San Jose ranked No. 1 on a national list for hiring the most new college graduates. But students shouldn’t toss their caps in the air just yet. The San Jose metro area, which includes the cities of San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, hired the highest number of new graduates last year, outpacing other major U.S. metro areas,...
San Jose’s forgotten Midtown is reborn with night-time flair
A new idea in an underutilized part of San Jose could turn into a win for a variety of businesses and the residents living in the area. Midtown Immersive Night Party, created by event planners Jonathan and Linnea Gomez, is a night-time venue waiting to be discovered and an opportunity to boost a forgotten part...
Why dozens of downtown San Jose storefronts are vacant
When Khanh Chung steps out of his barbershop, he wants to see dozens of San Jose workers and residents bustling down First Street, but instead it’s a ghost town. That’s not how he envisioned it when he opened Concept in January 2022. The pandemic was waning and people were returning to work and normalcy. But his...
The Biz Beat: Henry’s Hi-Life–an irreplaceable San Jose gem
At Henry’s World Famous Hi-Life, perhaps San Jose’s most-loved steakhouse, there is a sense that the style and atmosphere have not changed much since Henry Puckett founded the place more than 60 years ago. There is no pretense: the bar area, which also serves as the waiting room, has walls covered with bits of framed...
Time is running out for San Jose students to get food benefits
College students experiencing food insecurity need to sign up for CalFresh within the next month before pandemic-era eligibility rules expire. The state-run nutrition program, formerly the Food Stamp program, will end two temporary rules for students on June 10 that made it easier for them to access assistance. Until then, college students who qualify for a federal...
San Jose residents could pay more for clean energy
San Jose Clean Energy customers could see more rate changes—and will have less time to protest against it. The San Jose City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to loosen regulations for how often San Jose Clean Energy—which provides renewable power to approximately 350,000 customers—can increase rates. The city’s clean energy provider was previously capped at increasing...
Could street performers reignite downtown San Jose?
There’s something magical about walking through a city center while being serenaded to the riffs of a live guitar, then turning down an alley where the smooth sounds of a saxophone bounce off brick walls to fill the air. Spontaneous street performances have the ability to breathe life into a city. But downtown San Jose has never truly experienced that,...
The Biz Beat: San Jose shop hoists piñatas to an art form
There are few things as joyful as a piñata, and Dulceria Mi Carnaval in San Jose can design them to resemble anything that makes you happy. In a small room adjacent to their shop on East Santa Clara Street, Jose Velasquez and his wife, Cynthia, are surrounded by shelves filled with cardboard templates where the couple has...
Vietnamese markets are leaving downtown San Jose
Vietnamese supermarkets are moving from downtown San Jose to other neighborhoods, raising questions about access to authentic grocers as the city’s core struggles to retain its retailers. Đại-Thành Supermarket, a family-owned Vietnamese market on South Second Street that opened in 1985, closed its downtown location last December, and reopened in January at a new location in Berryessa. While Thien...
Google’s delay leaves San Jose funds in limbo
The reported delay of Google’s mega-development in downtown San Jose is shaking Silicon Valley, but one city advisory group tasked with overseeing millions in community funds from the tech giant is carrying on. The commission, comprised of 13 voting members who have lived or work experience related to the fund objectives, will have its first...