How to Qualify
Equity Business Owner
To be eligible for the Equity Assistance Program as an equity business owner, an individual shall satisfy the following criteria: 1. Be a natural person; and 2. Reside in a San José neighborhood rated high, higher, or highest priority by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Equity Priority Community program or a former Strong Neighborhoods Initiative neighborhood in the City of San José; and 3. In the year prior to submitting the application to be an equity business owner, the individual resided in a household with an income at or below 150% of the Area Median Income for San Jose; and 4. Holds a minimum of fifty-one percent (51%) or more ownership of the entity applying for a Cannabis Business Registration as an Equity Business Owner; and 5. Has lived for four years in a San José neighborhood rated high, higher, or highest priority by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Equity Priority Community program or a former Strong Neighborhoods Initiative neighborhood in the City of San José; and 6. Meets one of the following criteria: a. Has worked in the cannabis industry in San José for at least two years between 2009 and the present; or b. Was arrested or convicted for a crime relating to the sale, possession, use, or cultivation of cannabis in California, excluding those offenses which would be disqualifying for cannabis licensure under current State law; or c. Had a parent, guardian, child, or sibling convicted of a crime relating to the sale, possession, use, or cultivation of cannabis in the California, excluding those offenses which would be disqualifying for cannabis licensure under current State law; or d. Is a person who experienced sexual assault, exploitation, domestic violence, and/or human trafficking while participating in the cannabis industry.
Equity Employeee
To be eligible for the Equity Assistance Program as an equity employee, an individual shall satisfy the following criteria: 1. Be a natural person; and 2. Reside in a San José neighborhood rated high, higher, or highest priority by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Equity Priority Community program or a former Strong Neighborhoods Initiative neighborhood in the City of San José; and 3. In the year prior to employment with a cannabis business registered in the City of San José, have had an annual household income at or below eighty percent (80%) of the Area Median Income (AMI) for Santa Clara County adjusted for household size; and 4. The individual satisfies at least one of the following criteria: a. Has lived for at least four years in a San José neighborhood rated high, higher, or highest priority by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Equity Priority Community program or a former Strong Neighborhoods Initiative neighborhood in the City of San José; or b. Was arrested or convicted for a crime relating to the sale, possession, use, or cultivation of cannabis in California, excluding those offenses which would be disqualifying for cannabis licensure under current State law; or c. Had a parent, guardian, child, or sibling convicted of a crime relating to the sale, possession, use, or cultivation of cannabis in California, excluding those offenses which would be disqualifying for cannabis licensure under current State law; or d. Is a person who experienced sexual assault, exploitation, domestic violence, and/or human trafficking while participating in the California cannabis industry.
Equity Business Partner
To be eligible for the Equity Assistance Program as an equity business partner, an individual shall satisfy the following criteria: 1. The aggregate ownership held by equity business partners must total fifty-one percent (51%) or more; and 2. Each equity business partner must satisfy the criteria set out in Subsection B above, except for Subsection B.4.
If you have any questions, please email CannabisEquity@sanjoseca.gov or call the numbers below.
Phone: 408-794-1151 or 408-535-8181
The California Asian-Pacific Chamber of Commerce and the California Grow Green Program hosts workshops that utilize subject matter experts but do not make recommendations to utilize their services. We refer participants of Cannabis Programs to various service providers. While we strive to make the information in the workshops as accurate as possible, the Chamber makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this list of service providers, and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of the list. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed, or statutory, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose, is given with respect to the contents of this list of service providers. The Chamber does not guarantee the accuracy of the information concerning any service provider. The Chamber does not license, endorse, or recommend any particular service provider, nor do we make any judgment about the quality of services given by any service provider. Reference in this list to any specific service or service provider, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation named is for the information and convenience of the participants of our Cannabis Programs, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Chamber. Consequently, we urge participants of the Cannabis Programs to interview a service provider and to check the service provider’s references carefully before hiring or using the services of a service provider.