Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Dunkin' Donuts comes to San Jose

The famous east-coast doughnut chain has finally made its way to San Jose. A former Arby's at 5519 Snell Ave has become the first Dunkin' Donuts in Silicon Valley. I'm sure transplants will appreciate the location, and they might nab a few new converts as well (sorry, my personal favorite is still Psycho Donuts).

This is the first of several new locations. Next up will be a second San Jose shop on Winchester Boulevard towards the end of the year or early 2019. Franchise owners are also scouting Milpitas, Sunnyvale, and other Silicon Valley cities for further expansion.

The San Jose Dunkin' Donuts is now open everyday from 5am to 10pm.

Source: SVBJ


Monday, August 20, 2018

New Adobe "Super Tower" design unveiled

Adobe has just released a drawing of it's massive 18-story tower dubbed "North Tower." It will eventually house 3,000 additional employees, which is roughly equivalent to the three towers it has today... combined. In other words, it's going to be insanely large.

The super-tower will clock in at 700,000 SQFT, with a retail component and several floors of parking both below and above ground. It will be the largest hi-rise of any kind Downtown. A bridge lined with trees and seating areas will connect the existing towers to North Tower. It also appears that a recreation area with trees will be placed on the roof of the building overlooking the Santa Cruz mountains.

It is fantastic to see Adobe--one of the first tech companies to seriously invest in Downtown--step up and increase their commitment to the city. The design looks eye-catching and contemporary. Yes, I wish this was a normal-width 56-story tall structure instead of effectively being three buildings put together side-by-side, but I have to hand it to Adobe for being creative and working with existing constraints (darn flight path). The expansion will be impossible to miss from the freeway and will forever change the skyline. I hope they will try to include the community as much as possible in the campus. I would love to be able to grab lunch and enjoy it on that bridge.




Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Downtown Progress Report

The SJ Economy blog has a great synopsis of Downtown's current state. This info and slides are mostly pulled from Downtown Manager Blage Zelalich's presentation to a City Council committee.

There are a lot of interesting statistics in the post. Millennials make up 47% of Downtown San Jose versus the city average of 30% and population. Population growth Downtown is 4.2% versus 1.2% for San Jose as a whole. Education levels are also slightly higher Downtown (66% have bachelor's degrees versus 39%) but household income is under $80k (less than the San Jose median). To net it out, Downtown is growing quickly with a young, well educated, yet not affluent population.

There are a total of 180 tech companies Downtown (up from 100 a few years ago) and 10,000 residents in the core. 505 residential units opened last year with 2,173 currently under construction.

The post also touches on events, culture, and public art. It's a worthwhile read and helps substantiate that Downtown is booming right now. Click here to see the post!

Source: SJ Economy





Monday, August 13, 2018

Content 10.4: Profiles

Content Magazine is launching their latest issues on Tuesday, August 21 at 7-9:30pm. The venue is the Winchester Mystery House and a mini-mansion tour is included for the first 150 guests. Subscribers also get a free drink. For more info, read the event description below or head over here to RSVP.

Join us in the gardens of the Winchester Mystery House for the release of Issue 10.4 Profiles. The issue that features 40-50 influential makers and culture creatives.

Take a walk through this San Jose landmark, hear musical performances by 10.4 featured musicians, and view artwork by our featured artists. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Free entry for all Content Subscribers and 10.4 features and contributors: includes 1 guest, mini-mansion tour, and 1 complimentary drink ticket. $10 general admission at the door for all non-subscribers: includes garden access, participation in exterior activities, and a copy of issue 10.4.

This issue features: Abel Gonzalez, Tamiko Rast, Fanny Retsek, Francisco Ramirez, Vicki Thompson, Sarah Cade, Sam Rodriguez, Jason Adams, Mark Chua, Darius B'Alexander, Kombi Co, Renee Batres, Sarah Chea - Lotus Clothing, 2nd Hand Hustle, Kung Fu Vampire, Chris Landon, Susan Sayre Batton, The Get Down, Ranchezca Vicente “Chez,” Slap Face Coffee & Tea, Red Berry Coffee Bar, Quarry Winery, Rhys Vineyard, Chef Ngoc Bao Ky Vo of Elyse Restaurant, Damian Kelly, Michael Ogilvie, Nicholas Jimenez, and more.

Event sponsors: Winchester Mystery HouseSan Jose JazzSer WineryGenARTS Silicon Valley

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Study Finds San Jose Police Unlikely to Respond to Home Alarms


When people buy home security systems, there’s a belief that it will help ensure a swift police response in the event of a break-in or other incident.
But that is a myth.
In a press release announced by Pleasanton-based Deep Sentinel, the study looks at police responses to home security alarms and finds that a large number of these calls go unanswered. In fact, due to the high number of false alarms, dozens of cities have adopted non-response policies.
Notably, San Jose, San Francisco, Fremont and Las Vegas are among the 26 cities with a combined population of a combined population of 7,218,593 categorically that will NOT respond to alarm calls.

Deep Sentinel Dispels Myth That Police Respond to All Home Alarm Calls

New study from Deep Sentinel Labs finds overabundance of false alarms has contributed to dozens of cities adopting non-response policies

PLEASANTON, Calif. – August 8, 2018 – Deep Sentinel, a pioneer in AI-powered home protection, today released findings that dispute a widespread notion that police respond to all home alarms. The study conducted by Deep Sentinel Labs, the research arm of Deep Sentinel, looked at all the 765 U.S. cities with a population of around 50,000 or more (according to the US Census Bureau) and examined policies surrounding home security systems and subsequent police response, as well as the impact of false alarms. Among the key findings:

      For more than 40 percent of residents living in U.S. cities with a population of around 50,000 or more, police will not respond or will not guarantee that they will respond to residential alarm calls.

      In America’s most populous cities with one million or more residents, nearly 80 percent have no guaranteed police coverage for their alarms. Police in these cities, ranging from New York City to San Jose, say they will not respond or cannot guarantee they will respond to these calls.


      26 cities with a combined population of a combined population of 7,218,593 categorically will NOT respond to alarm calls. This represents 6 percent of the total 126 million people covered by the study.

10 Top No Alarm Response Cities

NO Response City
Population
San Jose, CA
1,035,317
San Francisco, CA
884,363
Seattle, WA
724,745
Detroit, MI
673,104
Las Vegas, NV
641,676
Milwaukee, WI
595,351
Fremont, CA
234,962
Modesto, CA
214,221
Fontana, CA
211,815
Salt Lake City, UT
200,544

      Police response to home alarm calls varies across states. In the image below, states with lighter colors are more likely to respond to an event than those in deep red, where cities surveyed within that state will not respond or do not guarantee a response. To find out if police respond to alarm calls in your city, search the Deep Sentinel False Alarm database.


These findings dispel the myth that police rush to the scene when alarms sound from alarm companies such as ADT, Vivint, Protect America, SimpliSafe and others. This is in sharp contrast to focus groups and various consumer panelist surveys from Deep Sentinel that indicate that almost all consumers who have installed an alarm system believe that police will respond.

TOO MANY FALSE ALARMS

A key reason for the lack of police response to home security calls is due to false alarms. According to data from the Center from Problem Oriented Policing, police respond to more than 36 million alarm activations every year in the U.S., which costs an estimated $1.8 billion. Most of these calls are false. Additional law enforcement agency research from Deep Sentinel Labs underscores this study, revealing that law enforcement agencies across the country say that 95 percent of alarm calls are false. As a result, they have stopped responding to alarms from alarm companies, finding them very costly and a drain on agency resources that could otherwise be used to address real offenses.

“After conducting preliminary surveys with law enforcement officers, agencies and consumers, we learned that police view alarm companies like most people view car alarms: they overwhelmingly believe that a majority of alarm calls they get will be bogus, with only one percent being the real deal,” said David Selinger, CEO and Founder of Deep Sentinel. “We chose to dig a little deeper to get a broader view of the problem across America. Our data offers a better understanding of how false alarms affect homeowners who have installed alarm systems. They are living with a false sense of security in thinking that installing an alarm means that police will respond.”

Methodology

For the purposes of this study, Deep Sentinel Labs analyzed all U.S. cities with a population over 50,000 according to the 2017 U.S. Census Bureau. The populations of these cities range from 50,000 to 8.6 million, a study covering a total population of 126,000,000. The analysis performed analyzed all city and local laws and policies governing how law enforcement responds to residential home alarm calls: local civic codes, city’s ordinances. Further, these legal restrictions were validated by contacting local police departments by phone. The result of this primary research was then tabulated and analyzed.

To read the entire study and to learn more about Deep Sentinel, visit www.deepsentinel.com.
About Deep Sentinel
Deep Sentinel is a pioneer in AI-based home protection. The company’s intelligent crime prevention transforms home security from false alarms and ineffective after-the-fact crime alerts to real-time crime prediction and prevention. With Deep Sentinel, Americans can gain a reliable, cost-effective way to protect their homes and stop a burglary, mail theft or driveway break-in before it happens – and feel dramatically safer at home, at work and on vacation. www.deepsentinel.com.

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Wednesday, August 8, 2018

San Jose home prices rose three times faster than US average

If you feel like housing prices are getting out of control, that is because they are. The economy has been doing quite well and US home values have risen an average over 7.1% from May 2017 to May 2018. In the San Jose metro, home prices rose a staggering 20.4%. We topped the appreciation list for all large metros in the country. This is good news for current homeowners, but bad for anyone hoping to buy a home here in the near future. Higher prices also mean more turnover for residents, which negatively impacts community building.

The average mortgage is now 51.2% of our median family income--a shocking stat that shows how unsustainable these prices are without further increases in salaries, which are already the highest in the nation. On a positive note, rents have at least stabilized.

Source: SVBJ,


Tuesday, August 7, 2018

August 2018 Downtown Dimension

The AUGUST 2018 Downtown Dimension is now available at:
In this edition:
  • San Jose Downtown Association Executive Editor Scott Knies reflects on 30 years of Downtown Dimension, SJDA's newsletter, which subscribers can receive by mail or digitally.
  • Sharks sue over future arena parking.
  • Empty storefront registry program kick-started.
  • WeWork doubles downtown presence.
  • Bitcoin company opens Silicon Valley office in downtown San Jose.
  • Webcor also opens SV office. 
  • SJDA's summer events continue through August.
  • More buildings change owners.
  • Another housing proposal filed with City of San Jose.
  • SJDA hosts a candidates forum for Districts 7 and 9 at 8:30 a.m., Aug. 10 at San Jose Museum of Art.

Monday, August 6, 2018

Endless summer Wine Stroll at Santana Row

One of my favorite Santana Row events is back to close out the Summer. The Endless Summer Wine Stroll takes place on Thursday, August 16 from 6-9PM. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Bill Wilson Center, a local nonprofit organization that provides support to homeless runaway children and adults.

The event features tastings from Santa Cruz Mountain wineries, lite bites, DIY succulent terrariums, store discounts, live music, and perhaps a few surprises. There will also be a silent auction to benefit Bill Wilson Center located in Santana Row Park. Tickets are $40 and are available inside the Santana Row concierge or over here