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Small businesses lost millions over the course of the pandemic. One local lawmaker wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again. San Jose Councilmember Raul Peralez requested Wednesday that $1 million in federal funds go to support businesses as they reopen. Peralez, whose district includes downtown San Jose, spoke alongside members of the Greater Downtown...
Do San Jose’s wage theft policies lack teeth?
San Jose has a long history of wage theft on construction projects throughout the city—what are officials doing to prevent it? A recent San José Spotlight investigation revealed numerous allegations of wage theft and unsafe working conditions on a public works project built last year intended to provide emergency shelter to the city’s homeless. Days after...
Santa Clara County to redistribute COVID-19 fines to small businesses
Santa Clara County will begin the process of returning thousands of dollars in COVID-19 safety violation fines back to small businesses. Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to create a grant program that redistributes money collected from pandemic-related health and safety violations back to local businesses. Once developed, the county is expected to partner with local financial...
Silicon Valley unemployment rate drops during slow recovery
A new jobs analysis from a regional nonprofit think tank suggests Silicon Valley is slowly recovering from the economy’s tumble last year. But the region has a long way to go before getting to pre-pandemic levels. The data analysis comes from Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Institute for Regional Studies, the nonprofit’s research arm that publishes the Silicon...
San Jose takes steps to get hospitality employees back to work
Losing her job at the DoubleTree hotel in San Jose during the pandemic meant Maria De Rueda could no longer afford to send her son to college. She got laid off after 21 years of service. “We had to tell our son that we could no longer afford his university tuition,” she said. “I want to...
City commissioner urges Liccardo to make $6.5M investment in East San Jose
Felipa Zuñiga, who owns Zuñiga’s Restaurant and Cakery in East San Jose, had to let go of all her staff because of COVID-19. For now, she’s the only employee left, and she’s had to dip into her life savings to keep her doors open. “I’m so nervous about everything that’s happening,” Zuñiga said in Spanish...
When will tourists return to downtown San Jose?
Those seeking stillness and quiet can find refuge in downtown San Jose on Tuesday mornings. The city’s sidewalks—where visitors, students and workers once competed for space—now offer an abundance of empty concrete where desperate birds scavenge for rare crumbs. “There was a certain traffic on First Street,” said Bertrand “Patrón” Paule, a visual artist and...
Universal basic income in San Jose? Some say it could be a game changer
Could universal basic income work in San Jose? Cities across California have tried guaranteed income programs to bolster economic security, supplement social safety nets and achieve greater racial and gender equity. Some politicians and researchers believe the idea might be the perfect antidote to problems like homelessness and financial insecurity, while others worry about how such...
Will cannabis come to retail centers in San Jose after another delay?
If you’re looking for a cannabis dispensary in San Jose, you have 16 to choose from. But you won’t be able to find one next to a CVS or your favorite restaurant: By city ordinance, all dispensaries are located in industrial zones instead of with other retail in places like strip malls. The San Jose City...
More parks, housing? Google, San Jose to release agreement
In exchange for building a mega campus in downtown San Jose, Google promised to support the community. On March 8, the city will reveal exactly what that means when an agreement months in the making becomes public. But will the agreement live up to its stated objectives—protecting residents, businesses and open space from the impact of 20,000 new Googlers...