face ‘professional downfall’ over Coldplay scandal: report Bay Area and California each lose thousands of jobs in June Mystery investor grabs hundreds of empty acres near East San Jose <p>President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in its flagship soft drink in the U.S. at his suggestion — though the company didn’t confirm such a move.</p><p>Any switch from high-fructose corn syrup in Coke sold in the United States would put Coca-Cola more in line with its practice in other countries, including Mexico and Australia. It wouldn’t affect Trump’s drink of choice, Diet Coke, which uses aspartame as a calorie-free beverage.</p><p>“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,” Trump wrote on his social media site. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”</p><p>A spokesperson for Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. said in a statement that the company appreciated Trump’s enthusiasm and promised that more details on new offerings within its products would be shared soon.</p><p>Coca-Cola didn’t elaborate. The company has long indulged U.S. fans of cane sugar by importing glass bottles of Mexican Coke to the U.S. since 2005.</p><p>Returning to sugar in U.S. production, meanwhile, might affect the nation’s corn farmers, whose yields are used in artificial sweeteners.</p> <p> </p><p>“Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn’t make sense,” Corn Refiners Association President and CEO John Bode said in a statement. “President Trump stands for American manufacturing jobs, American farmers, and reducing the trade deficit. Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income, and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit.”</p><p>Trump himself is such a fan of Diet Coke that that he had a red button installed on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office that he can press to have a White House butler bring one in for him. The New York Times reported in 2018 that he was drinking a dozen Diet Cokes daily.</p><p>Despite his fondness for Diet Coke, his relationship with the company hasn’t always been sweet.</p><p>In a series of posts in 2012, Trump suggested diet soda might be connected to weight gain before eventually writing, “The Coca Cola company is not happy with me — that’s okay, I’ll still keep drinking that garbage.”</p><p>__</p><p>Associated Press writer Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit and Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this story.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 17, 2025 at 1:01 PM PDT</time></p> Trump says Coca-Cola will use cane sugar in its US flagship drink. The company isn’t confirming that. – Silicon Valley	查看 3180	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-18 06:11:56 2025-07-19 18:53:42	word
3211156	无图 <p>By Mingson Lau \| Associated Press</p><p>WILMINGTON, Del. — A settlement was announced Thursday in court in a class action investors’ lawsuit against Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and current and former company leaders over claims stemming from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm.</p><p>The suit had sought billions of dollars in reimbursement for fines and legal costs. No details on the settlement were shared when it was announced in Delaware’s Court of Chancery at the start of what would have been the second day of trial, at which point nothing related to the settlement had been filed with the court.</p><p>The attorneys involved left court without commenting. A communications representative from Meta said the company had no comment.</p><p>Investors had alleged in the lawsuit that Meta did not fully disclose the risks to Facebook users that their personal information would be misused by Cambridge Analytica, a firm that supported Donald Trump’s successful Republican presidential campaign in 2016. Shareholders say Facebook officials repeatedly violated a 2012 consent order with the Federal Trade Commission under which Facebook agreed to stop collecting and sharing personal data without users’ consent.</p><p>Facebook later sold user data to commercial partners in direct violation of the consent order and removed disclosures from privacy settings that were required under consent order, the lawsuit alleged.</p><p>Facebook agreed to pay a $5.1 billion penalty to settle FTC charges in the fallout. The social media giant also faced significant fines in Europe and reached a $725 million privacy settlement with users.</p><p>Shareholders wanted Zuckerberg and others to reimburse Meta an estimated $8 billion or more for the FTC fine and other legal costs.</p> <p> </p><p>Zuckerberg and former Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg had been expected to testify. Other current and former board members, including billionaires Marc Andreessen and Peter Thiel, were also included as defendants.</p><p>Earlier this year, Sandberg was sanctioned for deleting emails from her personal account related to the Cambridge Analytica investigation. Jeffrey Zients, who served as an outside director from 2018 to 2020, avoided sanctions in the same case because his role made it less likely he had access to relevant information.</p><p>Testifying on the first day of this lawsuit, Zients said he had supported the FTC settlement for which shareholders were seeking reimbursement.</p><p>Associated Press reporter Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed to this report.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 17, 2025 at 1:30 PM PDT</time></p> Deal reached in suit against Meta, Mark Zuckerberg over Cambridge Analytica	查看 2707	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-18 04:33:24 2025-07-19 18:53:42	word
3211155	无图 <p>An executive from the Pacific Northwest with expansive international economic experience, including in semiconductors, will lead San José’s Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, replacing former Director Nanci Klein, who retired three months ago.</p>Related Articles ‘California Forever’: Billionaire-backed Bay Area city pitches plans for factory hub Meta hires two key Apple AI experts after poaching their boss ChatGPT helps prepare this mayor’s talking points. Now he wants a thousand city workers using AI Intel chops several hundred Bay Area tech jobs as chipmaker retrenches Taves: Silicon Valley tech CEOs becoming Trump’s hostages. Be afraid. <p>City Manager Jennifer Maguire has announced the selection of Jen Baker, who most recently served as the president and CEO of the Columbia River Economic Development Council in Vancouver, Washington, to head the department at a critical juncture with major sporting events coming to the region next year and the city looking to bolster its position as a hub for artificial intelligence.</p><p>“Jen’s proven track record and ability to coalesce thought leaders’ interests, develop policy, and interpret complex economic issues will help attract, retain, and grow artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, data centers and sustainable industries that will drive revenue and jobs to our city,” Maguire said in a news release. “Additionally, her dynamic skills will help foster small business success and contribute to the support of business districts throughout the City and the vitality of a thriving downtown, including developing a sports, arts and entertainment district.”</p><p>Communications Director Carolina Camarena said Baker was one of 65 applicants for the director’s position. Assistant City Manager Lee Wilcox had served as the acting director of the department during the recruitment process.</p><p>Baker will receive an annual salary of $295,000 with approximately 5% non-pensionable pay, bringing her compensation to $309,750. In the city’s recruitment brochure, the salary range for the position was advertised as between $204,437 and $341,149.</p><p>Baker began her career as a trade policy expert at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she negotiated bilateral and multilateral trade agreements before moving on to serve as the trade capacity building director at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.</p><p>She also worked at the U.S. Small Business Administration in Portland from 2011 to 2018, where she rose through the ranks from economic development manager to acting director of the agency. During her tenure at the agency, its lending portfolio increased from $220 million to $609 million, representing a 275% rise.</p><p>Under her leadership at the Columbia River Economic Development Council, Clark County added $1.69 billion and 3,926 jobs from 2021 to 2024. She also was appointed as a member of the Washington State Commerce Department’s CHIPS and Science Act Working Group.</p> <p> </p><p>“Helping community members, industry, businesses, and individuals to optimize competitive advantages for a strong economy is what motivates me,” Baker said in a statement. “San José’s tech and small business ecosystems share strong parallels with my experience from the Pacific Northwest, and I am excited to meet City team members and peers to drive visibility and investment in the City of San José.”</p><p>Baker’s selection is one of several changes to top-line management at the city in this calendar year. Maguire named Aram Kouyoumjian director of the Human Resources Department and Office of Employee Relations, while appointing Jeff Provenzano as director of the Environmental Services Department earlier this year.</p><p>More recently, Maguire also selected Manuel Pineda, who previously served as Chief Electric Utility Officer at the city of Santa Clara, to serve as a deputy city manager, with Kip Harkness vacating the position in March.</p><p>At the city, Baker will oversee a department of 61 positions and an annual operating budget of approximately $67 million.</p><p>Along with the region welcoming Super Bowl LX, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and World Cup matches in 2026, which combined could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity, city officials have targeted several strategic initiatives in the budget to turn San José into a top-notch destination for sports, entertainment, shopping, and business creation.</p><p>These included planning efforts to create a future sports and entertainment district in downtown, support for business association expansion in commercial corridors and furthering the push for data center investment.</p><p>“San José needs a strong economic development leader to help us realize our tremendous growth potential,” Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement. “Jen Baker has the skills and experience to help San José attract new investment to make our Downtown Silicon Valley’s true urban center, build the housing we need for future generations, and grow the tax base to fund city services for all of our neighborhoods.”</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 17, 2025 at 2:26 PM PDT</time></p> San Jose’s next economic director is trading the Silicon Forest for Silicon Valley	查看 5296	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-18 04:30:06 2025-07-19 18:53:42	word
3211154	无图 <p>Artificial intelligence figures to impact virtually every aspect of the global economy and now it’s making a foray onto California’s electric grid.</p><p>The California Independent System Operator, which manages the power system for about 80% of the Golden State and a portion of Nevada, just agreed to launch a pilot program that will use an AI software program designed by Open Access Technology International Inc., aimed at helping run the California ISO’s operations more efficiently.</p>Related Articles Meta hires two key Apple AI experts after poaching their boss ChatGPT helps prepare this mayor’s talking points. Now he wants a thousand city workers using AI Officials react to proposal for a futuristic AI ‘tech city’ on Alameda Point Keanu Reeves pays AI firm thousands a month to stop online imitators: report Nvidia to resume H20 AI chip sales to China in US reversal <p>The Minnesota-based company, known as OATI for short, says “to our knowledge, this is the first instance of AI supporting real grid operations.”</p><p>OATI’s artificial intelligence software system, called Genie, will focus on enhancing the California ISO’s outage management system.</p><p>While it’s not well known by the typical utility customer, the system operator known as the CAISO for short handles hundreds of planned outages on transmission lines and generators each day — for things like repairing and maintenance of equipment or “derating” a line to reduce power capacity in cases such as high winds and hot weather.</p><p>“There’s a lot of ongoing challenges that the operators who do the planning for managing these outages run into on a day-to-day basis,” said Abhi Thakur, OATI’s vice president of platforms, visualization and analytics.</p><p>Everyday at about 6 p.m., grid managers pore over reports of planned outages scheduled for the next day — scanning for things like keywords in the texts and calculating how a downed line or transformer may affect power supply. It’s an important job, but it’s painstaking and cumbersome.</p><p>Under the pilot, the Genie software program will use generative AI (that leverages machine learning models trained on vast datasets) as well as agentic AI (systems designed to act autonomously and take actions with minimal human intervention) to do much of the laborious work.</p> <p> </p><p>“The AI can aggregate meaningful, important information and analyzes and presents it to you so you only have to focus on the important parts and reduce all the overhead of looking for unnecessary information,” Thakur said in an interview with the Union-Tribune.</p><p>Genie is designed as a tool to help the California ISO manage planned and unplanned transmission grid outages — not the distribution-level power outages experienced by the general public.</p><p>And should the pilot program prove to be a success, there are certainly future implications for AI to be used to improve operational efficiency and reduce the risk of unplanned power outages across the grid operator’s service territory.</p><p>The Genie platform can also be used to compare upcoming outages with ones that occurred in the past that, for example, used the same set of equipment, and perform cross-checks.</p><p>“If there’s a mismatch, the Genie assistance can flag it in the report” to grid operators, Thakur said.</p><p>The pilot program was announced earlier this week at a major transmission, distribution and utility conference in Minneapolis.</p><p>California ISO officials highlighted Genie’s potential for improving the grid operator’s situational awareness and freeing up time for working on other important items.</p><p>“This initiative fits in perfectly with our ongoing control center modernization program,” Khaled Abdul-Rahman, CAISO’s chief information and technology officer, said in a statement, “which is designed to make sure our operators have the best tools available to them for maintaining system reliability.”</p><p>The Genie pilot program is expected to go into place by early next year, and California ISO officials will set the timeline and criteria to determine if it deems the project a success.</p><p>Thakur said OATI is optimistic its AI platform will be effective. “So far, our results have been very promising,” he said.</p><p>Looking broadly, the development and ever-increasing popularity of artificial intelligence applications such as ChatGPT have caused a sensation by producing coherent responses to questions or prompts from a user’s computer by processing gigabytes of data, scanning billions of words and using models that adaptively learn over time.</p><p>“AI is something that stretches across and will impact every single sector of the global economy and pretty much every single industry,”Kevin Dennean, technology sector equity analyst for UBS, told the Union-Tribune in 2024. “I’m really hard-pressed to think of a single sector where we won’t see AI and generative AI put to work.”</p><p>But theInternational Energy Agency has estimated that an internet search with AI uses as much as 10 times the amount of electricity as a traditional Google search. That has led to worries that demand from AI and the data centers that feed it will strain the electric grid and lead to higher electric bills — a real concern in California, where ratepayers already pay among the highest rates in the country.</p><p>But the CAISO-OATI pilot project offers a potential example that AI, its power-hungry nature notwithstanding, could keep a lid on electricity demand by enhancing grid efficiency.</p><p>“We’ve been talking a lot about what the grid can do for AI and not nearly as much about what AI can do for the grid,” Charles Hua, executive director of PowerLines, a nonprofit aims to lower utility bills while growing the economy, told MIT Technology Review. “In general, there’s a huge opportunity for grid operators, regulators, and other stakeholders in the utility regulatory system to use AI effectively and harness it for a more resilient, modernized, and strengthened grid.”</p><p>The California ISO serves 32 million consumers and covers about 26,000 circuit miles of transmission. The CAISO also operates the Western Energy Imbalance Market, a wholesale energy trading market that allows utilities and other participants to buy and sell power in real time.</p><p>OATI may be unfamiliar to general audiences, but the company is a major player in the energy sector, boasting 95% market share in the bulk power transmission segment.</p> AI comes to California’s electric grid – Silicon Valley	查看 6581	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-18 05:48:03 2025-07-19 18:53:42	word
3211153	无图 <p>City leaders in Fairfield and Suisun City are pursuing all their legal options in handling the ongoing trash collection standoff between Republic Services and Teamsters garbage collectors.</p><p>RELATED:Republic Services trash pickup resumes in West Contra Costa County, other pockets of Bay Area</p><p>Fairfield Mayor Catherine “Cat” Moy announced on Facebook late Wednesday that the city has “sent a letter telling Republic that it is in violation” of their contract which, she said, “opens the legal door for us to impose steep fines; to bring in another contractor; to work on our current contract to make favorable changes.”</p><p>She added that she continues to worth with City Manager David Gassaway and city attorneys on getting citizens “refunds for services we didn’t get.” She encouraged residents to call and leave a message with Republic Services that their pickup was missed, saying “this helps us with legal issues.”</p><p>Suisun City Manager Bret Prebula, meanwhile, told residents at Tuesday’s city council meeting that the city is “pushing every legal means possible when it comes to the contract and any breach provisions and any liquidated damages provisions around that.”</p><p>He reiterated the need for residents to use drop off points for trash only and said Solano County officials had contacted the city to say that if garbage is left on the ground the city could face “public health fines.”</p><p>In the meantime Republic Services continues to tell residents to place their bins curbside as normal and has drop-off Dumpsters at multiple locations in Fairfield and Suisun City. It has brought in other non-union employee drivers to help with collection. On Thursday, the company focused on continuing to complete residential routes in its Tuesday service area, the Central and Cordelia Business area, and the public pickup sites.</p><p>Teamsters with Republic Services in Fairfield are not on strike themselves but are honoring an expanded picket line as Teamsters strike for better wages and benefits in multiple communities across the country.</p> <p> </p><p>At the Suisun City Council meeting, Mayor Alma Hernandez said a Teamster had crossed the picket line Wednesday and “we hope some others might cross or just return tomorrow.” Union officials confirmed the single crossover but said the picket remains in effect as of Thursday.</p><p>Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien has made it clear that strikes will continue until Republic Services offers “good wages, decent benefits” and “fair” contracts.</p><p>“The American public needs to understand that Republic Services and its overpaid, corrupt executives own this strike,” O’Brien said in a press release. “Their greed is forcing trash collectors and waste haulers across the country out into the street. We don’t want this garbage piling up. We want to return to work. But we refuse to be exploited.”</p><p>More than 2,000 Republic Teamsters are either on strike or honoring picket lines across the country.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 18, 2025 at 6:05 AM PDT</time></p> Two Bay Area cites consider legal action amid ongoing trash standoff – Silicon Valley	查看 3091	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-18 06:09:01 2025-07-19 18:53:42	word
3211152	无图 <p>By Mark Gurman and Kurt Wagner, Bloomberg</p><p>Meta Platforms Inc. hired a pair of key artificial intelligence researchers who worked at Apple Inc., shortly after poaching their former boss from the iPhone maker.</p><p>RELATED:AI comes to California’s electric grid</p><p>The social networking giant hired Mark Lee and Tom Gunter for its Superintelligence Labs team, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Lee has started at Meta after leaving Apple in recent days, while Gunter will begin work in the near future, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the hires haven’t been announced.</p>Related Articles AI comes to California’s electric grid ChatGPT helps prepare this mayor’s talking points. Now he wants a thousand city workers using AI Officials react to proposal for a futuristic AI ‘tech city’ on Alameda Point Keanu Reeves pays AI firm thousands a month to stop online imitators: report Nvidia to resume H20 AI chip sales to China in US reversal <p>The moves are part of a scramble for AI talent across the tech industry. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has been especially aggressive in its recruiting. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has made artificial intelligence the company’s top priority, spending heavily on workers and data centers to try and keep pace with rivals like OpenAI and Google.</p><p>Gunter left Apple last month, Bloomberg News reported at the time, and both he and Lee worked closely with Ruoming Pang, the chief of Apple’s large language models team who Meta poached earlier this month. To secure Pang, Meta offered a multiyear compensation package worth well over $200 million, Bloomberg reported.</p><p>Lee was known as Pang’s first hire at Apple, while Gunter, who was a distinguished engineer at Apple, was regarded as one of the group’s most senior employees. Gunter started at a different AI company after leaving Apple and departed in recent days.</p><p>A Meta spokesperson declined to comment, while Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment.</p> <p> </p><p>The latest hires reflect the continuing turmoil at the Apple Foundation Models team, or AFM, which develops the technology underpinning generative AI. The company’s top AI executives have been considering using outside models to power the Siri voice assistant and other Apple Intelligence features, clouding the team’s future.</p><p>The group reports to research head Daphne Luong, a top deputy to AI Senior Vice President John Giannandrea. They’re evaluating strategy changes alongside Mike Rockwell and Craig Federighi, the software executives now in charge of Siri. The idea would be to rely on OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic PBC’s Claude as the foundation for Apple Intelligence beginning next year.</p><p>In order to bring long-promised Siri features to market, including the ability to tap into personal data to fulfill queries, Apple is simultaneously developing versions with both its own models and third-party technology. Before the new voice assistant can launch next spring, the company will have to decide on which underlying software to use.</p><p>Meta has capitalized on this uncertainty with generous job offers. In many cases, Meta is promising compensation that is several multiples higher than what Apple pays its AFM engineers. In order to prevent more departures, Apple has begun offering some engineers in the group — which includes 100 or so people — raises to stay put.</p><p>Still, those increases are a far cry from Meta’s offers. Gunter, for instance, is joining a club of several other AI experts who are receiving multiyear packages worth more than $100 million.</p><p>Earlier this week, Zuckerberg posted on Threads that Meta would “invest hundreds of billions of dollars into compute to build superintelligence,” a reference to the concept of an advanced form of AI that can complete tasks better than humans. Some of the company’s top AI hires have been assigned desks near Zuckerberg at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California, allowing for easier collaboration.</p><p>“I’m focused on building the most elite and talent-dense team in the industry,” he posted on Threads.</p><p>More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com</p><p>©2025 Bloomberg L.P.</p> <p>Originally Published: <time>July 18, 2025 at 6:13 AM PDT</time></p> Meta hires two key Apple AI experts after poaching their boss – Silicon Valley	查看 4430	硅谷新闻网	2025-07-18 06:16:57 2025-07-19 18:53:42	word

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