Call Center Company in Santa Clara, CA

Amid pledges from Democratic legislative leaders to make California more affordable, there is persistent evidence that the state’s high cost of living won’t get better anytime soon.

The latest comes from California’s housing department, which recently released its annual report detailing how much households can earn in each of California’s 58 counties to be eligible for various government programs, including housing assistance programs.

One striking takeaway? Earning a six-figure salary as a single person without dependents is considered “low income” in five counties — all in Northern California.

Residents making an annual income of up to $109,700 who are living in Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties are considered low income, according to the California Department of Housing & Community Development. Topping the list is Santa Clara County, the home of Silicon Valley’s tech industry, which designates $111,700 as low income.

For a three-person household — say, two parents with one child — earning a combined six-figure salary is also considered low income in an additional 11 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Monterey, Napa, Orange, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sonoma and Ventura counties.

This wasn’t always the case, as SFGATE points out: Five years ago, $78,550 was considered low income for a single-person household in Santa Clara County, a difference of $33,150, or 42%, compared to now. Indeed no California county in 2020 considered a six-figure salary low income; with $97,600 standing as the low-income ceiling for Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties.

The report comes as both the federal and state government plan to cut or shift funds for social safety net programs; rising insurance costs drive up rents; electric bills in California remain some of the highest in the country; and inflation is “projected to accelerate” under President Donald Trump’s tariff policies.

Join CalMatters and Evident in Bakersfield on Wednesday for a screening of Operation: Return to Sender, a short documentary uncovering what really happened during a three-day Border Patrol raid in Bakersfield. After the film, CalMatters’ Sergio Olmos and others will discuss what the team uncovered and what it means for immigration enforcement. Register today or attend our Los Angeles screening on Thursday.

CA cities and counties clash over homelessness

Though Gov. Gavin Newsom’s disputes with local governments over homelessness often grab headlines, disagreements between counties and cities also have the potential to upend the livelihoods of unhoused people who depend on local support.

As CalMatters’ Marisa Kendall explains, the saga between the city and county of Los Angeles and their soon-to-be-dissolved joint homeless services authority underscores the friction between local governments, which are sometimes at odds with each other when it comes to funding and responsibility. It’s a kind of clash that’s happening elsewhere in California, such as San Diego and Stanislaus counties.

Established in the 1990s, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority provided services to some of L.A. County’s 75,000 homeless people. After two audits found that the joint agency failed to properly track spending and outcomes, the county’s Board of Supervisors voted last month to rescind more than a third of the agency’s funding, or more than $300 million. L.A. County officials say they plan to create a new agency that is more efficient and will have more accountability measures.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and a city councilmember blasted the move, saying it would “create a monumental disruption” and risk “worsening our homelessness crisis.”

Days after county supervisors conducted their vote, members of the L.A. City Council said they should consider pulling out of the agency too.

Cities, which provide shelter beds, do not have behavioral health departments, which are provided by counties, along with other key mental health and addiction treatments. The dismantling of L.A.’s joint agency has left programs in the region figuring out how to separate funds they receive from both the city and county.

Read more here.

Fear among ESL students under Trump

More than 290,000 students take free English as a Second Language courses in California’s community colleges. But as the Trump administration cracks down on immigration, educators are reporting a heightened level of anxiety that discourages ESL students from going to class, writes Delilah Brumer of CalMatters’ College Journalism Network.

Non-credit ESL courses have been growing in popularity in recent years: From the 2018-19 academic year to 2023-24, about 30,000 more students in California enrolled in these courses. This is a boon for community colleges, which receive state funding through ESL courses and are still struggling with enrollment after the pandemic.

But in January Trump issued several executive actions to increase deportations, including authorizing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to make arrests at schools and other “sensitive locations.” For the roughly 100,000 California college students who do not have permanent legal status, fears about ICE have led some to either attend classes online or not show up at all.

Read more here.

And lastly: Better pay for CA prisoners

Though voters in November rejected amending the state constitution to ban involuntary prison labor, a Culver City lawmaker continues to push for better pay for California prisoners — including incarcerated firefighters who help put out active wildfires. Read more from CalMatters’ Joe Garcia.

California Voices

CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: As a lame duck governor, Newsom can afford to upset allies with his latest state budget plan — but the Legislature, on the other hand, remains in a tough spot.

Some stories may require a subscription to read.

How old is too old to drive in CA? See DMV’s updated rules for seniors // The Sacramento Bee

Trump administration cancels $85.6M in public health grants to Santa Clara County // The Mercury News

Homelessness grew by 3% in Fresno and Madera counties, even with anti-camping bans in effect // Fresnoland

How illegal dumping in Antelope Valley desert sites got so bad // LAist

Portrait emerges of Palm Springs bombing suspect // Los Angeles Times

With CA’s affordable housing shortage, does Coachella Valley offer hope? // Los Angeles Times

Federal prosecutors in LA work to ‘neutralize CA’s sanctuary state policy’ // The Orange County Register

Surgeons in Southern CA perform first ever successful bladder transplant // The Guardian

In a sweeping corporate overhaul, Six Flags Entertainment will eliminate 135 jobs across its California parks and dissolve all individual park president roles, part of a larger cost-cutting initiative following last year’s $8 billion merger with entertainment company Cedar Fair.

The layoffs will affect leadership at key California locations, including Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California’s Great America in Santa Clara, and the flagship parks Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park (Orange County) and Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia (Los Angeles County).

“Six Flags Entertainment recently moved to a new regional operating structure,” the company said in a statement. “Under this new alignment, we have centralized certain functions and responsibilities at the corporate level.”

As part of the restructuring, Six Flags will eliminate president positions at all 27 of its parks nationwide and reduce its full-time workforce by 10%. Some affected employees may be offered part-time roles or severance packages. The company expects the transition to be completed by the end of June.

The cuts come amid growing financial pressure. Six Flags reported a $220 million net loss in the first quarter of 2025, citing economic uncertainty and unpredictable weather as key challenges.

Former Cedar Fair CEO Matt Ouimet, who stepped down before the merger, called the layoffs inevitable in a LinkedIn post.

“This die was cast when the merger agreement was signed,” he wrote. “It isn’t because the business or the individuals were performing poorly. This is purely math.”

Despite the layoffs, Six Flags says it plans to invest $1 billion in its parks over the next two years.

Cedar Fair sold California’s Great America to San Francisco developer Prologis for $310 million in 2022. Under the terms of the deal, the park must close within 11 years. Prologis has not yet announced a timeline for the closure.

Before submitting a Planning application:

STEP 1: Verify the Zoning District of the property using MapSantaClara.

STEP 2: Verify whether the property is a Historic Resource Inventory (HRI) or within 200 feet of an HRI using the Historic Resources Map.

STEP 3: Reference the General Plan and Zoning Code for compliance.

STEP 4: Consult with the City's Public Works Engineering (Land & Property Development) for information regarding public easements.

STEP 5: Read through the Application Checklists that include the submittal requirements for your application type.

STEP 6: Review the Application Fee (PDF) requirements based on your application type.

STEP 7: Contact the Planning Division if you have any questions. You can also schedule an in-person or virtual appointment.

To submit a Planning application:

After submitting an application:

Planning Application Review Process:

Entitlements/permits have different process workflows. Consult the development review process for more information.

STEP 1: Once the fees have been paid, your application will be assigned to a planner and review of your application will begin.

STEP 2: Planning staff:

STEP 3: Public hearing (if applicable)

STEP 4: Application/permit decision made

Supplemental Information:

Property Owner Authorization Form (PDF)

Organic waste (food scraps, yard trimmings, and food-soiled paper) constitutes more than a third of the materials going to landfill. As a result, Assembly Bill 1826 requires commercial businesses such as restaurants, supermarkets, large venues and food processors to separate organic waste and arrange for collection services.

The City of Santa Clara adopted Ordinance No. 1947 to align with the state's AB1826 requirements.

Commercial businesses are covered! Organic waste is collected in the garbage container and is delivered to a mixed waste processing facility where it is separated from the garbage and ultimately made into compost material.

If your business is located in an industrial zoning district, check with your hauler to see what materials they accept through their organics collection program.

To reduce unnecessary food waste and help address food insecurity, Senate Bill 1383 (SB1383) requires that by 2025, California will recover and redistribute 20 percent of edible food that would have otherwise be sent to landfills. This law directs that:

Jurisdictions in Santa Clara County are working together to provide a countywide food recovery network. For more information on these efforts, including potential food recovery organizations and services, as well as other resources aimed at assisting with compliance with new state SB1383 regulations, please visit Santa Clara County's Food Recovery Program.

For more information, please contact the Environmental Programs Division at Environment@SantaClaraCA.gov or call 408-615-3080.

PC builders in Northern California, prepare for electronics heaven: Micro Center is opening a store in Santa Clara, bringing the holy grail of computer parts shopping to the heart of Silicon Valley.

The store at 5201 Stevens Creek Blvd officially opens to the public on today, May 30, but the retailer held a soft opening on Wednesday, and I checked it out. It attracted well over 100 customers; a long line developed outside the store about 30 minutes after it opened at 10 a.m.

(Credit: PCMag/Michael Kan)

Micro Center gave me a tour before the store held its soft opening on Wednesday morning. (Credit: PCMag/Michael Kan)

“I came here just to see the store,” said Thomas Moore, an IT worker and PC builder. “It’s been painfully obvious that [Micro Center] was missing a presence here.”

Ohio-based Micro Center once had a store in Santa Clara, which is home to several major tech companies, including Nvidia, Intel, and AMD. But in 2012, the retailer shut down the location after failing to reach a lease agreement at its previous location. Now, Micro Center is back with a more modern, brightly lit 40,000-square-foot facility that's likely to be popular among enthusiasts looking for a hands-on shopping experience.

The store's full stock of PC parts, including Nvidia's RTX 5000 series GPUs. (PCMag/Michael Kan)

“It’s the right time, it’s the right place,” said Dan Ackerman, Editor-in-Chief for Micro Center. “There’s such an uptick in people’s interest in build-your-own, and people’s interest in repairability and upgrading.”

That demand was on display as the first customers entered the store. In addition to the line outside, over 40 consumers were also lined up inside the facility to buy a graphics card or CPU, which are locked inside cabinets.

Shoppers crowd the 'Build Your Own' PC section. (Credit: PCMag/Michael Kan)

PC builders love Micro Center because its stores are full of PC parts you can actually see and touch. It also carries the most popular PC graphics cards, such as Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080, which have been hard to find in stock through online retailers.

It truly was a sight to behold. The Santa Clara store had shelves full of not just GPUs and CPUs, but also PC RAM, NVMe storage, power supplies, liquid coolers and fans, along with custom keyboard kits and all kinds of cables and adapters.

Pedro Rodriguez, who was hoping to snag an RTX 5090, told me, "There's just something different about seeing [the products] in person," he said.

One corner of the store also featured dozens of PC cases, giving customers the chance to physically inspect them. Meanwhile, another side was full of PC monitors and prebuilt desktops and laptops, giving consumers a wide range of computing options.

A consumer named Erik told me the Santa Clara store was the first time he had ever visited a Micro Center. “It’s a PC gaming wonderland,” he said. “It feels like a de-normified Best Buy. Take a Best Buy and grow it out, where you have more PC-specific things.”

The Santa Clara store also features some more niche products, such as steering wheels for racing sims and an automated shelf that can dispense 3D printer filament in whatever color you desire. Employees at the site can also assemble your desktop PC after you buy all the parts.

Despite the wide selection, don’t be shocked by the steep prices. Some RTX 5090 models were listed at a staggering $2,999 or more, even though the starting price is supposed to be $1,999. The RTX 5080 wasn’t far behind, with similarly inflated pricing. But in other areas, the Santa Clara store is offering deals on memory and prebuilt desktops and laptops.

Like other Micro Centers, the store offers price matching and accepts online orders for in-store pickup.

Micro Center, which currently only has stores in 19 states, is in the midst of an expansion. The Santa Clara location is its 29th store, and features a design that's similar to Micro Center’s two other new stores in Miami and Charlotte, North Carolina, which opened last year.

“I think there will definitely be more. I think it’s a very careful consideration,” Ackerman said. “The three stores I have been involved with, the amount of research into exactly where and exactly when is very in-depth. It’s not a lightly-made decision.”

The goal is to ensure the longevity of each Micro Center store. In the meantime, the new Santa Clara location “expects to have over 4,000 graphics cards” this week.