Community & Economic Development Committee
Quarterly Report – February 2023
Item (d)1
Entrepreneurship Month Event Brings People
Together to Share Experiences, Make Connections
On November 18, 2022, the City Hall Rotunda was
packed with more than 50 small business owners and
aspiring entrepreneurs eager to learn and network.
The event was held to celebrate Entrepreneurship
Month and bring the local business community
together.
The event was also attended by several community
organizations who set up resource tables to provide
business owners with information about technical
assistance and other resources for their business.
November 2022
Major Developments Report - Winter 2022
The Office of Economic Development’s Development
Facilitation Officer maintains a key development
projects list and Key Economic Development Project
Map. The project list and map highlight those projects
that have an outsized impact towards fulfilling the
City's goals for housing, employment, and catalytic
placemaking.
This list reflects 3,385 residential units and 5.5M
square feet of office space currently under entitlement review, as well as 3,373 residential units and 4.3M
square feet of office under construction.
December 2022
San José’s Fox Fermentation Project named #1
New Brewery of the Year
The Best New Breweries for 2022 – Hop Culture
After seeing the name Fox Tale Fermentation pop up
repeatedly as an answer to the question we put out
on Instagram, “What Is Your Favorite Brewery of the
Year?” I did what all good journalists do nowadays.
I Googled them.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered Fox Tale
Fermentation had set up shop in San Jose, a mere
forty-five-minute drive from me. So I reached out to
co-founders Wendy Neff and Felipe Bravo.
December 2022
Energy Efficiency Retrofit Incentives Grow for
Commercial Building and Business Owners
The City of San José continues to provide and
promote efforts that help local companies reinvigorate
their business, save money and support communitywide conservation efforts, including those located in low-income community census tracts.
PG&E’s Market Access Program Incentive
The PG&E MAP offers up to $60 Million in incentives
for commercial building energy retrofits that reduce
peak demand and offer benefits to grid reliability.
Funding Available for Business Owners to Add
Electric Vehicle Chargers
There are currently several opportunities to acquire
funding to significantly reduce the cost of adding EV
chargers to your business or place of employment for
your fleet, employees, or customers. January 2023
San José Wraps up Strong Year for
Manufacturing moves
As 2022 wrapped up, the industrial/manufacturing
sector remained a bright spot in the Silicon Valley real estate market, following several significant industry
leases over the last 12 months.
Manufacturing represents San José’s largest
employment sector, responsible for employing
morethan 50,000 people, or roughly 12 percent of all
jobs in the City.
The local manufacturing sector not only contributes to
the number of quality jobs locally but also has the
largest economic multiplier of any sector in the U.S.
economy, supporting 2.5 jobs for everyone in
manufacturing.
January 2023
Recognizing Black Businesses in San José +
Resources and Upcoming Webinars
Happy Black History Month! Each February, National
Black History Month serves as both a celebration and
a powerful reminder that Black history is American
history and Black culture and Black stories are
essential to the ongoing story of America.
The Office of Economic Development and Cultural
Affairs acknowledges and honors Black and women
business entrepreneurs and those serving BIPOC
people, women, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, veterans,
people with disabilities, people living on lower-income, and the formerly incarcerated.
February 2023
Take Part in the Arts
The Office of Cultural Affairs is delighted to announce the several upcoming events and projects across the City
that will enliven and add vibrancy to San José.
It is through interactive art projects and cultural
experiences like these that we seek to engage our
residents, visitors, and employees to connect with each other and to our great City of San José. Take pART!
Sunset Sounds at Sonic Runway Cellista
Sonic Runway + San Jose Jazz XO @ SJC
Make Music San Jose 1 Day / 1 Action
February 2023
Photo Credit – Adrien Le Biavant
Rent Relief Grants Continue to Support San José’s Small Businesses, Round Three of Funding to Launch March 1
The City of San José continues to support small
business owners who have been impacted by
outstanding rent debt due to the COVID-19 pandemic
by providing grants to those who owe more than 60
days of back rent as of December 9, 2022, regardless
of the County Rent Moratorium restrictions set up
during the pandemic.
So far, the City has provided more than $15 million in
support thanks to federal American Rescue Plan Act
funds that have supported over 1,000 businesses.
The City’s Rent Relief Grants program will begin
accepting applications for the next phase of funding on Wednesday, March 1, 2023. There will be up to $1.5
million in funds available to support up to 250
businesses.
February 2023
Entrepreneurs choosing downtown San José
Guest blog post by the San José Downtown Association
Anticipating a return of daytime workers and nightlife
visitors after two years of the pandemic, a young and
diverse group of entrepreneurs have selected
downtown San José to open and grow their brick-andmortar businesses.
Each differentiates their concept from the rest of the
center city’s retail mix with new products, drink
concepts and elevated menus of traditional dishes.
Mommy’s Banh Mi Casa Guzmania
Egghead Sando Café ABVE the Basics
Ashy Aromas Simply Dumplings
Suerte Eatery
February 2023
Community & Economic Development Committee
Quarterly Report – February 2023