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Supervisor proposes first-year fee waivers for new small businesses
Supervisor Hillary Ronen is trying to ease the financial burden of opening a small business in San Francisco. She has proposed a pilot program called First Year Free, which...Read More
New Cal/OSHA rules drop workplace mask mandate for fully vaccinated people
Fully vaccinated workers will no longer be required to wear a mask regardless of whether their co-workers are unvaccinated following new guidance Thursday from the state’s workplace safety agency....Read More
Supervisors move to expedite backlogged cannabis permit applications
Sonoma County supervisors approved the use of $370,000 in one-time funds last week to deal with the backlog of cannabis permit applications and gather input from the public as...Read More
Dispensary helps fight Covid-19 with penny product for vaccinated patients
A Richmond-based medical cannabis company announced this week that it will offer select product for one cent when customers show their valid Covid-19 vaccination card. The promotion is an...Read More
Pandemic-era dining parklets, to-go drinks here to stay through end of year
Restaurants and bars will be able to continue offering expanded outdoor dining and takeout alcoholic beverages through the end of the year, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday. Flanked by...Read More
Supervisor proposes rent forgiveness for small businesses shut down in pandemic
"We shouldn't leave small businesses that complied with public health orders out to dry."Read More
Fremont laundromat fire damages two neighboring businesses
Fire damaged a Fremont laundromat, restaurant and salon Tuesday morning, fire officials said. Firefighters responded at 7:15 a.m. to Launderland at 3185 Walnut Ave. where the two-alarm fire started...Read More
Hilton in Union Square reopens to guests after more than year
The Hilton San Francisco Union Square Hotel opened Monday morning after more than a year without guests due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a hotel spokesman. Prior to...Read More
Fires, pandemic wreak havoc on Napa County grape production
The value of agricultural production in Napa County was only about half the previous year’s total, according to an annual crop report released at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting....Read More
Construction firm owner admits to firing injured employees, faces nine months in jail
The owner of a Bay Area construction firm admitted to committing felony workers’ compensation insurance fraud after years of firing employees when they requested medical treatment for work-related injuries,...Read More
Merchants partner with cities in campaign to encourage local consumer spending
As part of the region’s “To Tri-Valley with Love” economic recovery campaign, Tri-Valley businesses are offering a digital “Promise Pass” with discounts at nearly 100 businesses. The cities of...Read More
Supes extend eviction protection for Contra Costa small business tenants
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a measure Tuesday to continue through June 30 the temporary prohibition on evictions of some small business commercial tenants financially...Read More
Mayor proposes legislation to make Shared Spaces program permanent
After nearly a year of Covid-19 restrictions, seeing patrons dine out on San Francisco streets has become a familiar scene. City officials are now looking to give businesses a...Read More
State lets all breweries, wineries, distilleries reopen in varying capacities
State public health officials released updated reopening guidelines Thursday, allowing breweries, wineries and distilleries to operate without serving meals regardless of their county’s tier. Breweries, wineries and distilleries have...Read More
Iconic Fairmont Hotel abruptly closes Friday, files for Chapter 11
The landmark Fairmont Hotel, located in the heart of downtown San Jose’s cultural and entertainment district, is temporarily closing, it was announced Friday. FMT SJ LLC, the operator of...Read More
Fry’s Electronics starts process of closing down stores nationwide
Fry’s Electronics, Inc. will permanently close its online and storefront shops, a response partly due to the pandemic. The company released an announcement early Wednesday on its website, citing...Read More
Market fire spreads to upstairs apartment units, displacing eight
Eight people were displaced from apartments above a neighborhood market that burned Saturday morning in San Jose, fire officials said. Neighbors spotted smoke about 6:45 a.m. coming from the...Read More
Marin County small business owners can soon apply for pandemic relief funds
Marin County small business owners will soon be able to apply for nearly $1 million in grants and interest-free loans from the county’s pool of federal Covid-19 pandemic relief...Read More