At last night’s Gilroy City Council Meeting, Saturday, November 25, 2023, was proclaimed Small Business Saturday. Help celebrate our local small businesses and their contributions to our local economy and community by supporting local businesses this weekend and throughout the year. See the proclamation document (pictured above) and Gilroy Chamber Interim President/CEO, Jane Howard, accepting the proclamation from Gilroy Mayor, Marie Blankley.

Shop Small initially started when Amex created Small Business Saturday^® to encourage support for small businesses back in 2010.

Shop Small has grown to be a year-round movement that supports small businesses across the globe, and Small Business Saturday continues to be an annual holiday shopping tradition the Saturday following Thanksgiving.

Find neighborhood gems here.

Get more with an American Express Card. Explore cards now.

Small Business Resource Hub.

Members of the Gilroy community are cordially invited to attend the grand opening of South Valley Middle School on Monday, November 27, from 4-6 pm.

Join us for opening remarks and ribbon cutting, followed by self-guided tours of the campus, refreshments, and concluding with a special recognition.

Join us on November 18, 2023, as we work to clean up the Ranch Site at Christmas Hill Park

✅ What: Ranch Site at Christmas Hill Park Clean Up

✅ When: November 18, 2023, at 9 AM

✅ Where: Meet by the shed near the first baseball diamond at the Ranch Site at Christmas Hill Park located at 7049 Miller Avenue.

✅ Details: All volunteers will be required to sign a waiver. Students can receive volunteer hours for participating; please bring your paperwork to the event. The City will provide trash bags and grabbers.

Ready to lend a helping hand? Sign up online.

Curbside Collections

Did you know that Recology customers can schedule a FREE Recology pick-up of up to twelve 32-gallon garbage bags?

You can take advantage of this FREE curbside collection option only twice in each calendar year, whether you choose the garbage bag option or a bulky item.

Remember, if you schedule a garbage bag curbside collection, all items must be bagged or bundled, as no loose items will be accepted.

Some of the items NOT allowed, include:

• liquids
• dirt
• rock
• tires
• hazardous waste

Refer to the Recology website for a more detailed list.

If you have any questions about this service, you can contact Recology at 408-842-3358 or visit the website.

On-The-Job Training [OJT]

Wage reimbursement – up to $6,000 – for newly hired employees

Reduce your training costs, while providing your new employee with the necessary skill sets required for the job. Your business can be reimbursed for the cost of onboarding and training newly hired employees – up to 50% of their wages for the duration of the contract (typically 2-4 months). Work with our career specialists to select from a pool of qualified candidates – or refer someone already in your hiring pipeline.

BENEFITS

• Qualified applicants, available to interview
• Reimbursement of wages, up to 50%, throughout the length of the contract
• Career coaches to provide extra support for new employees throughout the onboarding period
• Possible tax credits available through the Work Opportunity Tax Credit program

IMPORTANT DETAILS

• Participating employees must meet work2future eligibility requirements
• Employer agrees to retain participating employees for at least 90 days after completion of OJT
• A signed agreement must be in place before the employee’s start date

Work Experience [WEX]

100% of wages paid by work2future – up to $6,000 – for full or part-time internships

Provide temporary employment experiences that give young adults (ages 18-24) with little/no work experience the opportunity to gain meaningful work skills. work2future will pay 100% of the worker’s wages and associated costs – your business provides structured supervision and resume-building workplace experience.

BENEFITS

• Pre-screened candidates, available to interview
• 100% subsidized wages paid directly to the young adult
• Career coaches to provide extra support for participants throughout the internship
• Create career and industry awareness for young adults entering the workplace

IMPORTANT DETAILS

• Participating interns must meet work2future eligibility requirements
• Employers are not expected or obligated to hire an intern at the end of the WEX, but may make an offer of employment if desired
• Employers may be asked to supply workplace insurance documentation

Incumbent Worker Training [IWT]

Reimbursement funds – up to $9,000 per person – for training provided to current staff

Utilize IWT funding to help your team build and develop the skills necessary to stay competitive – or increase their skill level to advance and add value within your company. work2future will reimburse 50-90% of the total training cost, depending on the size of your company, so you can expand the overall impact of your training budget. You’re in control of the training plan – select the courses and methods that work best for your team.

BENEFITS

• Offset costs can extend the investments you’re already making in training and upskilling
• Workers learn new competencies to upgrade their current performance, advance within their role, and deliver productive business results
• Boost your competitiveness in the marketplace by building and maintaining a highly skilled roster of workers

IMPORTANT DETAILS

• Employer agrees to provide requested documentation for all expenses related to the training plan
• Participating employees will be required to create an account on the State CalJOBS website
• A signed agreement must be in place before the training start date
• Employers will need to supply workplace insurance documentation

For more information, go to https://www.work2future.org/

Mike McCluskey, Senior Technical Editor, CalChamber

Employers should know about two new taxable wage base updates for 2024. The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced that, for 2024, the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax — also known as the Social Security taxable wage base — will increase to $168,600 from $160,200 (a 5.2 percent increase).

Some things will stay the same though in 2024; the Social Security withholding rate is unchanged, remaining at 6.2 percent, up to the maximum taxable amount. Similarly, the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax rate — which is the combined total of the Social Security tax rate and the 1.45 percent Medicare tax rate — remains unchanged at 7.65 percent.

Additionally, individuals with earned income of more than $200,000 ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly) pay an additional 0.9 percent in Medicare taxes. The tax rates above do not include the 0.9 percent. There is no limit on the amount of wages subject to the Medicare tax.

In California, a law signed in 2022 takes effect on January 1, 2024, which eliminates the taxable wage limit on employee wages subject to California’s State Disability Insurance (SDI) withholding rate. California’s SDI program pays for the state’s paid family leave (PFL) and disability insurance.

In 2023, the maximum taxable wage base for SDI was $153,164 and the SDI tax rate was 0.9 percent. For 2024, the SDI withholding rate increases to 1.1 percent with no taxable wage limit and maximum withholding for each employee subject to SDI contributions.