Local Blogs


By Steve Levy
E-mail Steve Levy | Follow this Blog
About this blog: I grew up in Los Angeles and moved to the area in 1963 when I started graduate school at Stanford. Nancy and I were married in 1977 and we lived for nearly 30 years in the Duveneck school area. Our children went to Paly. We moved ... (More)
About this blog: I grew up in Los Angeles and moved to the area in 1963 when I started graduate school at Stanford. Nancy and I were married in 1977 and we lived for nearly 30 years in the Duveneck school area. Our children went to Paly. We moved downtown in 2006 and enjoy being able to walk to activities. I do not drive and being downtown where I work and close to the CalTrain station and downtown amenities makes my life more independent. I have worked all my life as an economist focusing on the California economy. My work centers around two main activities. The first is helping regional planning agencies such as ABAG understand their long-term growth outlook. I do this for several regional planning agencies in northern, southern and central coast California. My other main activity is studying workforce trends and policy implications both as a professional and as a volunteer member of the NOVA (Silicon Valley) and state workforce boards. The title of the blog is Invest and Innovate and that is what I believe is the imperative for our local area, region, state and nation. That includes investing in people, in infrastructure and in making our communities great places to live and work. I served on the recent Palo Alto Infrastructure Commission. I also believe that our local and state economy benefits from being a welcoming community, which mostly we are a leader in, for people of all religions, sexual preferences and places of birth. (Hide)
Sort by: Most Recent | Most Popular
Increasing the Number of Customers for Palo Alto's Small Businesses
Apr 14, 2022 4:00 pm
Comments: 18 | Views: 8,831
Many small businesses including in Palo Alto are struggling to remain viable and open. Challenging factors include online shopping eating into retail store sales,... More
Apr 14, 2022 4:00 pm
Comments: 18 | Views: 8,831
Many small businesses including in Palo Alto are struggling to remain viable and open. Challenging factors include online shopping eating into retail store sales,... More
Business tax in Palo Alto
Jan 17, 2022 12:18 pm
Comments: 8 | Views: 9,155
To the City Council and Finance Committee and staff
I support a tax at the rates suggested by the survey results in the Finance Committee agenda packet on large... More
Jan 17, 2022 12:18 pm
Comments: 8 | Views: 9,155
To the City Council and Finance Committee and staff
I support a tax at the rates suggested by the survey results in the Finance Committee agenda packet on large... More
North Ventura Planning Area Alternatives
Jun 12, 2021 12:16 pm
Comments: 4 | Views: 21,282
Dear Mayor DuBois and council members,
The North Ventura planning area checks all the boxes as a great site for housing.
--close to services, shopping and... More
Jun 12, 2021 12:16 pm
Comments: 4 | Views: 21,282
Dear Mayor DuBois and council members,
The North Ventura planning area checks all the boxes as a great site for housing.
--close to services, shopping and... More
Offices Do Not Create Jobs
Jun 11, 2021 6:02 pm
Comments: 3 | Views: 8,260
Companies and entrepreneurs create jobs. Offices provide space for some of these jobs but do not create them.
Posters sometimes allege two “facts” that are... More
Jun 11, 2021 6:02 pm
Comments: 3 | Views: 8,260
Companies and entrepreneurs create jobs. Offices provide space for some of these jobs but do not create them.
Posters sometimes allege two “facts” that are... More
Implications of Remote Work for Palo Alto
Jun 6, 2021 12:11 pm
Comments: 3 | Views: 9,851
During the pandemic a growing number of workers could and chose to work remotely, mainly from home. While the number is declining as workplaces reopen, it will remain... More
Jun 6, 2021 12:11 pm
Comments: 3 | Views: 9,851
During the pandemic a growing number of workers could and chose to work remotely, mainly from home. While the number is declining as workplaces reopen, it will remain... More
ARCHIVES
Stay informed.
Get the day's top headlines from Almanac Online sent to your inbox in the Express newsletter.
Worried about the cost of climate change? Here is some hope.
By Sherry Listgarten | 23 comments | 3,523 views
The Time and Cost Savings of Avoiding a Long Commute
By Steve Levy | 0 comments | 355 views