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News and thoughts from our staff

 
Business Spotlight: Marki Microwave

Business Spotlight: Marki Microwave

By Brittney Sherman

Broadband microwave fabrication company Marki Microwave was founded in 1991 by Ferenc Marki and remains a family-owned business to this day. By 2000, the company had purchased a building in Morgan Hill on Vineyard Blvd, soon after expanding into an adjacent building for a total of 20,000 sq ft. Less than 20 years later, Marki Microwave purchased a 60,000 sq ft building on Jarvis Dr. that they currently still reside in. Serving primarily defense contractors, their products consist of microwave products, filters, attenuators, and mixers. Marki Microwave employs 120 people, and they are currently hiring technicians.

Learn more about Marki Microwave HERE.

 
4-week Business Bootcamp

4-week Business Bootcamp

By Brittney Sherman

The SBDC and Dr. Pablo Romero, Latinx Small Business Owner and Faculty Fellow in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at California State University-Stanislaus, will lead a 4-week, 90-hour small business bootcamp during the month of April. Participants will receive foundational knowledge and comprehensive instruction on concept feasibility, licensing, business plan creation, budgeting, and more.

To learn more about this FREE program or register to participate, go HERE.

 
California invests $182M to spur rapid job creation

California invests $182M to spur rapid job creation

By Brittney Sherman

California is allocating $182M in grants to the Regional Investment Initiative, in an effort to create thousands of jobs across the state’s (13) economic regions. Concurrently, the Governor created the California Jobs First Council to support workforce and economic development by creating rapid family-supporting job growth in prime industries.

Read the full Press Release HERE.

 
Home kitchen fees waived through March

Home kitchen fees waived through March

By Brittney Sherman

In March 2023, the Micro Enterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) ordinance and permit fees were adopted by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, authorizing home-based retail food facilities. Under this program, food is prepared, cooked and served from a private residence at a maximum of 90 meals per week. Due to recent fee relief, the MEHKO application ($435) and permit ($635) fees have been waived through March 2024.

Program History: In January 2019, AB 262 authorized individuals to operate restaurants out of their private residences. In September 2022, SB 972 approved MEHKO operators to expand their offerings by collaborating with no more than two Compact Mobile Food Operators for sidewalk vendor sales. In 2023, AB 1325 adjusted the MEKHOS annual gross income cap to $100,000 and expanded the weekly meals to no more than 90.

Learn more about the MEHKO program HERE.

 
Do you qualify for commercial property tax relief?

Do you qualify for commercial property tax relief?

By Brittney Sherman

According to the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office, in 2022 the number of Prop. 8 declines in value assessments were 2,595. That number increased more than 600% in 2023. Of the 17,000 assessments found to be proactively red last year, 28% of them were commercial properties. As a result, the Assessor’s Office has announced they will open the informal Prop 8 review process 4 months early beginning February 16, 2024.

As of January 1, if property market value falls below the existing tax assessment signaling declining market conditions, the County Assessor is obligated to temporarily reduce the assessed value. Due to the anticipated influx of Prop 8 commercial property relief requests, the review process has been opened early to facilitate timely and accurate appraisals and reduce the number of costly appeals.

Learn more HERE.

 
Local wineries earn "gold"

Local wineries earn "gold"

By Brittney Sherman

Over 1,000 wineries competed in this year’s prestigious San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the largest in Northern California. Of the 5,700 total entries, the following South Santa Clara County Wineries made it on the podium: Guglielmo, Kirigin Cellars, Little Uvas, Martin Ranch, Moose Mountain, P&V, Sarah’s Vineyard and Solis.

Read the full article in the Morgan Hill Times HERE.

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