SAN JOSE — A big Bay Area portfolio of office, commercial and industrial buildings has been bought by a New York-based real estate investment group in a deal valued at well over $100 million. The buying group paid $149 million for buildings in San Jose and Milpitas, according to documents filed on May 1 with the Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office. 1001-1021 Cadillac Court, an office and industrial building in Milpitas. (Google Maps) The purchase of the buildings suggests that investors still hunger for Bay Area properties despite the sour business prospects for many commercial real esta ..read more

Fraudsters exploiting a change in the application process for the controversial H-1B visa have been shut down by a new rule, federal authorities say. After U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2020 imposed a new, two-stage application process for the visa intended for workers with specialized skills, unscrupulous businesspeople colluded to game the lottery-based allocation system, a spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration said. The new process was meant to slash application costs by letting companies submit initial $10 “registrations” to get prospective foreign workers into the H-1B ..read more

We live in a ranking age with lists of “best” and “worst” and “in-between” touching every slice of life, industry and geography. Related Articles Housing | San Jose tower suffered poor upkeep, many units lacked heat, cooling: court papers Housing | Affordable housing project with 64 units for homeless people opens in downtown San Jose Housing | Developer dumps offices, eyes housing, seeks San Jose property sale Housing | Fremont apartments sold in real estate deal that tops $30 million Housing | Berkshire Hathaway to pay $250 million to settle real estate commission lawsuits Some of the ..read more

New finance director Luz Cofresí-Howe was recently named finance director for the city of Milpitas. Cofresí-Howe comes to Milpitas from the city of San Jose, where she served as assistant director of finance for 4½ years. In San Jose she managed a team of 135 professional and technical staff performing accounting, revenue management, debt, treasury, purchasing, risk management and administrative functions. “Luz’s proven track record in financial management, strategic planning and collaborative decision-making positions her as an invaluable asset to our executive leadership team,” city manager ..read more

U.S. health officials are closely monitoring the recent leap of avian flu from birds to cattle — and earlier this month, to a Texas dairy farmer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stresses the current public health risk is low — the virus isn’t known to spread among people or through the food supply, is rarely caught from exposure to infected animals, and where human infections have occurred, is often mild and manageable. But the leap of the H5N1 influenza strain, widespread among wild fowl and a regular threat to domestic poultry, into cattle was unexpected, and a worrisome devel ..read more

In California, rattlesnakes bite about 800 people in a typical year; approximately two are fatal in a year. The threat usually begins in April and will decrease by September. Rattlesnakes are not confined to rural areas. They have been found near urban areas, rivers, lakes and golf courses. Rattlesnakes do not always rattle before striking defensively. Related Articles Environment | Bird flu’s disturbing new turn Environment | Northern California dog owners warned by state wildlife officials to keep their canines away from raw fish Environment | Giving a hoot: How to protect owls in your b ..read more

A condo in Milpitas that sold for $650,000, is the most affordable real estate sale in Milpitas in the past week. For comparison, the overall average price of real estate in the area during that time was $1.5 million. The average price per square foot ended up at $964. A total of 14 home sales were recorded for the period with an average square footage of 1,567 square feet, 3 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. The top 10 list below includes the best deals on real estate priced between $10-$10,000,000. The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week o ..read more

Atmospheric river storms are like punches in a boxing match. A flurry of weak ones are OK. But it’s best to avoid the big knockout blows. That’s exactly what happened in California this winter. Scientists say that from Oct. 1 to April 1, the state actually received more atmospheric rivers, the famous moisture-laden meteorological events that are critical to the water supply, than it did last year — 44 this winter compared to 31 last winter. But the intensity made all the difference. Statewide, California had just 2 strong atmospheric rivers this winter, compared with 7 last year. Many of the b ..read more

Police transparency portal Milpitas recently launched a Police Department Transparency Portal, an online platform aimed at providing the public with a deeper insight into police operations, policies and community engagement initiatives. “Our commitment to transparency is paramount in fostering trust with the community we serve,” Milpitas Police Chief Jared Hernandez said in a release. “The launch of this portal marks a proactive stride toward open communication, accountability and ongoing improvement within our department.” The portal’s resources include annual reports detailing department act ..read more

For the 20th anniversary of its Fur Ball fundraiser, Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) is honoring a longtime volunteer. Judy Marcus of Los Altos Hills was first elected to the Milpitas-based nonprofit’s board in 2000 after friends asked her to join. “I’ve always loved animals,” said Marcus, whose three dogs are HSSV adoptees. “They’ve been a constant source of joy and companionship, which fueled my passion for animal welfare.” This year’s Fur Ball will be held May 11 at PayPal Park in San Jose. Previously, the fundraiser was an invite-only event, but it went public in 2022. Attendees are e ..read more