District 9 Leadership Group April 2024 Newsletter

D9LG General Meeting

Wednesday, April 10th, 2024

7:00 - 8:45 pm

Virtual via Zoom

Please save the date and plan to attend our next quarterly general meeting.



Our guest speakers will include District 9 City Councilmember Pam Foley, District 9 Arts Commissioner Karen Adamski, District 9 Housing and Community Development Commissioner Don Jackson, and BeautifySJ Community Coordinator Maribel Roman. D9LG President Bobbi Atak will provide updates from the San Jose All-Districts Leadership Group, and a summary of District 9 crime statistics from SJPD Southern Division Captain Steve Donohue.

Be sure to attend if you are forming a new neighborhood association, or re-energizing an existing neighborhood association to learn about numerous programs available to neighborhoods under the BeautifySJ umbrella, for example neighborhood litter pickups, dumpster days and more.

We are also seeking additional volunteers to help with items such as member communications and assorted projects throughout the year. If you can help, please contact us at [email protected] or mention it at the meeting.

We'll close with neighborhood updates from District 9 neighborhood leaders. Please come prepared to share a few words about your neighborhood including recent successes, future plans, and any help you may need in 2024.

Visit our website for the detailed meeting agenda, the January 11th general meeting minutes (for approval at this meeting), and any updates.

City Budget Season

The Mayor released his annual Mayor's budget message in March listing his recommended priorities for the next fiscal year which begins July 1st. You can learn more and read the document here. The city manager's office is now preparing proposed options for a balanced budget to meet these objectives for the city council to decide upon in May. The city council must approve a final budget in June. While the mayor wants to see a strong budget focus on blight, homelessness, public safety and promoting investment in San Jose, revenues are projected to go down and costs are going up, so painful cuts will be needed.

Watch for announcements for numerous community budget town hall meetings in April and May throughout the city, including as many as three in District 9. The first meeting we're currently aware of near District 9 will be held by Almaden Valley Community Association on Monday April 15 at 7:00pm, in-person at the Westgate Church South Hills Campus, 6601 Camden Ave, or via Zoom here. For more info, visit AVCA's website here.

See the article below for a link to sign up for District 9 city councilmember Pam Foley's newsletter to be notified about the upcoming District 9 budget town hall meetings. You can also follow her on Facebook and X (Twitter).

3rd Annual Music in the Valley Festival

Sun Apr 28, 11:00am – 6:00pm 

Cambrian Community Center

This free event includes fun for the whole family with musical performances from local middle and high school students, an art display, rock climbing, bounce houses, arts & crafts, a community raffle, food trucks, free ice cream and much more! Info: (408) 535-4909, [email protected] and Facebook (Music in the Valley).

Come celebrate the incredible talent of our local school bands and choirs while enjoying local food trucks, rock climbing, bounce houses & more. See you there!

District 9 Developments

New Private Elementary School: A Conditional Use Permit application (File No. CP24-002) was submitted to the City of San José’s Planning Division on January 18, 2024 for 1975 Cambrianna Drive at Union Avenue. The proposed project includes a Conditional Use Permit to allow a new private elementary school of approximately 160-185 students to occupy an existing school facility, new bicycle parking, and parking restriping on an approximately 1.89-gross-acre site. For more info, contact city Planner Cameron Gee at 408-535-6807 or [email protected]

Affordable Housing Project at Hillsdale and Newberry: An affordable housing project is under construction at 1190 Hillsdale Ave, just west of Almaden Expressway. It will total 8 stories tall and 160 apartments. Residents would need to earn between 30 and 70 percent of area median income ($37,470 to $87,430). This project is being built under state planning rules which bypass the requirement for San Jose City Council approvals.

For an overview of District 9 developments, visit here.

Security Camera Registration Program

In March 2023, the San José Police Department launched the CAM program which allows residents and business owners to register the locations of their video surveillance systems with the City. When a crime occurs, police will be able to identify the locations of nearby video cameras and enlist the assistance of the community to help officers collect video evidence and follow up on leads.

Registering your information does not provide SJPD with direct access to your camera. Registration is voluntary and there is no cost associated with registration. Learn more and help keep your community safer by registering your home security cameras here.             

Free CERT Training

The city of San Jose is offering free Community Emergency Response Team training (CERT) classes each month. The classes, which total 20 hours over one weekday evening and two weekend days, teach volunteers how to help neighborhoods take care of themselves during the critical first 72 hours after a major disaster. We need a lot more trained CERT volunteers to be ready for the next disaster, and we all know we're overdue for a big earthquake. Visit the CERT website for full info. Click here to sign up for CERT training, or here to be notified about future CERT training dates.

District 9 News

If you're not already receiving Councilmember Pam Foley's District 9 newlsetters, be sure to join her mailing list and view past editions here. Her newsletters are packed with great info.

D9LG Upcoming General Meetings

Wednesday April 10, 7:00 - 8:45pm (Zoom)

(See more info above)

Wednesday July 10, 7:00 - 8:45pm (Zoom)

Wednesday October 9, 7:00 - 8:45pm (Zoom)

The District 9 Leadership Group holds quarterly meetings. After our January 11th meeting, we plan to move to second Wednesdays. Stay tuned for details on future meetings and be sure to check our website for updates including possible date changes.

Spread the Word!

Please share this message with your neighbors in District 9 and encourage them to attend our meetings and events, and to join our mailing list.

Visit www.d9lg.org for more information and latest updates about the D9LG.