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The City of San Jose is at the precipice of momentous change.
With
last month's announcement of
SVO member Google's interest in transforming the Diridon Station Area into a Google Village, new interest has surfaced and investments into the Heart of Silicon Valley are coming in.
SVO member Adobe
announced it will be constructing a fourth tower to house an additional 3,000 employees.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced its investment into San Jose as it located its Lab126 at WeWork offices in downtown.
Silicon Valley's airport - San Jose Mineta International Airport -
has also seen enormous growth with the successful attraction of multiple international carriers to the growth of domestic service.
None of these developments could have been possible without constant advocacy efforts -both behind the scene and front-and-center. And our work isn't finished. Ask us how you can get involved today.
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If you know someone who would benefit from receiving this monthly update, please be sure to forward it to them. If you don't see an issue that you think we should be aware of, please reach our to our Sr. Director of Public Policy, Victor Gomez, at
[email protected].
As always, our work is stronger when you engage. Join us.
Click here to learn how.
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ROUNDTABLE WITH CONGRESSMAN RO KHANNA
Join us for a Roundtable Discussion with Congressman Ro Khanna on
Wednesday, August 2, 7:30-9AM, at
The SVO office, located at 101 W Santa Clara St., San Jose.
Congressman Khanna will be discussing key issues facing Washington D.C. relating to federal infrastructure investment, healthcare and immigration reform. Please see agenda below.
- 7:30 - 8:00 AM: Registration and Coffee
- 8-9 AM: Congressman Khanna Comments & Q&A
35th ANNUAL SVO PAC BARBECUE
Join the
SVO PAC and more than 1,000 of Silicon Valley's business and elected leaders as we celebrate summer at the season's biggest "NOT TO BE MISSED" networking event, the
35th Annual SVO PAC Barbecue, on
Thursday, Aug. 24 at History Park San Jose.
The
SVO PAC Barbecue is your opportunity to support the efforts to educate the electorate in order to elect business-focused candidates who vote for pro-business policies.
Let's keep Silicon Valley moving forward as we continue to foster a strong, sustainable economy where all businesses can flourish and prosper and our city can provide the essential services all citizens deserve.
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UPDATED
ISSUE:
City of San Jose
Local Hire Ordinance
SVO POSITION: Oppose
STATUS: Coming before the City of San Jose CED committee in September
DETAILS: The City of San Jose is currently exploring a Local Hiring Ordinance. The policy has been nominated by the San Jose City Council as a high priority.
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ISSUE:
City of San Jose
Ad-Hoc Committee on Development Services Update
SVO POSITION: Support
STATUS: In Progress
DETAILS: San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo formed the Ad-Hoc Committee on Development Services that has met four times. On November 10, 2016, the city held a Cost Recovery Workshop where consultants informed stakeholders about the study for the cost of better customer service and development in San Jose including permit fees, impact fees, and development taxes. Click here to read more.
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ISSUE:
City of San Jose
Community Workforce Agreements / Project Labor Agreements (CWA/PLA) Task Force
SVO POSITION: Oppose
STATUS:
At Council committee. Going to full Council in August 2017.
DETAILS:
The committee met for the first time on January 23
to discuss initial study of how Project Labor Agreements impact both public and private sector investment. The task force has met another five times since then and will meet for the last time on July 31 prior to this item coming before the full Council in late August.
Click here to read more.
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ISSUE: City of San Jose
Downtown Intensification Program (Signage)
SVO POSITION: Support
STATUS: Passed Council May 16 as a pilot. Staff will report back in fall of 2017
DETAILS:
In April of 2016,
SVO
staff and the SJDA met with City of San José staff to discuss implementation of a downtown intensification program similar to what we saw in Denver during the 2015 Study Mission.
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NEW
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SSUE:
H.R. 1468 - Recognizing America's Children Act
STATUS: Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.
DETAILS:
Recognizing America's Children Act would permit young undocumented immigrants, often referred to as Dreamers, who were brought to the U.S. as children and have lived here since at least January 1, 2012, to gain a five-year "conditional permanent resident" status if they pursue vocational or higher education, enlist in the military or are gainfully employed, and meet other requirements.
Click here to read more
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NEW
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SSUE:
S. 1034 - Agricultural Worker Program Act
STATUS: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
DETAILS: The Agricultural Worker Program Act would allow many undocumented farm workers and their family members the opportunity to earn legal immigration status and citizenship. Under the Agricultural Worker Program Act, farm workers who have worked in agriculture for at least 100 days in each of the past two years may earn lawful "blue card" status.
Click here to read more
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NEW
ISSUE: SB 538 (Monning): Hospital Contracts
SVO POSITION: Opposed
STATUS: Passed Senate. Now in Assembly Health Committee.
DETAILS: Hospital contracts unfairly discriminates against arbitration agreements and subjects businesses to costly litigation. The arbitration provisions in SB 538 undermines the national policy favoring arbitration and freedom to contract for arbitration, violate the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA), and deny businesses a cost effective and less time-consuming method of resolution of claims.
Click here to read more.
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UPDATED
ISSUE: AB 1250 (Jones-Sawyer) Counties and cities: Contracts for personal services
SVO POSITION: Opposed
STATUS: Re-Referred to Senate Appropriations.
DETAILS: AB 1250 imposes costs on contractors in order to bid on contracts with cities and counties for personal services such as legal, accounting, and waste hauling with cities and counties.
Click here to read more.
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UPDATED
ISSUE: AB 1209 (Gonzalez Fletcher) Employers: Gender Pay Differentials
STATUS: Amended and re-referred to Senate Appropriations.
DETAILS: Imposes a mandate on California employers to collect data on the mean and median salaries paid to men and women under the same job title or description without also considering any bona fide reason for differences in compensation. Click here to read more.
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UPDATED
ISSUE:
SB 562 (Lara/Atkins): The Healthy California Act
SVO POSITION: OPPOSE
STATUS: Passed Senate. In Assembly.
DETAILS: SB 562 would create a new single-payer government bureaucracy which would control and finance the state's health care system and ultimately result in significant job loss to the state. Click here to read more.
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UPDATED
ISSUE:
AB 71 (Chiu) Income taxes: credits: low-income housing
SVO POSITION: Oppose
STATUS: In Assembly.
DETAILS: AB 71 would end a tax break that allows homeowners to deduct the interest from the mortgage on their second home from their state taxes. About 31,000 Californians received the tax break last year.
Click here to read more.
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UPDATED
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SSUE:
AB 851 Local Design-Build Project Delivery for Water Supply, Flood Protection & Habitat Restoration
STATUS:
Passed Assembly. In Senate Appropriations.
DETAILS: This bill expands the type of projects completed through a 'design-build' delivery method for water supply, flood protection, and habitat restoration projects.
Design-build
allows a single entity to both design and build a project.
Click here to read more
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UPDATED
ISSUE:
418 (Hernandez) Public Works: Public Subsidies
SVO POSITION:
Oppose
STATUS:
Passed Assembly. In Senate Appropriations.
DETAILS:
This bill seeks to codify a definition of the term 'de minimis' to determine what level of public subsidy triggers prevailing wage requirements on an otherwise private project. Click here to read more.
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UPDATED
ISSUE:
AB 199 (Chu) Public works: private residential projects
SVO POSITION: Oppose
STATUS: Referred to Senate Appropriations. Placed on suspense file.
DETAILS: AB 199 would eliminate the long-standing residential exemption from prevailing wage rates and thereby make private, market-rate residential development a public work project for which a prevailing wage would be paid. Click here to read more.
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ISSUE:
SB 1 (Beall) Transportation Funding
SVO POSITION: Support
STATUS:
Passed and signed by Governor Brown.
DETAILS:
In February, The SVO Board of Directors took a position of "support" for Senator Jim Beall's SB-1, funding for California Transportation. Click here to read more.
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ISSUE:
AB 5 (Gonzalez) Employers: Opportunity to Work Act
SVO POSITION: Oppose
STATUS:
In Assembly committee: Hearing postponed by committee. Item tabled.
DETAILS:
Unfair Scheduling Mandate. Burdens small and large employers with a scheduling mandate that requires employers to offer additional hours of work to employees before hiring a new employee or contractor and exposes employers to multiple threats of costly litigation for technical violations that do not cause an employee any harm.
Click here to read more.
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ISSUE:
AB 1506 Costa Hawkins Repeal
SVO POSITION: Oppose
STATUS: Asm Housing and Community Development
DETAILS:
The Costa-Hawkins Act of 1995 put statewide limits on the rent-control ordinances that local governments are allowed to enact. The law, passed in 1995, prohibited rent control on newly constructed residential housing starting in 1999. Click here to read more.
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ISSUE:
H.R. 5 the Regulatory Accountability Act (RAA)
SVO POSITION: Support
STATUS:
Hearings held in Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship on March 29, 2017
DETAILS: The bill aims to eliminate overly-burdensome red tape and regulations in order to lift unnecessary burdens on hardworking Americans and to promote jobs, innovation, and economic growth.
Click here to read more.
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STATUS:
Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security
DETAILS: The BRIDGE (Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy) Act would provide temporary relief from deportation and employment authorization to individuals who are eligible for the Department of Homeland Security's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ("DACA") program.
DACA provides temporary protection from removal and work authorization to young students and veterans who grew up in the United States if they register with the government, pay a fee, and pass a criminal background check. Click here to read more.
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ISSUE: Fair and Open Competition Act
SVO POSITION: Support
STATUS: Pending Introduction
DETAILS: The Fair and Open Competition Act would prevent federal agencies and recipients of federal assistance from requiring contractors to sign an anti-competitive and costly project labor agreement (PLA) as a condition of winning a federal or federally assisted construction contract. It also would eliminate discriminatory PLA preference policies that discourage competition and may result in needless delays, waste and favoritism during the procurement of taxpayer-funded construction projects. Click here to read more.
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GET INVOLVED - PUBLIC POLICY WORKING GROUPS
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Are you a member interested in our Public Policy efforts? Join our working group(s)!
Follow this link if you have questions or would like to request more information.
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35th Annual SVO PAC BBQ - Thursday, August 24, 5:30-9:30 PM
The silicon valley organization's svo PAC's biggest event of the year, the BBQ takes place once more at History Park San Jose and benefits the svo PAC. Networking, beverages and BBQ. Click here to register.
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Access Silicon Valley Featuring San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia - Thursday, Sept. 21, 7:30-9:00 AM
The silicon valley organization's monthly member breakfast offers a chance to get some networking in while you enjoy a hot meal, and hear from a local leader on topics that impact business. This month's speaker offers an inside look at the current state of the department and its plan for growth. Click here to register. |
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Destination: Silicon Valley - Wednesday through Friday Nov. 1-3
The silicon valley organization is revamping its annual Study Mission, this year bringing it home. The goals of this year's program will be priority setting for Silicon Valley IDEA in 2018. We will hear presentations from speakers/panelists on seven key regional topics: housing, transportation, downtown San Jose, international competitiveness, emerging technologies, advanced manufacturing and regional branding. Click here to register. |
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