News/Blog

News and thoughts from our staff

July 30, 2025

Out-Of-Home Dining in 2025: Performance & Consumer Trends

By Brittney Sherman

Out-of-home dining in early 2025 remains stable overall, but regional and segment-specific trends reveal important shifts. While national visit rates are flat, western states like California and Utah are seeing modest growth, driven in part by higher-income consumers. Fine dining and coffee chains are expanding primarily through new openings, not increased traffic at existing locations. Remote and hybrid work continue to shift dining demand toward suburban areas, especially for fine dining, while weekday visits are dominated by QSR and coffee, and weekends remain strong for casual and fine dining. These trends point to a dining landscape increasingly shaped by income, geography, and changing lifestyle patterns.

Read more HERE!

July 29, 2025

California powered by two-thirds clean energy

By Brittney Sherman

California has reached a major clean energy milestone—two-thirds of the state’s electricity in 2023 came from clean, renewable, or zero-carbon sources. That’s up from 61% the year before and just 41% a decade ago, highlighting steady progress toward the state’s climate goals.

Clean energy sources like solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, geothermal, and biomass now power the majority of California’s grid, making it the largest economy in the world to hit this level of clean energy use.

Momentum continued into 2024, with a record-breaking 7,000 megawatts of clean energy capacity added to the grid—the biggest single-year increase in state history and the third straight year of record growth.

July 25, 2025

2025 Opens with positive sales tax results

By Brittney Sherman

The first quarter of 2025 marks the first time in two years that the state of California received a positive year-over-year sales tax result. During that same timeframe Santa Clara County sales tax was down 2.2%, Bay Area sales tax was up 0.5% and City of Morgan Hill sales tax was up 0.1%. Much of the City’s positivity can be attributed to a statewide audit on online sales, leading to reallocations in the County pool which resulted in Morgan Hill’s share increasing 2.1% when compared to this same quarter last year.

The City’s Auto and Transportation category declined in alignment with nationwide industry results, the Fuel and Service Station category decreased due to a reduction in the price of crude oil, and the General Consumer Goods category declined signaling a shift from instore to online shopping. The first quarter of the year historically yields the lowest sales tax generation. Starting the year with a positive sales tax report is hopefully an indicator of additional positive results to come.

Read the full first quarter 2025 sales tax report HERE.

July 23, 2025

Raising Cane’s to open Morgan Hill location

By Brittney Sherman

Raising Cane’s is set to open a new location in Morgan Hill at 18575 Skipper Lane, with doors expected to open in October 2025. The restaurant will feature a double drive-thru for fast service and a dine-in area decorated with custom artwork celebrating the Morgan Hill community.

Construction is already underway, and city officials are enthusiastic about the addition. “We’re excited to welcome Raising Cane’s and appreciate their investment in Morgan Hill,” said Economic Development Director Matthew Mahood. “Beyond boosting local sales tax, they’re committed to being an active part of the community, which will be reflected in both the design and their local involvement.”

Read more HERE!

July 21, 2025

Starting a Business in Morgan Hill: A Guide

By Brittney Sherman

The Morgan Hill Times put together a great article on how to start a business in Morgan Hill. It covers everything from choosing a location and registering your business to finding local resources and support. A solid starting point for any entrepreneur looking to get established locally.

July 18, 2025

Painting Morgan Hill

By Brittney Sherman

A vibrant new mural celebrating Morgan Hill’s natural beauty is nearing completion on the south-facing wall of the Morgan Hill Senior Housing complex on Monterey Road. Spanning three stories and 2,400 square feet, the artwork features oak trees, mountains, sunflowers, and birds—what the artists call the “soul” of the region. Berkeley-based painters Andrew Miller and Camaron Stephens have been working through the summer heat, drawing energy from supportive passersby as they bring the scene to life.