Dear Neighbor,

As we head into this year’s budget planning process I have one word on my mind: accountability. 

In two weeks, we’ll release our annual March Budget Message and accountability will be at its center. Accountability for City Hall to follow through on building shelter and moving people off our streets faster. Accountability for property owners to maintain their land and buildings. Accountability for nonprofit service providers to deliver results more efficiently. And yes, accountability for our homeless residents to be good neighbors and come indoors when offered shelter. 

If you’ve been reading my newsletters for the last couple years (anyone remember our budget brigade??), you know that I’ve made the March Budget Message (a document that lays out priorities, goals and policy direction as we begin to put together our FY 25-26 budget) a yearly exercise in prioritization. And given the projected $45M shortfall we face this year, we have to be especially cautious about taking on new commitments. 

My focus instead will be on ensuring we are following through on the strategies we embraced in my first two budgets–e.g. recruiting and hiring more police officers, building basic shelter and requiring people come indoors, increased blight enforcement, streamlined permitting, support for small businesses–and executing them efficiently and effectively. 

With costs growing as fast as revenue, we have to play the balancing game that many of our families are experts in as they sit around the kitchen table making tough choices to balance their household budget – what do we need, what can we live without, and how can we use our limited dollars to get the most impact. 

That’s why we are focusing on doing more with less. You can see how we’re increasing focus, transparency and accountability at City Hall by taking a look at the beta version of our Focus Area Dashboards. You’ll see that we’re now focusing on fewer goals, setting clear metrics for performance, and beginning to move the needle in some areas. Now we need to accelerate our work and ensure that each new dollar we deploy has more impact than the last.  

With tools like dashboards and a budget that prioritizes the right issues and pragmatic solutions, we can make sure that everyone is held accountable – from our homeless neighbors to our elected officials and most senior administrators. From our county supervisors to our state government, and everyone in between. And when we do that, we will make San Jose the safe, clean, economically vibrant city we all want to see. 

I’ll be sharing more about where our budget is heading in the next couple weeks so stay tuned for some big announcements. If you’re interested in joining me to advocate for accountability, sign up right here for more information about how to have a seat at the kitchen table for this year’s budget discussion. 

Sincerely,

Mayor Matt

As some of you may know, when I was a kid, my cousin sold his car for drug money. He ended up on the streets of the South Bay, cycling between neighborhoods as my uncle searched for him desperately. When I first took office as Mayor, I met Kathryn, a mother who called police stations and hospitals looking for her son for years. Just last month, I met Alexander, who ended up on the streets after his mother moved and he lost contact. 

Many of the people living and dying on our streets have a loved one who cares for them. Many have connections and ties to places they can’t reach. And each one has a different story. A different reason for being on the streets. And some are desperately looking for a way out. A new program launched this week, Homeward bound, offers that way out. 

It isn’t the right program for everyone. But it’s the right program for anyone trying to get home. Trying to restart their lives and reconnect with friends or family members willing to help. It’s the right program for someone who is ready to change their lives. 

And whether their loved ones live in San Jose or Santa Monica or Syracuse — we’re committed to helping our homeless neighbors reconcile with people who want to help them. To that end, our outreach workers will now have a new tool to offer – family reunification. 

We’ll buy our homeless residents a bus ticket or train ticket if they have someone willing to take them in. We will require verification from the receiving party and this service can only be used once, but we already have people who are raising their hands and saying yes — please help me get home. This is one of the cheapest and fastest ways we can get people out of homelessness and onto something better. 

If you or someone you know is interested in this program, you can email homewardbound@sanjoseca.gov for more information.

We’re excited to invite you to our most ambitious clean up and beautification event yet on Saturday, March 8th — located right in the heart of our city. We’ll be working to revitalize the Guadalupe River from Woz to Julian by painting, planting trees, spreading mulch and so much more. This is an opportunity to give back, connect with like-minded individuals, and make a real difference in our community! You can let us know you’re in by signing up here. 

P.S. Keep an eye out in our next newsletter for an announcement about this year’s State of the City event 👀

Many of you may have seen the tragic news that a 15 year old named David Gutierrez lost his life in San Jose on Valentine’s Day. Thankfully, our police department apprehended the 4 suspects within a week – all between the ages of 13 and 18 years old. Disturbingly, the person believed to be responsible for taking David’s life is even younger than he is. 

There is nothing more horrific than kids killing kids. This crime is the worst example of a dangerous trend our police department has been monitoring – younger and younger kids are being targeted for initiation into our most dangerous gangs. And based on police intelligence, gang members know that the lack of accountability for juveniles is an effective way to essentially get away with committing crime. 

While we don’t know that the 18 year old in this case handed the 13 year old the knife or told him to take a life, we do know that 30% of gang related incidents in San Jose over the past few months were committed by kids under 18, including aggravated assault, weapons charges, robbery – and now, murder. We know that kids under 14 face little consequence – even for a crime as serious as murder. 

I’m afraid that if we don’t change the way our system holds young offenders accountable, we may be creating a perverse incentive for gangs to recruit children at younger and younger ages. We cannot allow our worst gang's weapon of choice to become our children. 

Let me be clear – kids should not be locked up for tagging a building or stealing a candy bar. But they should understand the ramifications of taking a life. And perhaps more importantly, the older people who are using kids as murder weapons should be held responsible for ending one life and ruining others.

A year ago, we made this same announcement. We closed down a street to open up a community. That street was San Pedro. And now, thanks to a vote by the Council this week, Post St. is following suit, becoming a permanent fixture of walkability, vibrancy and togetherness! 

Post St. represents momentum. It represents a change in reputation and a change in mindset for the Bay Area’s largest city. We’ve often been overshadowed by our smaller neighbors to the north when it comes to activation but the era of San Jose being the less cool cousin to San Francisco is over. 

We have so much in store for our Downtown and our entire city over the next couple of years. And this street closure is one sign of all we have to come.

San Jose Shamrock Run 

Saturday, March 15th at 8:00 AM

San Pedro Square, 87 N San Pedro Street, San Jose, CA 95110

Kick off your St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at the annual San Jose Shamrock Run! Whether you’re an elite runner, jogger, or runner, there’s guaranteed fun for the whole family at the 5K, 10K, and kids races. After crossing the finish line, you can enjoy live entertainment, free beer, and more at O’Flaherty’s & Five Point’s post-race parties! Register here. 

Holi Fest with Association of Indo Americans

Saturday, March 15th at 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Discovery Meadow, 180 Woz Way, San Jose, CA 95110

Celebrate Holi at one of the most vibrant festivals of the year! Experience the traditional throwing of colors, enjoy traditional cuisine at the food booths, and dance to music all day long. Learn more and register here. 

Coyote Creek & Trail Clean-Up with Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful

Saturday, March 15th at 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Location Provided Upon RSVP

If you can’t make it to our big March 8th clean-up, there’s plenty more opportunities to beautify our city and become part of the solution! Team Mahan is out every Saturday in a different neighborhood picking up litter, clearing weeds, planting trees, or painting community art projects. On March 15th, we’ll be out along the Coyote Creek Trail with Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful to clear our waterways and public spaces of blight and debris. Hope to see you there! RSVP here. 

Women’s Heritage Day at History Park

Saturday, March 22nd at 12:00 PM

History Park, 635 Phelan Avenue, San Jose, CA 95112

History Park is hosting their third annual Women’s Heritage Day event! Bring your family and friends to learn more about the accomplishments of women throughout Santa Clara Valley’s storied history. The festivities include diverse cultural performances, local author talks, lowrider shows, interactive craft stations, women-owned vendor booths, and more! Learn more here.

Dozens of new workers in the heart of our city will be cleaning teeth — and to prepare for their arrival, we’ve cleaned up Downtown! What was once a vacant (and if we’re honest, rundown) building is now the Dental Specialties Institute, training the next generation of professionals and bringing more people back to our city center. Great to see this corner get a fresh coat of paint and a tenant — more to come!

Another weekend, another beautification project! Last weekend, we were out in the Eden neighborhood, clearing weeds, picking up trash, and landscaping roadway pop-outs to make this corner of San José cleaner and more vibrant. Huge thanks to the neighbors who showed up to make a difference—community-powered change at its best!

In February, we celebrated the grand opening of The Tech Interactive's Dream Garden, a groundbreaking exhibit that brings together culture and technology — truly emblematic of our city! Exhibits like this that help ensure our young people are equipped with AI literacy are key not only to their future but to the future of our entire world. Can’t wait to take Silvia, Nina and Luke to check it out!

In 2024, we partnered with neighborhood associations across the city to add 13 new murals and art projects. We kicked off another year of beautification by teaming up with the Silver Leaf Neighborhood Association and Councilmember Campos! Dozens of volunteers helped cover up a persistently tagged wall in the neighborhood and brought more color to their community. Want to be part of the solution? Get involved and join our next clean-up here: bit.ly/cleansj