Last month, the San Jose Housing Department released a report highlighting recent activity on the City's efforts to build more affordable housing. At the end of 2017, there were over a dozen new projects with approximately 1,100 rent-restricted apartments already in the development pipeline, and with another 900 prospective units in the early planning stages. Learn more about these efforts in a recent report, or read about Mayor Liccardo's goal of building 10,000 affordable housing units in the next 5 years. 

Also last month, Cisco Systems made an unprecedented commitment to help address the Silicon Valley housing crisis when CEO Chuck Robbins announced a $50 million contribution to Destination: Home to help combat homelessness. The funds will be disbursed to the non-profit in $10 million increments over the next 5 years.

In a unanimous vote, the VTA Board of Directors approved the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the BART Phase II project, a key milestone in the effort to bring the rail line to Downtown San Jose and Santa Clara. 

The approved EIR includes plans for a single-bore BART tunnel under Santa Clara Street, which will help minimize construction impacts to downtown's businesses, restaurants, and hotels. The BART Board of Directors will take up the EIR later this month.

Ready the story.

This month, Mayor Liccardo congratulated Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) for announcing their move to San Jose. Soon, the veteran tech innovators will settle in North San Jose, at the America Center. 

"For over a half-century, Hewlett Packard's technological innovations have helped put Silicon Valley on the map, so I'm thrilled that Hewlett Packard Enterprise has chosen to locate their new headquarters to San José's America Center," said Mayor Liccardo. "Thanks to CEO Antonio Neri, as well as Gregg Melinson, Nick Gunn and the rest of the HPE Team for their investments in our city, and for making the commute for many HPE employees in San Jose much shorter!"

In March of 2015, Mayor Liccardo launched the SJ Works youth employment initiative to bring San Jose businesses, non-profits, and City Hall together to provide San Jose youth with job opportunities. Through this partnership, we've helped more than 2,000 youth find a job and develop critical job skills over the past three years!

As part of this effort, we've also teamed up with The Silicon Valley Organization to develop and implement the CareerPath internship program focused specifically on offering San Jose students career-building skills. Last year, the SVO's CareerPath Program placed 178 kids into an internship, and is aiming to serve even more kids this year.

If you're a local employer, please consider participating in the SVO's CareerPath Program and host an intern this summer.

In addition, if you know a youth who might benefit from our SJ Works job program, learn more about the upcoming summer session.

Thank you to the many businesses who have already registered to employ a local youth through the San Jose Works and SVO CareerPath Program!