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This is the twenty-fifth COVID-19 update from San Jose Downtown Association. They are sent on Thursdays.
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Dear valued members:

We have plenty to be concerned about and once again, some of the details of how we might survive as a downtown community, as businesses and as individuals are outlined below.

But let’s spend a moment remembering Rick Doyle, longtime City Attorney, who did his job about as well as anyone could.  Doyle passed away after battling cancer privately, at 65, just two weeks after retiring.

What makes us speak so fondly of Doyle was that he told it like it was, legally, and without personal views or biases.  As Mayor Sam Liccardo stated:  “He never allowed himself to be anything less than the incredibly kind, thoughtful, good-spirited person that made him so beloved as colleague and friend.”

Doyle helped the city over the years with too many complicated issues to mention.  He was loyal to his job and city, and dedicated to his part making San Jose a better city.

Our hearts, thoughts and wishes go out to his surviving family.
Virtual Meetings Thursday, Friday and next Wednesday

Today, 5:30-7 p.m.
Facebook Event Info | Webinar Link

Friday, 8:30-9:30 a.m. -- Q&A with SJDA
Due to technical difficulties, more than 150 people were shut out of last Friday's What's Next for Downtown San Jose public meeting.  To make up for it, SJDA will have a "Redux" meeting that gives those left out and those new to the initiative a chance to ask questions and comment on the Downtown Association's "Stabilization Plan."  It will be Friday, 8:30-9:30 a.m. on Zoom and hosted by SJDA Board President Katia McClain and Executive Director Scott Knies.  
 
Follow our Facebook event page and Instagram for updates. Get caught up. Please email your questions to sjdarsvp@sjdowntown.com

Wednesday, Sept. 2 | 9-10:30 a.m.
Hosted by local event entrepreneurs
Register here.
Businesses During COVID-19's Second Wave
San Jose merchants in fight of their lives with COVID-19’s second wave
Reported by Adam Hutton in Wednesday’s San Jose Spotlight
Less than two months ago, consumer experts predicted shoppers, diners and patrons of bars and nightclubs would return to their favorite brick-and-mortar shops by the end of this summer in numbers that matched 2019.

Zenreach — a San Francisco tech firm that sells marketing software to traditional retail outlets, hospitality and entertainment venues that allows those businesses to track customer behavior the same way online retailers do — made that bold prognostication July 1.

“What we didn’t know at the time was that we would see a second wave of infection and the return of government restrictions,” said Zenreach President and CEO John Kelly.
Meanwhile in Silicon Valley, local business owners told San José Spotlight they are taking desperate measures to make ends meet with as little as 10% of the revenue they had before the coronavirus pandemic wrecked the economy.

“The circumstances are dire,” said Ryan Summers, owner of Good Karma Artisan Ales & Café and Pizza Flora, both on South 1st St. downtown.

Summers took a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan from the federal Small Business Administration (SBA). But he burned through it quickly and he’s sunk a ton of his savings into keeping his pizza joint and ale house open.

“I’m fighting for my life,” Summers said. “I feel like I have a chance to survive but right now I’m just treading water.” Read more.
State and County Updates

California big city mayors appeal for more federal stimulus funding
On Wednesday, the Big City Mayors Coalition (BCM), leaders from California’s 13 largest cities, wrote to the leadership of the U.S. House and Senate urging Democrats and Republicans to work in tandem to pass a federal stimulus package providing desperately needed COVID-19 relief funds. 

“As the pandemic exacts an ever deeper human and economic toll on our families, the Republic and Democratic mayors of the largest cities in our nation’s largest state urge Congress to transform partisanship to partnership to save both lives and livelihoods.” said BCM Coalition Leader and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.
 
The BCM is asking for relief in the following categories: direct local emergency fiscal relief, extended unemployment insurance, housing and homelessness assistance, and safe harbor protections for businesses and other organizations.
 
The Coalition writes “As a bipartisan group of Mayors, we understand the need for compromise and encourage Congress to come together on an appropriately sized relief package that is a middle ground between the current Democratic and Republican bills. This package should provide necessary state and local assistance, support workers and the unemployed, help tenants and landlords prevent an eviction crisis, and provide necessary protections for businesses, schools and colleges, charities, and religious organizations when the economy reopens.”
 
The full letter can be found here. 
“Building a Better Normal” report outlines business recovery tactics
On Wednesday, the final economic recovery plan from the Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable (SVRR) was released. The SVRR was created in April when Mayor Sam Liccardo put out the challenge to some of the greatest innovators in Silicon Valley to work together to tackle the tough challenge of surviving the economic pitfalls of the pandemic. Their plan, titled “Building a Better Normal”, focuses on a multifaceted approach to the Valley's most pressing problems such as job creation and small business support.
“Building a Better Normal” is set to serve as a guide to industries and communities across the region. It was created by 59 Silicon Valley leaders representing industries like education, business, labor, non-profits, health, and service.

“As a strong advocate of small-medium business enterprises (SMEs), which according to the report make up 99% of businesses in Silicon Valley and employ 70% of our workforce, I look forward to implementing the outlined strategies and recommendations intended to boost resiliency and strengthen their abilities, especially minority-owned businesses, to weather through this unprecedented economic downturn,” said Vice Mayor Chappie Jones. 
 
The business recommendations are in the accompanying graphic taken from the report.  The full report can be found here.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenburg reaches out to businesses
A message from the Office of Supervisor Susan Ellenburg:  “We are now at a point in time where we will be living with the pandemic and its repercussions for the foreseeable future. We also know that many small businesses in America will have to continue to keep their doors closed in the coming months, having a tremendous and uncertain impact on the quality of life and services provided in our community. It is vitally important that we respond decisively to these evolving challenges to counteract the ominous conditions that lay ahead.

“By extending the survey contained in this message to the small business connections the Downtown San Jose Business Association represents, you are assisting in collecting essential information for the Office of Supervisor Susan Ellenberg to better serve our small business owners and operators in the coming months.

“Your members’ insight is integral for managing the trajectory of our efforts, and we thank you for your assistance in understanding small businesses’ experiences of navigating through the current pandemic.

Ellenburg’s survey is here.
Links
We bolstered our links this week, including new links to information about lightning and thunderstorms, air quality, SPUE's take on urban catastrophes, and a do-it-yourself video that can help clean the air in your home and business.
 
Be sure to spend a few moments this gathering together some water, food, clothing, medication, glasses, batteries, flashlights, portable radio, first aid kit, phone, laptop and chargers – just in case there’s an emergency or you need to get out quickly.
 
If you need help with your business, be sure to reach out to San Jose Downtown Association staff.  Our emails are all listed here.
Wildfire Resources
Heat and Power Outage Resources
Public Health Extreme Heat Resources: Fact Sheets from the CDC on those especially vulnerable to heat exhaustion and stroke.
More COVID-19 Resources
More Local Resources for Businesses
If you are a business or property owner reaching out about vandalism, theft or property damage, you can submit an online police report here.

To report graffiti and things that need to be cleaned within the district, use the Groundwerx Everywhere app for iPhones or Android.
To report damage, graffiti or things that need to be cleaned in city parks/property or outside the district, use the San Jose 311 app for iPhone, visit sanjose.custhelp.com or call 311.

Businesses who would like a free graffiti removal tool kit can send an email to antigraffiti@sanjoseca.gov with their contact information and an address. A kit will be delivered to your place of business. 

SJDA staff can help.  Our list of staff and emails are here.
Let us know how else we can help by replying to this email. We’ll have another message next Thursday. We're in this together.
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