Applied Materials' 180,000-square-foot facility is expected to employ 1,500 construction workers during construction and 2,000 engineering jobs once construction is complete. 

At the same time, as the layoffs continued a six-month trend of Silicon Valley downsizing, overall statewide employment slipped slightly, unemployment claims grew and the total number of unemployed Californians grew.

At a CalMatters/Milken Institute event, experts discuss how the pandemic has changed the California economy,and say why there’s reason for hope.

Gilroy Community Development Director Karen Garner said Amazon will be the tenant at the site. A spokesperson for Amazon declined to comment. Documents filed with the city said the facility will bring in 197 full-time jobs, starting at $15 an hour.

Historic decision follows years of debate and study, and promises to add housing, jobs and parks near Diridon Station.

Expectations are high for a turnaround as experts say the federal relief alone could be enough to cut California’s child poverty in half.

In a sign that the city of San Jose has no immediate plans to aggressively add to its workforce, an item on Tuesday’s City Council agenda suggests permanently eliminating 12 positions and adding a new job: Risk manager. Also on Tuesday, the city plans to accept an audit of the police department that says urgent reform is needed regarding the secondary employment of officers. Discussion on the city’s top five priorities in its Economic Strategy Workplan has been deferred to next week.

Last Friday, Joint Venture Silicon Valley (JVSV) hosted its annual State of the Valley. I was one of the 1,000 people in attendance at the convention center. JVSV started in 1993, during a recession, to promote economic growth through public-private partnerships. Several interesting demographic statistics were pointed out during the presentation.

The local construction industry had a bone thrown its way Tuesday, as the first portion of a BART extension project has received federal support, according to a San Jose Business Journal report.