World's largest Christmas light maze

The holidays are getting nearer and Enchant is coming back to San Jose's PayPal Park later this month. The world's largest Christmas light maze will be available from Friday, Nov 22nd to Sunday, Dec 29th. You can find more info and tickets over here.

Source: SJtoday

Santana Row Fall Wine Stroll

Santana Row is hosting a Fall Sip & Stroll on Thursday, November 14th from 5pm-7pm.

Stroll The Row while enjoying wine and lite bites inside 12+ Santana Row shops & restaurants. Tickets are $50 and include a signature Santana Row wine glass, wine tastings from Livermore Valley wineries, lite bites, exclusive shopping incentives, live music and more.

Participating shops and eateries include Tesla, New Balance, Yeti, Vuori, Dumpling Time, Suspiro, Paige, Marine Layer and more.  

For more information, you can contact the Santana Row Concierge at 408-551-4611.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Election Results - Part 2

I'm not sure how it could possibly be taking this long to tally California votes, but there are some obvious winners.

Here are the ones that passed that will most clearly impact San Jose:

• Measure 2 - provides additional funding to help renovate schools
• Proposition 4 - authorizes more funding for water districts, wildfire prevention, and land protection
• Proposition 35 - continues funding for Medi-Cal health care programs via a tax extension on managed health care plans
• Proposition 36 - increases penalties for theft and drug crimes

I'm not mentioning Amendment 3, as it is just updating the language in the Californian constitution in a common-sense way, yet it does not actually alter any rights.

The biggest one on the list for me is Prop 36. Crime has become a major issue in Silicon Valley, and this will reduce the threshold for thefts being treated as felonies and allow multiple robberies to be grouped together to constitute a felony. Hopefully this will become a stronger deterrent to the retail theft that is greatly impacting San Jose businesses, especially small businesses. We can't get to a place like San Francisco where shampoo and toothpaste is being locked behind glass cases because of rampant shoplifting. I'm very happy this one will pass.

Election Results - Part 1

I tend to stay away from political posts, but in this case there is a general melancholy vibe in San Jose. As an serial optimist, I'll go through the 2024 election results and highlight what I think the positives might be around what has passed. Let's start with the elephant in the room (no pun intended), the presidential election.

Obviously, Trump was not Silicon Valley's first choice. The question is, are there any aspects of a Trump presidency that will benefit San Joseans and San Jose businesses. Here is my best shot:

• Taxes
• Yes, Trump did indeed lower taxes in his first term. The benefits did not just impact the rich but impacted all individuals making $9,525 or more as well as married couples filing jointly making $19,050 or more per year. I would expect that he would keep these tax cuts and as a sign of good faith try to reduce them even more as soon as possible. This should be beneficial to San Joseans that are already used to paying the highest taxes in the country. Now, this will only be possible if the deficit is significantly reduced and that leads to the next item.
• Deficit
• Trump seems to be partnering with Elon Musk, who has promised to help significantly cut the deficit by identifying government waste. Elon has claimed that up to $2 trillion could be cut from spending by consolidating departments. Even if the amount is half that, not only would it enable further tax cuts but it would reduce the risk of America going bankrupt... which would surely devalue the US Dollar and severely impact Silicon Valley businesses.
• Safety and Immigration
• I am speculating that there will be a quick response to reduce illegal immigration across the border which may help reduce crime. My hope is that Trump will also focus on greatly increasing legal immigration. This should be both for quickly converting undocumented people that are contributing to our economy today as well as bringing in exceptional individuals from other countries. I know people that have tried for over a decade to even get a US work visa... it is extremely difficult. Ensuring we have enough talent in Silicon Valley is critical to our success, so I hope that a focus on greatly improving legal immigration will be a priority. 

Am I missing anything?  Tomorrow I'll go through the California measures.

Happy Election Day San Jose!

If you haven't done so already, now is your last chance to vote. You can see the latest results on federal, state, and local races over here.

If you need a ride, today the VTA is offering free bus, light rail, and paratransit rides to designated Santa Clara County polling or drop box locations from 7am to 8pm.

Regardless of who wins at any level of government, my hope is that people will remember we are all human beings, find common ground, and move forward together.

San Jose's Hotel De Anza is getting major upgrades

San Jose's historic Hotel De Anza was recently purchased by 233 W Santa Clara LLC. The hotel was built 93 years ago and has 100 rooms in the 10-story building.

The exciting news is that major upgrades are planned, including adding fine dining and a full-service bar. It will also transition from being a Hyatt to a high-end independent boutique hotel. The partnership with Hyatt already ended on October 29th.

Hopefully we'll have details soon on the new dining options and planned renovations. The last upscale dining option in the hotel was La Pastia, which closed several years ago.

Source: SVBJ

Bascom Station has started leasing

Bascom Station appears to have started leasing their apartments. This is a 590 apartment project in an 8-story building. It's located right next to the Bascom VTA Light Rail station at 1350 S. Bascom Avenue. There are also several retail pads on the ground floor available for lease and a 200,000 SQFT office building next door that is still under construction.

This is a great example of a mixed-use infill project near transit. Previously this area just had 76,894 SQFT of commercial space.

Source: RebecaG from Skyscraper City 

Oak Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park to Observe All Saint’s Day and Day of the Dead

Oak Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park will host a Día de los Muertos event, a time deeply rooted in Hispanic tradition, to honor and remember loved ones who have departed. This celebration is free opportunity for families to come together, pay respects, and keep the memories of their loved ones alive. The event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 2, featuring traditional music, food, dancers, and activities for children. The community is invited to contribute items to the altar (ofrenda) in remembrance of their loved ones.

 

This event is honoring the values of remembrance, respect for elders, and the important role that family plays in preserving the memories of those who came before us.

 

All are welcome, including members of the media, to join this important cultural event.

 

The day-long celebration will begin with a gathering for coffee, champurrado, and traditional Pan de Muerto from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

• 10 – 11 a.m.: Celebration of Liturgy (Special Guest Speaker: Bishop Oscar Cantú)
• 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Performance by Gabriele Sepulveda
• 12 – 1 p.m.: Aztec Dancers
• 1 – 2 p.m.: Folclorico Kids Club
• 2 – 3 p.m.: Aztec Dancers
• 3 – 5 p.m.: Musical Group

From Oct. 31 – Nov. 6, Oak Hills will have a community altar in the main lobby for the community to visit from sunrise to sunset. The community is invited to add a 5x7 photo of their loved one to the altar. Remembrance cards will also be available.

 

WHERE:              

Oak Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park

300 Curtner Ave.

San Jose, CA 95125