Today we attended Google’s annual shareholder meeting in the company’s hometown of Mountain View to deliver a strong message to the company on behalf of San Jose.
Shareholders driving to the meeting would have seen this banner over the 101 freeway, and upon arrival were met by community members handing out leaflets and holding signs.
Once inside the meeting, two Silicon Valley Rising representatives asked the board of directors to address the impact its planned San Jose mega-campus would have on current residents.
The chair of the board of directors acknowledged that private companies like Google must play a role in solving the Bay Area’s housing crisis, but the board directors wouldn’t commit to a no-displacement policy.
Mountain View is terrifying case study for what can happen to a city where Google is a huge employer. Since 2011, homelessness has increased by 1,000% in the city, and the average rent has gone up by $1,500 to more than $4,000 per month. San Jose already has a dire housing crisis and we can’t risk making it worse.
That’s why we’ve collectively come up with our demands for Google to come to San Jose in a responsible way that would not result in huge increases in evictions, homelessness and inequality. If you haven’t added your name to these demands yet, sign the petition now.
