News/Blog

August 08, 2025

County pushes new sales tax after federal cuts

By Brittney Sherman

Santa Clara County supervisors voted unanimously on Aug. 7 to put a sales tax increase before voters this November to help close a looming budget gap. The measure would raise the countywide sales tax to 9.75%, which translates to $1.25 on a $200 purchase or nearly $190 on a $30,000 car. County Executive James Williams projects the county will lose $1.3 billion by 2029–30 due to cuts in federal healthcare funding for programs like Medicare and Medi-Cal. Officials say the proposed five-eighths cent increase could bring in over $330 million across five years to help offset the shortfall.

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August 06, 2025

Theme parks press forward with developments

By Brittney Sherman

Theme park operators are pushing ahead with new projects despite a tough first half marked by severe weather and weaker spending on nonessential activities. Regional chains like Six Flags, which posted a $100 million quarterly loss while searching for a new CEO, are under particular pressure. Larger destination parks such as Disney and Universal held up better, but overall industry performance fell short of expectations, and analysts say it may take another two to three years to reach pre-pandemic attendance and revenue levels. Uncertainty from tariffs and poor weather in 2025 have further weighed on demand, discouraging some consumers from renewing annual passes.

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August 04, 2025

6 Trends Still Defining Consumer Behavior

By Brittney Sherman

Five years after the pandemic, consumer behavior continues to reshape retail, dining, entertainment, and office trends. Visits to brick-and-mortar retail and dining venues are now higher than pre-COVID, driven by major brand expansions and a strong appetite for in-person experiences. Shoppers are increasingly selective, often visiting multiple chains rather than relying on one-stop shops, while value remains a decisive factor—discount and premium segments are thriving as mid-market players lose ground. Entertainment has stabilized at new levels, with museums and “eatertainment” venues holding steady, though movie theaters remain volatile and dependent on box office performance. Meanwhile, hybrid work has left office visits a third below 2019 levels despite return-to-office efforts. Overall, consumers continue to embrace offline shopping and dining, signaling that physical experiences still hold strong appeal alongside digital convenience.

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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.

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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.

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