Before the pandemic, two downtown San Jose bar owners joined forces with a vision for an entertainment venue in San Pedro Square. What they had in mind was a place where people would come together and socialize. It would have a bowling alley, a karaoke bar and an arcade. Co-owners David Mulvehill and Mike Messinger...
Safety concerns in downtown San Jose a focus for business leaders
The recent robbery of a 64-year-old Asian woman on South Second Street in Downtown San Jose was on the minds of attendees at San Jose Downtown Association’s first virtual public meeting of the year. The discussion of downtown safety was a last-minute addition to the meeting’s agenda. But the association said its agenda had to...
Hazard pay is coming to San Jose for grocery workers
Hazard pay is finally on its way for San Jose grocery workers. After hours of debate, the San Jose City Council voted 7-3 on Tuesday to give retail food workers an extra $3 per hour for putting their health at risk during the pandemic. Hazard pay would apply only to stores that have over 300...
‘People are hurting’: San Jose’s largest Vietnamese mall hanging by a thread
Every day at 10 a.m., Nancy steps under the white arches of Grand Century Mall and pushes open the glass doors of her store, Lac’s Skincare & Cosmetics. Sometimes she’ll watch an Asian drama on her laptop. Other times, she’ll sit and people watch behind a countertop brimming with unopened skin care products. There’s the rare...
Santa Clara County poised to give small businesses a break on fees
Small businesses in Santa Clara County can likely expect to get a break on permitting fees in the latest effort to give a boost to the local economy. Supervisors Tuesday voted unanimously to take the first step to temporarily cancel a host of fees on small businesses, including restaurants, swimming pools and body art salons....
Why San Jose councilmembers’ Amazon stocks were not disclosed before a meeting — and why it matters
Two San Jose lawmakers’ investments in Amazon and their abrupt departure from a City Council meeting — after they discussed and nearly voted on a policy to pay grocery workers higher wages — is raising questions about why the conflict wasn’t flagged sooner. Councilmembers chalk it up to a lack of forethought. As elected leaders Tuesday debated a $3...
San Jose takes first step to boost pay for grocery store workers amid COVID-19
After hours of “awkward” debate that included the vice mayor and a councilmember getting booted from a meeting due to a conflict of interest, San Jose is moving forward with giving grocery store employees a pay boost during the pandemic. The San Jose City Council voted 6-3 Tuesday to draft a measure that would require large grocery...
Neighboring states use COVID-19 to lure Silicon Valley businesses away
California’s neighboring states are seeing an influx of Silicon Valley companies and workers, and they’re more than happy to tell you about it. When stay-at-home orders went into place last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many white-collar workers went home to work remotely. This left South Bay business offices empty, and many wondering if...
Silicon Valley legislator blames social media for role in U.S. Capitol attack
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Finger pointing began before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol even ended. Many faulted then-President Donald Trump for riling up the mob and making baseless claims about election fraud. Some criticized security officials for failing to secure the Capitol, or accused the media of divisive reporting that pushed Trump supporters...
Google’s plan to reduce car traffic, address homelessness at center of public feedback
As the city of San Jose and Google move toward transforming the city’s downtown, residents are casting wary eyes on their plans to reduce car traffic and address homelessness in the area. Downtown Councilmember Raul Peralez, whose district encompasses downtown, hosted a community meeting for San Jose’s Diridon Station Area Plan (DSAP) and Google’s Downtown...