Silicon Valley

Lawmakers in California and elsewhere can no longer take the tech industry’s word when their armies of lobbyists make the case that they police themselves and shouldn’t be held accountable. The basis for that trust is nonexistent.

News publishers in California are divided over proposed legislation that would require tech giants to set aside money for newsrooms. A journalism expert says Assembly Bill 886 would finally force Big Tech to the bargaining table.

News publishers in California disagree on legislation that would require tech giants to pay newsrooms for content that has become essential to their platforms. A digital media advocate worries that Assembly Bill 886 would favor larger outlets and incentivize clickbait.

From CalMatters’ housing reporter Ben Christopher: California voters will soon get a third chance to say “yes” to rent control. This week, the Secretary of State announced that supporters of a measure that would let cities put new restrictions on how much landlords can hike the rent have gathered enough signatures to put it on […]

A report from California’s department devoted to business oversight says state and federal regulators saw reasons for concern over Silicon Valley Bank’s financial practices, but didn’t force changes soon enough.

After the demise of two regional banks, experts had some ideas for what the state could do differently. A clearer picture will emerge once the state’s regulator publishes a report, and lawmakers discuss options.

Two years ago, Silicon Valley Bank agreed to invest more than $9 billion to support low-income communities in California as part of its acquisition of Boston Private. After SVB collapsed, those who helped negotiate the community benefits agreement are calling on its new owners to honor the commitment.

Artificial intelligence will pour gasoline onto existing tech battles while also introducing a whole new set of policy problems. With partisan gridlock hindering Washington D.C., the early battles could be waged in Sacramento.

A double dose of bad news hit one of California’s key economic engines Tuesday. As word filtered out about two federal investigations into the demise of Silicon Valley Bank, Meta announced it will lay off 10,000 workers.  This follows a string of tech layoffs that began last year, which included Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Meta […]

The failure of Silicon Valley Bank struck California's economically important high-tech industry while it was already facing difficult headwinds. The question is whether the bank’s failure is a harbinger of Silicon Valley’s decline.