How has life in the Bay Area changed over the last 20 years? These stories straight from our Bay City News archives capture news of the day from 5, 10, and 20 years ago – as originally published at the time. Explore these history snapshots and ponder how today’s news compares to that of years past.
JULY 23, 2021
Child care remains economic infrastructure for families and employers across the high-cost Bay Area. California’s funding package shows the state adding subsidized slots, waiving family fees and investing in the workforce and facilities needed to expand access.
Bay City News Reported:
“California Expands Child Care Access And Provider Funding”
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a nine-figure funding package Friday that will expand child care access to some 200,000 more children over the next five years while also increasing state funding for child care and preschool providers.
The funding package, Assembly Bill 131, will allocate $579 million to make more than 145,000 new child care slots available by next year and a total of 200,000 new slots by 2026.
The state will also waive fees for families using subsidized child care and preschool programs, use $40 million in one-time funding to hire and train more child care providers and disperse up to $250 million in grants to build and renovate child care facilities across the state.
“The reality at the end of the day is this is about economic development,” Newsom said during a virtual signing ceremony with legislative and child care leaders.
“This is about fundamental infrastructure, the human capital that’s as important as roads and bridges and broadband and all the other things that are now being debated,” he said.
Newsom credited the state legislature’s Women’s Caucus for their efforts to expand child care in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Oakland, noted that women left their jobs at a higher rate than men during the pandemic, many of whom did so to take care of their children.
“If we’re going to build back our economy and help those families — those parents and mothers — get back to work, we have to have what’s in this bill,” Skinner said.
In addition to the funding to expand child care access, AB 131 represents the first collective bargaining agreement that child care workers have negotiated with the state since 2019, when Newsom signed a bill allowing child care workers to join a union.
Child Care Providers United now represents some 40,000 child care providers across the state and Newsom’s signature on AB 131 ratified the union’s tentative agreement with the state.
“We know that access to affordable, quality child care will be essential to the economic recovery from COVID-19, and we applaud Gov. Newsom and state legislators for making sure California has funding to support making our child care system the best in the country,” Miren Algorri, a San Diego child care provider and a CCPU negotiator, said in a statement.
The results of the ratification vote among the CCPU’s rank-and-file members will be made public Monday.
JULY 23, 2016
Air service remains part of Silicon Valley’s economic infrastructure and its competition with other regional airports. The new nonstop route shows San Jose seeking stronger East Coast connections for business and leisure travelers.
Bay City News reported:
“San Jose Airport Adds Daily New York Area Service”
Mineta San Jose International Airport officials announced that Alaska Airlines will offer a daily, non-stop flight to the New York City Area starting next year.
Non-stop service between San Jose and Newark Liberty International Airport, less than 10 miles from New York City, will start March 12, 2017.
The direct flight is scheduled to leave at 6:30 a.m. and arrive in Newark at 2:55 p.m. local time. A return flight from Newark to San Jose is scheduled to depart at 4:05 p.m. each day, arriving in San Jose at 7:40 p.m. local time.
“The addition of another nonstop flight to the East Coast is great news for Silicon Valley residents and businesses,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said in a statement.
Airport Director of Aviation Kim Becker said in a statement, “The New York Area is the No. 1 requested domestic destination from Mineta San Jose International Airport by business travelers,”
Daily, late-evening service from Mineta San Jose International Airport to Boston and New York is offered on JetBlue.
Alaska Airlines travelers will fly in a Boeing 737 aircraft with free entertainment that passengers can watch on their own devices, airport officials said.
JULY 23, 2006
Public safety budgets continue to reflect arguments over how cities divide resources between enforcement and prevention. Richmond’s proposed ballot measure shows a mayor pairing police recruitment with youth programs, tutoring, employment and reentry services.
Bay City News reported:
“Richmond Mayor Proposes Violence Prevention Fund”
Richmond Mayor Irma Anderson today made public a proposed ballot measure that would set aside money from the city’s general fund to recruit law enforcement and fund violence prevention programs.
Anderson reports that on Tuesday her proposed 8 percent funding earmark for the “Safe Streets Now! More Police and Anti-Violence Act” is expected to come before the Richmond City Council to be considered for the November ballot.
Anderson’s plan would appropriate about $9.9 million from the general fund for a combined police officers/anti-violence subsidy, according to a statement released today.
Two thirds would go to recruiting a minimum of two police officers per 1,000 residents. According to Anderson, that’s the national standard for cities of 100,000 or more.
Richmond has 179 sworn officers; the goal would be 215. Funding would continue until violent crime is reduced by 50 percent for two consecutive years.
The other third would go to after-school programs, tutoring, youth employment and re-entry services for ex-offenders.
Anderson reports she will urge the Richmond City Council to put the plan before voters on the November ballot.
The meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.
Editor’s Note: All the reporting, writing, and editing of this content was done by human journalists at the time of initial publication. AI tools were used to surface these stories from our internal Bay City News archives and provide the introductory context.