Long Story Short...

Here’s what you need to know this week — in 20 seconds or less:

• We’re voting on the City Budget in June — and I want you in the room.
• We’re building for everyone — breaking ground on both shelter and multi-family housing this month. 
• New dashboard just dropped — to help us better monitor the cost of unsheltered homelessness. 
• Downtown is about to get livelier — Council just approved 7 new entertainment zones.
• And we’ve got backup — 16 new police officers and 5 CSOs graduated from our Academy this week.

Keep scrolling for all the data and details.

Dear Neighbor,

Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all of our veterans, your families, and especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. I’ll be paying my respects to our Fallen Heroes this coming Monday at Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, which hosts a beautiful Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony along with a flyover, multiple exhibits and food. The program starts at 11:00AM if you’d like to join us. 

I know you’re reading this newsletter between Memorial Day Weekend barbeques and family time, so I’ll get straight to the point: we need to hear your voice. 

In June, we face a juncture. And as I said at our State of the City, San Jose is a city on the cusp. But the cusp isn’t where the story ends—it’s where we decide, together, what San José will become next. 

The first decision in this pivotal moment? Our June Budget vote. And I want you to have a say in the outcome.

How we invest our resources over this next year will shape the future. It’ll help us maintain our 100% solve rate for homicides and continue our work to end the era of encampments or it’ll take us back to status quo solutions that don’t create the change we all need and deserve. Your voice is essential as the Council makes these critical decisions. 

Join us on June 9th at 6pm to tell the entire Council that we need to do better. That we need to get pragmatic. That we need to get to work.

We will be having a public comment session on the budget at City Council Chambers, 200 E Santa Clara St, June 9th at 6pm. This will be your last chance to have your voice heard on our push to tie the pay of elected officials and senior staff to performance and to ensure homelessness isn’t a choice here in San Jose. These are bold proposals. And we need bold people to stand up in support. 

See you there!

Sincerely,

Mayor Matt

P.S. If you missed our State of the City and want to see how it went, see our photo gallery here.

Ever bought a beer at San Pedro and wished you could take it with you on your walk to the Shark Tank? Me too. 

And starting in July, it’ll be possible. San Jose will activate seven different entertainment zones within our Downtown core as part of a pilot program in advance of the major sporting events coming to the South Bay in 2026. 

Within these zones, licensed bars, breweries, wineries, and restaurants may secure special event permits that allow them to sell beverages to-go for consumption within clearly marked, actively managed event areas. The event organizers can team up with multiple businesses, so people can enjoy drinks and food from different spots in one shared, managed space.

I want to thank Senator Scott Weiner for bringing this proposal forward through the State Legislature. I support it because I know downtowns across California need it. 

And for us, with even bigger events ahead — the Super Bowl, March Madness and World Cup — we’re making sure our small businesses get a piece of the economic opportunity these moments will bring.

The more we understand a problem, the better we can solve it. Thanks to our Police Department for developing this dashboard to show us exactly how much of their emergency response capacity goes to our crisis of homelessness. Because if we don’t know the full cost of leaving someone to suffer on our streets, it makes the conversation about what we’re willing to spend to get them off the streets even harder.

From when I first took office to today, my mission has not changed. But we’re starting to actualize it. 

Two years ago, we all already knew that the way things were going simply wasn’t working. Just months after I took office, I joined Governor Gavin Newsom as he announced a plan to deploy 1200 tiny homes statewide. And San José wasn’t just lucky to be chosen — we earned it, because this city is ready to lead. 

And this month, we broke ground on the Cerone Interim Housing community. Before the end of the year, we will have an additional 200 units of safe, dignified housing to get people off the streets and on the path to self-sufficiency. 

Last week, we also broke ground on 397 units of privately financed multi-family housing. This is huge because in 2024, we broke ground on 0 — a clear sign that our system was broken and bold action was needed.

So last December we took that bold action by passing the Multifamily Housing Incentive Program—a policy designed to break through the barriers that have held us back, including reducing costly one-time fees that often stand in the way of housing production.

The Council recognized an undeniable truth: we can’t collect fees on projects that aren’t being built—and if we’re serious about addressing the housing crisis, building homes must come first. 

We have to ask ourselves—are one-time fees worth more than the long-term benefit of actually building the homes our residents desperately need? We can’t afford to keep pricing out working families.

This program is already delivering results. Thanks to this policy, developers have broken ground on 742 new multi family homes right here in San Jose — including the 397 started this month. 

And we’re not stopping there—we’re optimistic that by the end of this year, over 2,000 homes will be under construction thanks to this program.

This week, we celebrated 16 new Police Officers and 5 Community Service Officers graduating from our SJPD Academy. And we remembered the 13 officers and 1 CSO who have died in the line of duty over the course of our department’s history.

Since the death of Sgt. Morris Hubbard – San Jose’s first fallen officer nearly 100 years ago, our city has mourned 13 other immeasurable losses. Each year, we pause and set aside this time to reflect upon the lives lived and the sacrifices made by these men as our small, but sincere way of honoring them. 

This year, we read a new name, something I’ve prayed I would never have to do as Mayor. On August 3rd, 2024, Long Pham became the first San Jose Community Service Officer to pay the ultimate sacrifice for our community. CSO Long’s life was cut far too short, but it was a life of honor and service, a life worth living. 

A life that exemplified the pledge our new officers took this week — a pledge to take on the fundamental duty to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression and intimidation, and the peaceful against violence and disorder; and for upholding the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality, and justice. 



Congratulations to our new officers. Our prayers for our fallen officers and their families. And above all — thank you all for your service and your sacrifice. 

FanimeCon 2025

Sunday, May 25th to Monday, May 26th

San Jose McEnery Convention Center 150 W San Carlos St, San Jose, CA 95113 

Stop by Northern California’s largest anime convention, FanimeCon! Celebrate Japanese pop culture and animation with Q&A panels, autograph sessions, gaming halls, artist alleys, and more. Learn more and buy your ticket here. 

Levitt Pavilion Concert Series: Maxx Cabello Jr.

Sunday, June 1st at 3:30 PM to 7:00 PM

St. James Park, N 2nd St &, E St James St, San Jose, CA 95112

Levitt Pavilion is turning up the volume this summer with free live music! Their next headliner is Maxx Cabello Jr., a Bay Area born guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. Enjoy food trucks and drink concessions while discovering your new favorite artist! Learn more here.

San Jose Half Marathon & 8K

Sunday, June 1st at 7:30 AM

Race Start at Stevens Creek

Ready to run San Jose? The Half Marathon & 8K, presented by Kaiser Permanente, is a flat, fast course that takes runners through San Jose’s historic landmarks and neighborhoods. After crossing the finish line at Santana Row, you can keep the celebration going with exclusive post-race specials at the Row’s restaurants and bars! Secure your spot here. You can also get 15% off on registration with code MAYORMATT.

Community Clean-Up with Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful 

Sunday, June 8th at 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Location Provided Upon RSVP

Our community partners work day in and day out to create a safer, cleaner San Jose for all of our residents. You can help out one of our most dedicated groups, Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, restore our waterway and beautify a beloved neighborhood ballpark! Learn more and RSVP here. 

42nd Fountain Blue & Brews Festival

Saturday, June 14th to Sunday, June 15th

Plaza de Cesar Chavez, 1 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose, CA 95113 

Get ready for a weekend of music, flavor, and fun — right in the heart of San Jose! The 42nd Fountain Blues & Brews Festival, Northern California’s longest-running blues festival, features 16 incredible musical acts (including headliners Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Walter Trout!), craft beers, great food, and more. Grab your tickets here!

The Y kept me out of trouble as a kid, and now, it’s doing the same thing for the next generation of San Joseans — for free! YMCA is offering free two-month summer memberships at all 9 Silicon Valley locations for all teens entering high school in Fall 2025 to recent 2025 graduates. The Get Summer teen initiative is designed to keep teens active, engaged, and safe while school’s out for summer. Learn more and register for a summer membership here.

Voyager Craft Coffee, a beloved local coffee shop, is releasing two limited-time drinks — and every sip raises funds to support NorCal Special Olympics athletes! Their mission is to provide free-year round programs for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Try the Americola, a fizzy citrus cold brew, or the Brewed2Belong, a medium roast coffee blend, and help support the NorCal Special Olympics! Learn more here and stop by one of Voyager’s stores today.

Earlier this month, over 100 volunteers came out to celebrate community and beautify their corner of San Jose! We painted utility boxes, planted trees and cleaned up the Basking Ridge neighborhood (all fueled by a pancake breakfast). Want to join our movement for a safer, cleaner city? Sign up for our next clean-up here: http://bit.ly/cleansj

Thanks to the hundreds of residents who rolled up their sleeves and beautified our Downtown at this year’s State of the City. Because of the work we’re all doing, we can create a stronger, smarter San Jose that serves you better.