San Jose, the self-described “Heart of Silicon Valley,” has been dragging behind the rest of the region in terms of city budgets and services. You could say San Jose didn’t have the dumb luck to be home to one of the tech firms that blew up in

Why San Jose Is Barely in the Black Despite the Tech Boom

Jul 8th, 2015 4m 50s

The tech boom is pumping unprecedented riches into the region. But San Jose is barely in the black after years of deep deficits and painful cutbacks. How can that be? And what will it take to turn things around? Reporter: Rachael Myrow

In-Law Units Become New Design Frontier For SF Architects

May 7th, 2015 3m 54s

Tens of thousands of San Franciscans live in converted garages, attics and basements: commonly known as "in-law units". Until recently, most of these were technically illegal. But the housing crunch prompted supervisors to not only bring them o

Local Officials Working with Non Profit to Save Palo Alto Mobile Home Park

May 7th, 2015 2m 26s

The longtime owner of the Buena Vista trailer park is trying to close it down and capitalize on the land. About 400 mostly low-income residents have been fighting to stay put. Silicon Valley real estate is soaring in value these days. And now,

Lawrence Ferlinghetti Recounts More Than Six Decades of Life in San Francisco

Apr 9th, 2015 4m 34s

Poet, painter and publisher Lawerence Ferlinghetti provides a historical perspective on San Francisco's boom, as someone who has seen booms and busts over the decades. Joanne Jennings spoke with him in the city's North Beach neighborhood.

Wary Employers, Stigma Have Some Tech Workers Keeping Low Profile

Apr 8th, 2015 3m 49s

We hear a lot about how tech workers are earning high salaries, gentrifying neighborhoods and driving up rents. But hearing from these workers directly, on-the-record, is rare, and there is a reason for that. Reporter: Sam Harnett

For Mission Bakery, Gentrification is Baked Into the Business Plan

Mar 19th, 2015 4m 8s

Many mom and pop businesses have been priced out of San Francisco's Mission District, but one Mexican bakery has thrived by adapting to the times. Reporter: Joanne Elgart Jennings.

Renters Struggle to Keep Up in Menlo Park’s Belle Haven Neighborhood

Mar 18th, 2015 4m 58s

Some families near the growing headquarters of Facebook are getting crushed by some of the most expensive rents in the country. To survive, they are doubling or tripling up in cramped homes, or worse: raising their children in garages. Reporter

Young Oakland Entrepreneurs Redefine the Startup With a Local Twist

Mar 12th, 2015 4m 13s

Oakland youth join the booming Bay Area economy with local threads, health awareness and a music blog. Reporter: Tylyn Hardamon

Bay Area Tech Boom Driving Up Cost of Psychotherapy

Mar 4th, 2015 4m 44s

The influx of tech workers in the city is coinciding with some higher costs for mental health care. But does that mean some people, mostly non-tech workers, are getting priced out of psychotherapy?

Tech Incubator Recruits Foreign Entrepreneurs to Silicon Valley

Mar 3rd, 2015 4m 19s

Middle Eastern startups are beginning to attract more Silicon Valley investors and some are planning to open offices in the Bay area. It's largely due to the founder partner of Mountain View's tech incubator called 500 Startups. Dave McClure s

Proposal Would Allow Building of In-Law Units During Retrofitting

Mar 3rd, 2015 2m 27s

Yesterday in San Francisco, a Board of Supervisors committee passed a measure that would allow home owners to build in-law units on their existing properties if they are seismically retrofitting their building.

Can Technology Make a Dent in East Bay Traffic?

Mar 2nd, 2015 6m 29s

A recent study found that in San Francisco and San Jose, our time stuck in gridlock rose 10 percent in just one year. The tech boom may be partly to blame, but technology could also relieve some of that freeway congestion. A new project called

Superintendent Discusses How the Boom Effects San Francisco's Classrooms

Feb 25th, 2015 4m 11s

We continue our series "Boomtown", about the Bay Area's thriving economy, in conversation with local leaders. Today let's meet Richard Carranza, the superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District.

Fast Bus Service is Proving to be a Tough Political Sell in Silicon Valley

Feb 24th, 2015 6m 46s

Buses are a big part of traffic, but there are ways to turn buses into "rapid transit." Transportation officials in the South Bay want to build a rapid bus system through one of Silicon Valley's busiest traffic corridors. Tonight Sunnyvale plan

Tenants in the Mission Band Together and Purchase Their Building

Feb 18th, 2015 4m 29s

We found a group of renters who saved their homes by buying their building from their landlord. They did it through acquisition rehab. If the property is under 25 units, it’s considered a small site. Acquisition rehab can be used to preserve r

Housing Shortage Could be Causing Pet Displacement

Feb 18th, 2015 48s

San Francisco's housing crisis is forcing pet owners to give up their dogs and cats to animal shelters/ According to the SF SPCA, since March of last year more than 200 animals were left with them; most of those because San Francisco residents

Is the Bay Area's Boom Actually a Bubble?

Feb 17th, 2015 5m 47s

N'Jeri Eaton of Oakland wants to know if this boom, is really a bubble, and if so, when will it burst? It may sound pessimistic, but for some in the Bay Area an economic downturn may be the only way they could afford to stay here.

What’s Up With S.F.'s Bad Architecture?

Feb 11th, 2015 4m 57s

KQED listener Dave Taylor is not impressed by the new buildings gong up in San Francisco. He asks, "Why are they so ugly?" Reporters: Lisa Morehouse and Casey Miner

Couples Counseling for Tech Co-Founders? It’s a Thing

Feb 10th, 2015 4m 29s

Many Silicon Valley startups fail because of bad blood between their co-founders: people who often spend more time together than with their significant others. These days more startups are taking a page from steady relationships, and heading of

NAACP’s Amos Brown: Blacks Have Gained ‘Zero’ From Bay Area’s Boom

Feb 9th, 2015 4m 41s

The Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown, pastor at Third Baptist Church of San Francisco and president of the city's NAACP branch, talks about how black San Franciscans have been left out of the tech boom.

‘Build It and They Will Come': International Developers Flocking to Silicon Valley

Feb 9th, 2015 5m 26s

Tech companies in Silicon Valley are attracting developers from all over the world to build for them. These newcomers are backed by Wall Street and international banks. That means a lot of the money coming here, is not staying here.

Enforcement Issues Remain as San Francisco’s Airbnb Law Takes Effect

Feb 9th, 2015 58s

As San Francisco begins formal regulation of the burgeoning short-term rental industry, questions remain over how the city can regulate the thousands of listings available on sites like Airbnb. Reporter: Guy Marzorati

San Jose Mayor: Boom Creates 'Tale of Two Cities'

Feb 9th, 2015 4m 45s

Mayor Sam Liccardo says that market forces are more powerful than City Hall when it comes to fixing income inequality.

San Mateo Rides Tech Boom But Keeps Small-Town Feel

Feb 9th, 2015 6m 49s

San Mateo has long been a bedroom community for tech hubs to the north and south. But in recent years, it's built a niche for itself as a home to tech startups such as GoPro and Solar City, among hundreds of others. Unlike in other cities, such