Business

Business

Rent burden growing worse in Santa Clara County

The rent burden grew heavier in Santa Clara County during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and there’s no sign it will get any lighter this year. Rents in Santa Clara County increased 6.3% between the end of 2020 and end of 2021, according to a recent report from California Housing Partnership, which provides housing...

Loss of Gilroy Garlic Festival is a financial hit for youth groups

The loss of the Gilroy Garlic Festival brings an end to essential funding for local nonprofits and youth organizations. High insurance premiums forced the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association to discontinue the festival, leaving local groups without the once-reliable source of funding and searching for new revenue streams. Since 1979, the annual food festival has raised...

San Jose business tourism takes major hit

Business travel is down across the United States due to COVID-19, but San Jose is suffering worse than other major cities. Business leaders laid out the city’s rough situation at a news conference held at the San Jose Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. According to a report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), revenue from...

San Jose throws a lifeline to struggling small businesses

San Jose launched a new grant program this week to help small business owners with their back rent as a commercial eviction ban winds down over the summer. About $2.6 million in federal funds will be allocated to provide up to $15,000 in grants to small businesses or companies still reeling from the economic impacts...

San Jose May Day marchers upset by city’s conflicting schedule

Labor organizers upset with San Jose for scheduling an event that conflicted with a May Day celebration want guarantees from the city it won’t happen again. On Sunday, labor advocates and workers gathered in San Jose to celebrate May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day. The holiday is celebrated every May 1, and over...

UPDATE: Santa Clara County expands its home kitchen industry

Santa Clara County residents running food businesses out of their kitchens will be able to come out of the shadows, following a Tuesday Board of Supervisors vote. The board authorized a three-year pilot program for microenterprise home kitchen operations that will apply to all 15 cities and unincorporated areas within the county. California established a...

San Jose considers security cameras for small businesses

To keep small businesses safe from crime, San Jose officials are considering a slew of measures to offer them assistance—including use of security cameras. On Wednesday the city’s Rules and Open Governance Committee referred a package of anti-crime proposals, including several items addressing small businesses, to the Public Safety, Finance & Strategic Support Committee for further discussion....