As San Jose businesses struggle during the coronavirus pandemic, artists are finding new ways to help them survive. Safely Social San Jose, a grassroots campaign to empower businesses, is partnering with the School of Visual Philosophy on the Alameda, San Jose Jazz in the SoFA District and San Jose Taiko in Japantown to create economic recovery...
San Jose launches program to help small businesses land contracts
San Jose City Hall is looking to diversify its contracts and prioritize local businesses. The city’s Public Works Department, which awards some $4 billion in public contracts each year, is hosting a free six-week seminar to help local businesses secure contracts. Participants in San Jose’s “Construction Academy” will learn how to bid on construction contracts, which include opportunities...
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...
San Jose flea market vendors worry about its demise
The hustle and bustle at the iconic San Jose Flea Market ground to a virtual halt during the early days of the pandemic. But some are concerned that vendors might be shut down again—this time for good. If that happens, vendors-turned-activists Roberto Gonazalez, Kaled Escobedo Vega and Mariana Mejia say they’d be losing a lot...
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...
San Jose sued over hazard pay ordinance; is Santa Clara County next target?
San Jose is facing a lawsuit over its decision last month to give grocery store workers a hazard pay bump of $3 per hour. The California Grocers’ Association on Friday announced that it had filed a federal lawsuit over the pay mandate in both San Jose and Daly City. The two suits follow similar fillings...
San Jose business owners brace for end of eviction moratorium
In just a few weeks, San Jose businesses could be on the hook for rent they couldn’t pay during the pandemic when an eviction ban expires. Unlike an eviction ban for renters that’s been extended until June, a similar safety net for small businesses, many badly impacted by COVID, is still set to expire March 31....
A ‘history of complicity’: Business group explores how to help the housing crisis
A powerful business organization known to push back against low-income housing policies could change its stance to help solve San Jose’s housing crisis. That was the sentiment this week at the Silicon Valley Organization’s first housing committee meeting of the year. The meeting Wednesday brought developers and housing advocates — two often clashing groups —...