To our members:

• SJDA public meeting Sept. 9 -- hear District 3 Council candidates
• Back-to-Work Barometer - What's Next?
• Abierto public activation program returns
• SPUR's downtown-related programs
• Artist-in-residence program
• Downtown is hiring
• Street closures
• Downtown and Silicon Valley in the News

Hear from City Council District 3 candidates Irene Smith and Omar Torres how they will lead the city’s most complex council district.  Join us on Friday, Sept. 9, at 8:15 a.m. to hear the candidates describe their qualifications, vision for the city, and respond to center city issues. The election will be Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Attendees can attend in person at Tabard Theatre or watch from home or office online. 
Both ways, the meeting begins at 8:15 a.m. 

Register to attend in person.  For all guests attending in person, masking is encouraged but not required.

Thank you to our co-sponsors Steinberg Hart and The Tabard Theatre Company. 

Summer season ends; students return to class.  Now what?

More than half of the cities tracked by Kastle Access Control System data saw a rise in occupancy this past week as the summer season came to post Labor day unofficial end and many cities returned to school.

Office occupancy rose by eight-tenths of a point to 43.8%, according to Kastle’s 10-city Back to Work Barometer. This increase was led by Austin, which rose more than five and a half points to 60.4%, and Dallas, which rose 1.6 points to 52.5% office occupancy.

The national record high is 44.7%, established the first week of August. The company has been tracking the 10-metro-areas in its Back-to-Work Barometer since COVID pandemic started in March 2020.  It is recognized nationally as a leading indicator of return-to-office statistics.
 
San Jose dropped 1.7% last week and remains at the bottom of the barometer at 33.7%. San Francisco is at 38.5%, according to Kastle.  Incidentally, in a separate report by universities in Berkeley and Toronto, San Francisco finished last of 62 cities at 31% as of June 30. That report is downtownrecovery.com

Recent media reports on Return to Office (compiled by Kastle)
The New York Times: Will Return to Office Get Serious in September?

CNN: Summer is over. And the battle to get workers back to the office is heating up 

The San Francisco Standard: San Francisco Braces for Epic Commercial Real Estate Crash 
The Chicago Tribune: Companies are using carrots, not sticks, to get workers back as hopes fade for post-Labor Day return to the office

NPR: More than 2 years into the pandemic, COVID-19 continues to roil the labor market 

Fortune: The Washington Post’s CEO wants to blame remote work for poor performance. The numbers don’t add up  

Fox Business: NYC companies downsize office footprint due to low daily occupancy 

The Washington Post: With Labor Day RTO deadlines, bosses really mean it. Probably. 

Time to apply for Abierto funding

San Jose Downtown Association will again join Filco Events, San Jose Jazz and School of Arts and Culture to disperse $600,000 in Abierto program funds.

SJDA will accept applications through Sept. 30.

San Jose arts-based individuals, groups or organizations who plan to celebrate the city’s re-opening through events and public space activations are eligible.  Abierto (Italian for “open”) funding provided by the Mayor’s Budget Office of the City of San Jose will range between $500 and $50,000 per applicant.  

The four lead agencies will process the requests, disseminate the funds and provide logistical support.  Before the end of June, 2023, recipients can take part three different ways:

• Activate in Viva Parks/Viva CalleSJ programming;
• Activate in a one-time program or event;
• Or activate an event or activation series.

Start by completing an Intent to Participate form available at sjdowntown.com/abierto/ and send it to Justin Imamura at justin.imamura@sanjoseca.gov.  Forms are available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese.  A review committee will evaluate applications and recommend grant awards soon thereafter.  

In the first season of the Abierto Program, SJDA allotted funding to Urban Vibrancy Institute for weekly music events; Curatus for South First Fridays STREET MRKT and SubZero; SJSU Department of Humanities and the Arts for a variety of events; Stage One for a short-film series; Friends of Hue for a photo exhibit and School of Visual Philosophy for Second Saturday events along The Alameda.

How residents rate their overall quality of life can be a good indicator of the health of a community. To check on community health in the Bay Area’s largest city, SPUR and San Jose State University recently surveyed residents and students about the quality of life in San Jose and on campus. Results were less than stellar, indicating that residents are generally unhappy with the current state of San José across multiple facets. How can we address these qualms and restore resident satisfaction? Join us as we highlight findings related to aspects of San Jose's economy and identify some areas for continued focus, such as mobility, safety, and health and wellness.

• Fred Buzo / SPUR
• Chloe Shipp / San Jose Downtown Association
• Mohamed Abousalem / San Jose State University
• Edwin Tan / San Jose State University

Proposed and implemented in 2020 as a way to offer relief to struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, San Jose Al Fresco — the city’s program to close streets, parking lots and private property for use by diners and shoppers — has led to vibrant streets and economic recovery. Though the program was unanimously extended last year, its applicability in public spaces, such as streets and sidewalks, faces big policy and implementation questions. What does the future hold for outdoor dining and commerce in San Jose? Discuss the program's successes and challenges in the city, and learn how best practices in shared spaces and slow streets programs can lead to permanent Al Fresco adoption.

• Steve Wymer / 20Twenty
• Nate LeBlanc / San Jose Downtown Association
• Blage Zelalich / City of San Jose

San Jose’s Downtown Transportation Plan is a community-based, strategic plan to build a more vibrant and welcoming downtown. Since 2020, the community has been engaged in finding transportation solutions—big and small—that meet current needs and prepare for upcoming changes with BART, electric trains, connected trails, and more. A follow-up to April’s preview draft plan, the Downtown Transportation Plan team is eager to partner with SPUR to present the most recent public draft plan. This process depends on public feedback to be successful, so come and share your thoughts as the team completes the plan for City Council’s consideration in November.

• Eric Eidlin / City of San Jose Department of Transportation
• Wilson Tam / City of San Jose Department of Transportation

Children's Discovery Museum excited to bring back artist-in-residence program after two-year hiatus

Local artists can help spark the next generation of creatives by joining the team at Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose.  Applications for the museum’s artist-in-residence program are now open through Sept. 11.  Artists will be inspired to use their imagination and talent to help youngsters draw, paint, sculpt, and create in a 12-week artist-in-residence program in the museum’s LeRoy Neiman Art Studio.  The fall residency begins in October and will be followed by a winter, spring, and summer session. Each artist will receive a $1,500 monthly stipend.

Artists will be tasked with creating monthly hands-on art programs for children of all ages that will be facilitated on the weekends. The artists will have the opportunity to display their own artwork and share their style and creative process with Bay Area families and will receive a portfolio of their museum work in photos and video to take with them after their residency is complete.

Application and more details