Economy

Economy

San Jose nonprofits are food lifeline for Thanksgiving

Each year, the lines are long at Sacred Heart Community Service in San Jose, as people and cars queue up for nutritious boxed holiday meals. From Monday to Wednesday, the nonprofit distributed approximately 3,500 free boxes of food. Each box, valued at $150, included a chicken, ham or turkey and all the fixings for the...

San Jose mellows cannabis rules to help industry grow

San Jose officials are relaxing cannabis regulations and instead want to refocus efforts to end the black market industry. The San Jose City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to reduce fines on dispensaries that violate city policy. Councilmembers also expanded hours of operation from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The move is aimed...

California targets Apple, but Cupertino loses big

Cupertino may be forced to lay off dozens of workers, cut services and put new tax measures on the ballot to compensate for the loss of nearly $60 million likely to be ripped from its budget. California’s Department of Tax and Fee Administration is targeting tech giant Apple over how it allocates local sales taxes,...

Sunnyvale wants to give residents in need monthly checks

Sunnyvale’s low-income residents might be receiving a financial boost from the city. The Sunnyvale City Council is looking to pilot a guaranteed income program to support residents who are financially burdened. The councilmembers on Oct. 24 gave input on who the program should be serving, and how they would want it organized. They discussed how...

San Jose targets retail theft with new police unit

Thieves hoping to snatch items off the shelves of San Jose retailers may have a tougher time this holiday season. City policymakers this week launched a new police team to stop retail theft after the city saw a 25% spike in the crime from 2021 to 2022. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved creating...

Beloved San Jose burger joint set to close

A Blossom Hill burger joint that has been a go-to since before fast food was even a thing is calling it quits. The Burger Pit, a South Bay staple since the 1950s, will close its doors for good next April, according to co-owner Paul Berger. He’s been working the grill and serving the eatery’s half-pound...

Santa Clara raises hotel tax to tackle deficit

Santa Clara is brainstorming strategies to improve the city’s economic future while grappling with a budget crisis. The Santa Clara City Council unanimously voted last week to raise the transient occupancy tax from 11.5% to 12.5%, up to a maximum of 13.5% within the next two years, as a way to tackle the city’s deficit....

San Jose leaders say downtown is entering ‘a new era of promise’

The tone of an annual meeting on the state of downtown San Jose was hopeful, despite the city core’s slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. San Jose Downtown Association members met today at the Hammer Theatre Center, along with city leaders who rallied support for a “vibrant, community-driven” downtown. The area is facing a number of setbacks, including the...