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The doors are open again at the South Bay’s largest hotel. The Signia by Hilton San Jose, which opened this week, replaces the iconic 805-room Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose that went bankrupt in 2020 due to the pandemic. The 34-year old hotel’s closure was a blow to the heart of downtown, the city’s...
San Jose may close San Pedro Square, Post Street to traffic
Traffic in San Pedro Square may become a distant memory. On Wednesday, San Jose’s Rules and Open Government Committee unanimously voted to move forward with plans to close off streets from cars permanently in San Pedro Square and temporarily on Post Street. The City Council is expected to consider the closures next week. The San Pedro and...
San Jose nonprofit cooks up job training for the homeless
One San Jose nonprofit may have discovered a way to lower food insecurity and increase the culinary workforce simultaneously—and the timing couldn’t be better. Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen is building a culinary jobs training program to help low-income and homeless people develop employment skills to lift them out of poverty. The nonprofit will hire...
Downtown San Jose special property district up for renewal
A special district that provides extra cleaning and security to downtown San Jose property owners may be extended for another decade. San Jose’s downtown property-based improvement district (PBID) tax, which expires in December, has renewal support from more than 50% of the residents and businesses who pay for these services, according to Chloe Shipp, director...
Silicon Valley unemployment drops as hospitality sees slow recovery
Unemployment continues to plummet in Silicon Valley, but it’s anyone’s guess when the leisure and hospitality sector will fully recover. The unemployment rate in Silicon Valley dropped to 2.4% in March—less than half the rate recorded the same time last year—according to a recent report from Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies. Employers...
Google invests in San Jose homeless services, Black cultural center
Google executives joined elected officials in San Jose Thursday to announce a $500,000 grant to aid homeless services and help build a new African American cultural center. The grant will be split evenly between nonprofit People Assisting The Homeless (PATH), and a service and cultural center project for the city’s African American community, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren...
Cannabis union efforts stop short in San Jose
The legalization of cannabis in California has touched off a wave of unionization efforts across the state, but the movement has been slow in San Jose—a city that has been iffy about growing its small weed industry. According to Jim Araby, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 5 strategic campaign director, only one of...
Silicon Valley unemployment declines but disparities increase
Unemployment is in decline across Silicon Valley, but experts say the region’s recovery reflects social inequities. The South Bay’s unemployment rate dropped to 2.8% last month, 0.1% lower than the unemployment rate in March 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, according to a new report from Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies. Employers added...
San Jose legislator wants to extend ADA compliance program
A South Bay lawmaker wants to help small businesses become accessible to people with disabilities by extending a program that funds inspections and building grants. Assembly Bill 2164, authored by San Jose Assemblyman Alex Lee, would allow local governments to continue collecting a $4 fee attached to permits and licenses to fund disability compliance programs....
San Jose group fights water company over rate hike
A small group wants to stop San Jose’s main water retailer from changing its rate structure, arguing this will potentially remove an incentive for conserving water. Water Rate Advocates for Transparency, Equity and Sustainability (WRATES)—a group that advocates on behalf of water customers—challenged San Jose Water Company’s proposed rate hike and is currently in litigation...