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| Joint Venture ups the ante on climate change |
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Immediately on the heels of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order banning gasoline-fueled cars by 2035, two established players in the climate crusade have joined forces with Joint Venture. Commencing immediately, Coltura and The Climate Center will work under the umbrella of Joint Venture in Silicon Valley to reduce greenhouse gases at scale.
Coltura, a west coast nonprofit working to speed the transition from gasoline to cleaner alternatives, will launch a new program, Beyond Gasoline, as an initiative of Joint Venture. “Our work will accelerate adoption of gasoline-reduction measures and commitments in Silicon Valley and set an example for the world,” said Janelle London, co-executive director of the initiative. “The transition must be quick and equitable.”
The Climate Center is a nonprofit working across the state of California to reduce greenhouse gases at scale. At Joint Venture, The Climate Center initiative will launch under Climate-Safe California. The initiative provides a comprehensive platform to bring California’s climate targets and policies into alignment with current science.
The organization has played a pivotal role in California’s transition to community choice agencies for electric power distribution, which increased from two agencies in 2014 to 21 agencies today.
“It’s not hyperbole to say the planet hangs in the balance,” said Russell Hancock, president and CEO of Joint Venture. “Bold action is required. By joining Joint Venture, both of these organizations will be supercharged and Silicon Valley’s race against time can change from a marathon to a sprint.” |
| Read the release |
| Silicon Valley employment picture improves |
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Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies released an analysis of post-COVID unemployment rates alongside 20 years of pre-COVID historical data. The analysis came after the release of preliminary August 2020 labor market data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via the California Employment Development Department.
The numbers reflect the sharpest month-over-month decline since the region’s unemployment rate peaked at an unprecedented 11.6 percent in April. Between mid-July and mid-August, residential employment in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties rose by 10,850 people, bringing the employment rate down to 7.5 percent.
Rachel Massaro, the Institute’s director of research, noted “We have a long way to go to get back to the two or three percent unemployment rates we saw pre-pandemic, but at least we’re heading in the right direction.” |
| Read the release |
| Institute for Regional Studies adds new research affiliates on food and hunger |
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Joint Venture’s Institute for Regional Studies has added three new research affiliates to the team who will focus on food and hunger. Isabelle Foster, Charlie Hoffs, and Samantha Liu are all part of unBox, a volunteer-driven coalition lead by students and recent graduates from Stanford and other universities across the country.
Started in April 2020, the unBox team is working to reduce hunger wrought by COVID-19 and beyond. Their objective is to end hunger and prove the power of youth in finding community solutions and advocating for change.
At the Institute, they will research anti-hunger programs and assess the scope of food insecurity in the region, leveraging data-driven and community insights. |
| Learn more about unBox | Learn more about the Institute |
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Mairtini Ni Dhomhnaill, has been a power behind the scenes at some of Silicon Valley most recognizable startups for over 20 years. Over her career she has worked with many companies from their infancy, such as Facebook and Asana and many that are not as recognizable yet are very successful.
Countsy, founded by Ni Dhomhnaill, provides back-office support for over 300 early stage venture-backed Startups in the life science and technology space.
What kind of chops does Ni Dhomhnaill bring to the task? Start with impeccable credentials and a fearless, gung-ho attitude. Add a second-degree black belt in martial arts and a networking mindset. And for a dash of resilience and adaptability? Grow up as the youngest of seven children in Ireland. |
| Read Mairtini's profile |
| In case you missed it |
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| The Joint Venture Silicon Valley board of directors elected Nicole Taylor, chief executive officer of Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Dave Wehner, chief financial officer of Facebook, as new co-chairs. |
| Read the announcement |
| Joint Venture participates in AmazonSmile |
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| Joint Venture is now participating in the Amazon.com AmazonSmile program. Every time you shop at AmazonSmile.com, a portion of your sales (0.5) goes to support our work. AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Joint Venture every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to support Joint Venture’s work in your community. |
| Support Joint Venture on AmazonSmile |
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September 23, 2020 - (EC&M) - IES Announces Speakers for 2020 Virtual SALC: The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) recently announced the line-up of speakers and presenters for its 2020 Virtual Street & Area Lighting Conference (SALC). Presentations include “Bridging the Gap: Facilitating Cooperation in Wireless Telecommunications” by David Witkowski. More
September 18, 2020 - (KGO-TV) - Coronavirus employment recovery will not be equal across Bay Area, new report predicts: "It's helpful to the extent that the jobs created are ones that people can transition into," noted Russell Hancock, president and CEO of Joint Valley Silicon Valley... More
September 18, 2020 - (Times Herald) - Coronavirus economy: Bay Area powers to big job gains in August: “We have a long way to go to get back to the 2% or 3% unemployment rates we saw pre-pandemic, but at least we’re heading in the right direction,” said Rachel Massaro, director of research with Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies. More
September 16, 2020 - (IEEE Transmitter) - Profile: David Witkowski, IEEE Senior Member, IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society, executive director, Joint Venture Civic Technologies. More
September 2, 2020 - (CBS) - Palo Alto Retirement Home Residents Fight to Remove 4G, 5G Cell Towers: But David Witkowski with advocacy group Wireless Communications Initiative [at Joint Venture] says peoples’ fear of exposure to electromagnetic radiation from cell towers is unfounded. More
September 2, 2020 - (Mercury News) - Google proposes new village next to Mountain View tech hubs: “I love it. I’m crazy about this proposal. This is terrific,” said Russell Hancock, president of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, a non-profit think tank. More
August 31, 2020 - (San Jose Spotlight) - South Bay lawyers predict surge in bankruptcies as stimulus money dries up: A recent study by Joint Venture Silicon Valley found the unemployment rate in the region has been lower than statewide, with the South Bay peaking at 11.6% in April and dropping to 9.3% in July. More
August 27, 2020 - (San Jose Spotlight) - New report outlines steps to economic recovery in South Bay: The recovery will require residents and leaders to rethink fundamental questions of how best to regulate businesses, according to Russell Hancock, CEO of regional economic think tank Joint Venture Silicon Valley. More
August 26, 2020 - (CBS -KPIX) - Salesforce to Cut 1000 Jobs After Record Sales, Stock Surge: “This is actually not a sign that anything is wrong with Salesforce. In fact, just the opposite, salesforce is thriving as a company,” said President of Joint Venture Silicon Valley Russell Hancock. More |
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