Silicon Valley’s unemployment rate is dropping after the economic roller coaster of the COVID-19 pandemic. But some business sectors could take years to rebound. Local unemployment was below 3% prior to the pandemic, said Bige Yilmaz, economic data analyst for San Jose. After a turbulent year, it now sits at about 5.5%. “In terms of...
San Jose’s largest temporary emergency shelter to close
COVID-19 restrictions in the region are winding down, and so is San Jose’s largest temporary emergency shelter. South Hall, an 80,000-square foot space at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in downtown, will shutter its emergency COVID-19 shelter by July 15. It will be cleaned and turned over to Team San Jose, the city’s visitor and...
South Bay leaders weigh-in on federal relief funding
As the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the nation, many cities and towns took a financial hit as tax revenue dried up and public health expenditures increased. But now the federal government is doling out funds to help communities recover. San Jose and Santa Clara County are receiving approximately $212 and $374 million, respectively, from the American...
Who tops the list of highest-paid San Jose employees?
As San Jose braces for unprecedented financial deficits caused by the pandemic, the city broke its record in employee compensation, with 34 officials netting more than $400,000 in pay and benefits last year. Seven of the 10 top-paid city employees worked at the San Jose Police Department, many of whom earned more in overtime than their salary....
Amid rising tensions, San Jose Flea Market owners offer $2M to vendors
The owners of the iconic San Jose Flea Market are offering to pay $2 million to a fund to support vendors who for months have protested a development plan they say pushes them out. The owners, the Bumb family, have also proposed a contribution of up to $500,000 to match donations from residents to help...
Why San Jose killed sanctioned homeless encampments
The idea of creating legal tent cities for San Jose’s homeless people — or sanctioned encampments as they’re called — once again died inside the City Council chambers earlier this year. It isn’t the first time San Jose lawmakers flirted with the idea. In 2015, then-Councilmember Don Rocha led the charge to create encampments a...
San Jose Flea Market vendors protest development plan
A three-mile walk in 80-degree heat is difficult as is. But for San Jose Flea Market vendor Cesar Pardo, he felt it was his duty to support his fellow retailers. Dozens of vendors—along with representatives from labor and advocacy groups Latinos United for a New America (LUNA), Working Partnerships USA, SIREN, Catalyze SV and other supporters—marched...
Google, San Jose work out affordable housing goals
Google is coming to downtown San Jose and it’s bringing 4,000 housing units with it. But making sure that a quarter of those units are affordable will be difficult. The biggest obstacle to building affordable housing, city leaders say, is the high cost of land. “The great thing about the Google model is that they’re not...
Developers propose high-rise at historic San Jose restaurant
In the 1950s, youngsters bopped to doo-wop, folks dined at drive-in burger joints and architects dreamed of homes in outer space. It was in this decade that the “Googie” style of architecture flourished, eventually bearing the construction of what would become Bo Town restaurant in downtown San Jose. Now developers aim to erect a 29-story residential tower at...
San Jose poised to ban flavored tobacco
Flavored tobacco may soon be a thing of the past in San Jose. In September, the City Council will consider ending the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-juices and menthol cigarettes. The city plans to exempt hookah to align with state regulations. Dr. John Maa, board member of the American Heart Association, said...