Civil Municipal View Feb2023

72 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 Nurturing talent is a vital aspect in competing for a valuable workforce, and the city is embracing diversity and inclusivity practices at all levels of business. “There are more C-level managers and executives produced at San Jose State University than all other universities combined,” Klein continues. “The student body is 85% non-white, and that speaks volumes. They’re working hard to change the complexion of what they find in tech. Tech loves having people from different quadrants of the earth because it produces new and more varied ideas to capitalize on in the best of ways.” Klein was privileged to serve as lead negotiator of the Google Project Development Agreement and is well-suited to complement the company’s dedication to making San Jose a better, safer place. “They’re working with the city in very innovative ways to grow workforce development,” she explains. “They have a $155M fund that will be governed by a 13-member board supporting growth. Five members will be people with lived experience of homelessness—that’s the true beauty of the fund. Beyond that, Google has a wonderful commitment to quality, to create a community rather than a campus. The agreement will bring in 20,000 plus jobs. It’ll bring transit riders. It’ll also contribute to the vitality and patronage of local residents.” Of the 4,000 units being built for residential in Downtown West, 1,000 will be designated for a range of affordable housing. “Google has advanced land and money to avoid displacement, creating homes and spaces for those who might have otherwise been displaced for homes and jobs that are incoming,” Klein remarks. An impressively massive undertaking, the 80-acre development is expected to take between 10 and 30 years to fully build. Extending out of the accelerated business growth in Downtown San Jose, in 2018 the city launched a community-based clean energy program offering renewable energy options at competitive prices to residents and businesses. Known as San Jose Clean Energy (SJCE), the initiative