To our members: 

We reported a few weeks back that the San Jose metro area was last in the country, with only 30 percent of office workers having returned to work post-Covid.  While we have slowly climbed to 34%, our neighbor to the north has had a decline in people coming back to work, so San Francisco now holds the last place distinction. Both Bay Area cities are lagging behind the rest of the country, where the average still stands around 43 percent, but it feels good to know we're trending in the right direction
  
The daytime population may be slow to return to normal, but nighttime and weekend activity is almost back - or exceeding - pre-Covid levels Thursday through Saturday evenings. Fanime is at the McEnery Convention Center all weekend, First Fridays and Sub Zero are next weekend, and the event season will be in full swing when Music in the Park, Starlight Cinemas, Viva Calle, and a host of live theater events return in June.  We will keep track of attendance at those events, and will share in future messages. In the meantime, please drop me a note at nwilliams@sjdowntown if there's anything you're doing to bring people back to downtown and would like to share. 

• USPTO Reopens Downtown Office
• Rent Relief Grants Available
• SJSU Economic Summit
• Support DTSJ Events
• Downtown and Silicon Valley in the News

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has entered Phase 3 of their reopening plan, and the Silicon Valley Regional Office on 4th Street is now fully open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.   For complete information on USPTO COVID-19 protocols and resources, please visit the USPTO’s COVID-19 webpage.

Thursday June 2 - 8:15-10 a.m. (Virtual)
The San José State University (SJSU) Economic Summit is an annual event focusing on the analysis and forecast of economic activity at the local, state, and national level. The panelists provide attendees with relevant information to make educated business decisions. The audience is composed of representatives of small and mid-size Bay Area businesses, and members of the SJSU community. The event is free of charge, open to the public and the press.  Register here.

Rent Relief Grants Close on Monday 
If your business owes back rent as the result of the pandemic, you may qualify for a rent relief grant ranging from $5,000 to $15,000.  The program closes at 5 p.m. on May 30th, and a lottery system will be used to select recipients if the number of eligible businesses exceeds the funds available.  

• You must be able to show outstanding commercial-property rent debt incurred from March 24, 2020 through August 19, 2021.  
• Your business must have annual gross receipts less than $3 million.  
• Your business must have 10 or fewer full-time employees including the business owner.  
• Businesses must have been in business prior to March 24, 2020.  

To apply, submit a complete application online or in-person at the offices of Enterprise Foundation (Access SBDC) before 5 p.m. May 30, 2022. To learn more, please visit the website.