After almost two years of struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses may not be able to survive another hit caused by the omicron variant. To help small businesses endure, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $20 million in federal pandemic relief grants on Tuesday. The details are still being worked out. Join...
Food delivery fees remain uncapped in San Jose
A San Jose measure to limit fees DoorDash and other delivery companies charge businesses expired six months ago—and it’s not coming back, officials say. San Jose capped delivery fees at 15% in December 2020 to help alleviate costs for local businesses, but it expired in June. The city has no immediate plans to reinstate a...
UPDATE: San Jose extends outdoor dining program through 2022
San Jose residents will be able to dine outdoors at their favorite restaurants through next year. With pre-pandemic indoor dining not expected to return anytime soon, the San Jose City Council unanimously extended its popular Al Fresco outdoor dining and business program on Tuesday, as the region deals with another COVID variant. The extension allows...
San Jose locals support small businesses with holiday shopping
Black Friday retail lines may have been shorter than expected this year, but San Jose residents still flocked to small businesses for their holiday shopping. The San Jose Made Craft Holiday Fair drew unexpectedly large crowds at the Santa Clara Convention Center over the three-day event, which included Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. More than...
Uptick in holiday travel at San Jose airport
After a turbulent year, the Mineta San Jose International Airport is seeing a promising uptick in passengers traveling for the holidays. Approximately 300,000 passengers passed through the airport from Nov. 19 through Nov. 28. Daily traffic data is not yet available, but airport officials say overall travel volume was nearly three times higher than the...
Santa Clara mayor gives social media silence to council colleague
Blocking people on social media is a no-no for elected officials, no matter how frustrating some trolls can get. But that didn’t stop Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor from allegedly blocking someone on Facebook. This time, it was one of her colleagues: Councilmember Anthony Becker. Becker first found out about his banishment from the mayor’s...
The Biz Beat: San Jose locals discover Ethiopian home cooking at Mudai
Mudai Ethiopian Restaurant owner and chef Selam Tkabo has a passion for cooking and strives to “serve happiness” through traditional, homemade dishes. She recreates flavorful family recipes, rich in exotic African spices, she learned to make in her mother’s kitchen in Ethiopia. Located at 503 W. San Carlos Street in San Jose, the restaurant seats...
UPDATE: San Jose council delays potential Calle Willow rezoning
Small businesses owners in San Jose’s Calle Willow district are fearing displacement. A delayed rezoning vote on their neighborhood isn’t likely to help assuage their fears. The San Jose City Council voted Tuesday to delay a vote to remove Willow Street, known to residents as Calle Willow, from a city plan to increase building height...
UPDATE: San Jose council approves license plate readers to curb crime
San Jose has approved leasing new license plate reading cameras, although questions remain about their deployment. The San Jose City Council agreed Tuesday to spend $250,000 in federal relief funds on license plate reading cameras. The proposal was prompted by several high-profile robberies and thefts at retail stores in the Bay Area. Details about collection,...
San Jose mayor, law enforcement address recent string of retail robberies
Facing a spate of organized retail thefts and robberies over the weekend, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and local enforcement are looking for ways to beef up security during the holidays—including use of surveillance technology. “I’m releasing a proposal with colleagues for investment in automated license plate readers and other surveillance tech that will assist...