Long Story Short...

Here’s what you need to know this week — in 30 seconds or less:

• Big step on homelessness & mental health. If approved by the Board of Supervisors, county doctors are coming to City shelters and new treatment beds are coming to San José.
• We lost one of our own. Honoring Max Ryan, a young outreach worker whose life pushes us to close the cracks in our criminal justice system.
• Trails reclaimed. The Guadalupe River Trail is back — safer, clearer, and busier than ever.

Keep scrolling for all the data and details.

Dear Neighbor,

On Friday, County Supervisor Betty Duong did something I’d like to see a lot more of – she stood up for real change. She stood up for government efficiency. She stood up for our most vulnerable. And in doing so, she challenged the status quo. 

And I am hoping that on Tuesday, the entire Board of Supervisors will support the proposal she, I and others have been working on together. But first, let’s back up a little. 

As you know, I have been advocating for more behavioral health support for our most vulnerable neighbors since first running for office. 

My team and I stood by Senator Eggman to fight to pass SB43, which expands the definition of “gravely disabled” so that those who are unable to make a rational decision about their own well-being can be conserved by the state to get the care they need (our County plans to begin implementing it in January). I joined the Governor in advancing Prop 1, which dedicates funding for “treatment, not tents” by building more treatment beds across the state. And many of you joined me in organizing support for Prop 36, which created a new legal tool – treatment-mandated felonies – to hold repeat offenders with serious drug addictions accountable for completing a treatment program if they want to avoid jail time.  

As we’ve pushed for and passed these state-level reforms, I’ve consistently called on our County and all counties across the state to do more. As the primary provider of health and human services, I’ve shared with our County leaders the urgent needs I see every day. I’ve shared your stories — stories you’ve trusted me with — of assault, of kids afraid to walk to school, of arson. All because there are people on our streets who need more help than we, at the city-level, can provide. And because they aren't receiving the intervention and help they need, the rest of the community is suffering as a result. 

This week, Supervisor Duong answered that call. 

We stood at our Guadalupe Interim Housing Community, one of 8 quick-build sites the city has opened over the past 4 years, and I told her the story of a man I met at that site a couple years back. We’ll call him John. 

John had been living on our streets for some time. When he got a room at Guadalupe, his life changed. You could see it in his face — he finally felt safe. He joined our San José Bridge program (a job training initiative) and worked his way up to a supervisor role.

A few months ago, I ran into John again. I asked him how he was doing, and I could tell immediately that something had shifted. He looked down, shrugged his shoulders and said things weren’t going too well. He was back on the streets, he had relapsed on meth, and he didn’t know what came next for him. 

John’s addiction was stronger than the safety net we’ve built at Guadalupe and at sites like it across the city. Supervisor Duong understood. She acknowledged the immense need in our community. And together, we announced a new path forward. If the rest of the Board agrees, here’s what will change:

• First, care will meet people where they are. County doctors and behavioral health specialists will regularly come on-site to City-run shelters and tiny home communities to check in and provide treatment, including medication, for individuals. 

• Second, the County is adding hundreds of new inpatient treatment beds — including beds in sub-acute, locked facilities — and the City will support those efforts, including backing the County’s applications for Prop 1 funding and potentially providing capital funding at select sites.

• Third, we will integrate the City’s temporary housing network with the County’s Coordinated Entry System so people can move faster from shelter to permanent supportive housing when they are unable to achieve self-sufficiency due to serious medical and behavioral health challenges. One question about our interim sites that I hear often is about “throughput.” People either have the worry that we kick people out on a set timeline (not true) or that people will languish in our temporary sites for years on end. To that, I say living in temporary housing is a whole lot better than living on the streets. But we can always do more to increase the rate at which people graduate out to something more permanent. That’s what this is about. 

If the partnership we announced on Friday had existed back when John moved into the Guadalupe EIH — if medical and behavioral health care had come directly to him here, if there had been an in-patient treatment bed when what he really needed was detox and medication, and if he had a clearer path into permanent housing — maybe John would still be living at Guadalupe. Maybe he’d already be in an apartment of his own. We’ll never know. 

But that’s why we’re taking action. Because County leadership is meeting the City part way and acknowledging what you’ve been telling me for years – there is immense unmet need for mental health and addiction services within our homeless population. 

For too long, our responses to these intertwined issues have been fragmented. The City has been building interim housing and running shelters – opening more this year than any other city on the West Coast. The County runs behavioral health and treatment. This makes sense – we have different responsibilities when it comes to serving our residents. That’s why we have different levels of government. But we have to find ways to make sure we are driving in the same direction even while we stay in our respective lanes. We have to better integrate our systems and coordinate our responses.   

That's what this new collaboration is all about. And doing better starts by admitting that what we’ve been doing hasn’t been enough.

We’re also doing this because we can’t wait for Washington or Sacramento. The federal government is cutting Medicaid. The State just zeroed out HHAP funding – the only flexible funding that has helped us build sites like Guadalupe. All while Californians say their top concerns are homelessness, public safety and the cost of living. 

Here at the local level, as the Supervisor and I both know, we’re responsible for the people we see everyday — people like John. We’re accountable to the people who we represent. And they know, like we do, that we need to do better. 

If passed by the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, this partnership won’t solve everything overnight. Even with more treatment beds, it won’t be enough to meet the actual need. And we still need stronger tools to make sure people actually use them once we build them. 

But once approved, this will represent a huge step forward. It will help save lives, restore dignity, and begin to make real progress on the biggest humanitarian crisis we face. 

Sincerely,

Mayor Matt

As some of you may have heard, one of the victims in San José’s first triple homicide in more than half a decade, was a member of our City team. Max Ryan was part of our homeless outreach team. And like the other two victims, Tarrah Taylor and Jeannessa Lurie, he was just 26 years old.  

This week, I sat down with Max’s mother and father. Housing Director Erik Soliván and I went by their home to share our condolences and hear more about the person who spent the last 9 months of their life serving our city by providing outreach to our homeless neighbors. 

I learned that Max was very proud of the work he was doing. He had recently taken leadership of our Homeward Bound program and excitedly called his mom to tell her that because of him, 25 homeless neighbors had been reconnected to the people who loved them. Before he lost his life, he gave 25 people another chance for a better life.

We talked about how this senseless crime happened. We talked about the fact that the suspect had prior gun offenses. We talked about how he was suffering from mental health issues. So many of the most heinous crimes that happen in San José, including the murders of Max Ryan, Tarrah Taylor, and Jeannessa Lurie, are committed by people our officers have arrested before. Sometimes dozens of times. 

Ryan’s mom then said something that struck me. She said that as soon as someone is arrested – and our police department does an incredible job of making sure that happens quickly – you expect it to be over. You just expect the rest of the justice system to work. But far too often, it doesn’t. 

We have serious gaps that lead to serious crimes. Judges have immense leeway when it comes to sentencing. Far too many gun offense violations go unpunished. And perhaps the biggest failure we’ve made as a state is ineffective intervention in serious ongoing mental health and addiction. We need to expand behavioral health treatment and increase accountability in our justice system now — because lives depend on it. 

Some of you may remember last year, when we began talking about a risk we face due to updated state regulations related to waterway pollution. If we don’t clear our waterways of encampments and prevent pollution, we can lose our stormwater permit and become vulnerable to lawsuits. In fact, we can face major, daily fines for allowing human waste and debris to litter our waterways. 

So block by block, we’ve been reclaiming the Guadalupe River Trail. First from Woz Way to Julian Street. Then Julian to Coleman. Then Coleman to 880. Most recently, 880 to 101. And the results are undeniable. 

Our goal is to save our waterways and save our city an immense financial burden – and we are slowly but surely achieving both. But we ended up saving something else along the way – our trails. 

Between Woz and Julian, usage during peak commute and recreation times jumped 110% after establishing a no encampment zone last year. That’s families, downtown office workers, runners, and cyclists who feel safe enough to come back. More recently, from Coleman to 880 — we’ve seen a 36% increase in use in just a few months.

People are out, enjoying our city’s resources, and activating corners of San José that have long sat dormant. Check it out for yourself and we will continue to offer shelter, decommission encampments, ban re-encampment, and preserve our progress along more and more stretches of the Guadalupe River, Coyote Creek and other local waterways. 

Fall Horse Festival

Saturday, October 4th from 3:00PM to 6:00 PM

Clubhouse & Arena, 20350 McKean Road, San Jose, CA 95120

Come join us in the countryside and experience the wonder of horses during our Fall Festival. The Santa Teresa Foothills make the picture perfect backdrop for our rural Fall celebration! Find more information here. 

Triptych of the Valley

Friday, October 3rd to Sunday, October 5th 

MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana

A three-day interactive experience by San José-based Argentinian visual artist TATANE, this event invites the public to create a unique digital archive to explore how physical and digital technologies mediate our reality and determine hegemonic representations. Find more information here.

Oktoberfest at San Pedro Square Market

Saturday, October 4th to Sunday, October 5th

San Pedro Square Market, 87 North San Pedro Street San Jose, CA 95110

Raise a stein with us at The Bars at San Pedro Square Market as we celebrate Oktoberfest with two full days of beer, bites, and friendly competition. Sip your way through seasonal brews from some of the region’s best breweries, enjoy classic German eats, join in festive games and stein-holding contests. Grab your tickets here.

Masquerade at the San Jose Symphony

Saturday, October 4th at 7:30 PM and Sunday, October 5th at 2:30 PM

California Theatre, 345 S 1st St, San Jose, CA 95113

Join us for an unforgettable event, and step into a world of fantasy and wild imagination. Don your mask and immerse yourself in the music and beauty of three iconic masterpieces as we kick off the 2025/2026 season. Purchase tickets here. 

8th Annual Little Italy Festival

Sunday, October 5th from 11:30 AM

323 West St. John St, San Jose 95110

Celebrate all things Italian with an Italian Food Festival, nonstop entertainment and supercars of Italy auto event. Find more information here. 

Santa Run Early Bird Registration

Sunday, December 14, 2025 at 3 PM

San Jose, CA 95113 US

Join us for the 14th Annual Santa Run Silicon Valley where you can dress up as your favorite holiday character or tradition, then make your way through San José for a festive afternoon celebrating the most wonderful time of the year! Sign up  today to take advantage of Early Bird Pricing. Want to save even more and double your fun? Bundle the Santa Run with the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot and you'll get a discount on both races!

Huge thanks to the 350+ volunteers and numerous community partners who came out to help restore the Guadalupe River Trail last weekend!

Guadalupe Gardens should feel like San José’s own Central Park — but for too long, many didn’t feel safe here. That’s starting to change. Thanks to months of work by City staff nearly 200 people have been brought indoors, trail usage is up over 100% in some areas, and together, we’re starting to restore the park so that is can be a place that everyone can enjoy. Stay tuned as we begin to break ground on revitalization projects in the area and join us at our next clean-up: bit.ly/cleansj