Hi Neighbor,

Thanks to strong community participation, last year’s Budget Breakfast was incredibly well attended by engaged residents. Your involvement helps ensure I understand which community priorities matter most as we head into budget deliberations.

I warmly invite all residents to join me again for this year’s Budget Breakfast. We’ll review the City’s fiscal challenges, answer your questions, and—most importantly—hear your feedback. I’m also pleased to welcome two special guests: City Manager Jennifer McGuire and Budget Director Jim Shannon.

RSVP here!

Current budget projections point to a challenging budget environment, making it especially important that we come together to align on expectations and make informed decisions.

Join us at Grace Church on Saturday, February 21st, from 9:30am to 11:00am to share your priorities for your neighborhood.



From public safety to park activations, we'd love to hear from you! We hope you join the conversation and help guide the decisions that impact our community. Any feedback shared with my team and me will help shape the 2026-2027 Budget Requests and Cost Estimates for District 8. For example, last year we secured $10,000 for youth fee waivers for sports programming and recreation facilities, $10,000 to create public art in our neighborhoods, and $25,000 for vibrancy updates at the Evergreen Village Square.

It is my pleasure and privilege to serve as your City Councilmember,

Domingo Candelas

City of San José District 8

Learn more about our community work and accomplishments in my past newsletters from February 2023 onward, which provide a wealth of information including updates on legislation, community events, and important issues like the City budget, public safety, homelessness and more.

Please share this with your neighbors and let them know what's happening in my district. They can sign up by following this link.

Upcoming Events

Budget Breakfast

Grace Church of Evergreen (2650 Aborn Rd)

9:30am - 11:00am

RSVP here

SouthBay Blitz

Visit @emlnexclusive on Instagram for more info or this link to register to play!

In Our Community

Honoring the SJPD Robbery Unit and District Attorney's Office

My office presented a commendation to the SJPD Robbery Unit and Santa Clara County's District Attorney's Office for their outstanding efforts in investigating the robbery of Kim Hung Jewelry in District 8.

Their tenacity and grit led to the arrest of more than a dozen perpetrators and restored trust in the community.

Groundbreaking at the Sikh Gurdwara

It was an honor to attend the Sikh Gurdwara's groundbreaking ceremony for the North and South Hall Double Story project!

As the largest Gurdwara in North America, this expansion project reflects the community's desire for more space for worship, community gatherings, educational programming, and cultural celebrations.

Tree Planting with the Weeping Creek Townhomes

The best part of being a Councilmember is seeing my residents working together to bring change to their community. The Weeping Creek Townhomes partnered with Our City Forest to plant trees at their complex, and they had a great turnout!

Meeting with the Consul General of Mexico

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting with San Jose's Consul General of Mexico — Neftali Said Perez Gonzalez. As we prepare for a busy and exciting year ahead, we discussed our shared priorities for the wellbeing of our community and the critical roles that both our offices play in ensuring that our residents feel safe and remain informed.

Small Business Spotlight

Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming

Want to treat your furry friend? Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming is the perfect place! This locally-owned pet store offers full service grooming and carries a variety of toys, fashionable accessories, and delicious all-natural treats such as birthday cakes and cookies.

Visit their storefront at the Evergreen Village Square or check out their website!

City Hall Update

On Tuesday, January 27^th, we had a busy day at Council, focusing primarily on housing and development policy. We unanimously passed two incentive programs, one for multifamily housing and the other for residential development in downtown.

From the very beginning, I have been a strong supporter of the Downtown incentive. I was successful in pushing for stronger workforce standards and creating urgency and competition for developers to take advantage of these incentives. Our City Council also voted to amend the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO). I did not support the changes because the staff's recommended proposals lacked the data needed to understand and assess the effects of the proposed policy change. Lastly, we deferred the Mobile Home Ordinance to later this year. While I also had concerns, we decided to defer the item to allow for a robust conversation between park owners and residents. This is important because there are four mobile-home parks in District 8, and thousands of residents would have been affected.

As your Councilmember, it is important to make informed decisions that improve the lives of my constituents.

Activating Our Neighborhoods

Building strong neighborhoods starts with you! Joining a neighborhood association not only builds community block by block, but it also brings critical information to the forefront as I draft policy and fight for dollars in the budget. As a councilmember, I rely on the eyes and ears of each resident, and your collective voices take shape in the form of neighborhood groups.

Here is a list of active neighborhood associations in District 8:



• Welch Park - Between Ocala Ave, King Rd & Tully Rd
• Norwood - Between Tully Rd, Ruby Ave, Norwood Ave & S White Rd
• Meadowfair - Between East Capitol, Aborn Rd, S King Rd & Rigoletto Dr
• Creekside - Between San Felipe Rd & Cadwallader Ave
• Brahms/Edgeview - Between Rigoletto Dr, S King Rd, Tully Rd & Quimby Rd
• Silver Oak Estates - Silver Oak St, Rachaella Lane & Carmella Ct
• Evergreen Leadership - Neighborhoods of Groesbeck, Hidden Glens, Pleasant Hills & Quimby
• Thompson Creek - E Capitol Expwy, Aborn Rd, White Rd & Quimby Rd
• Brigadoon - E Capitol Expwy, Aborn Rd, Nieman Blvd, Wendover Lane, Baronet Ct, Yerba Buena Road & Silver Creek Rd
• District 8 Community Roundtable - District-wide

If you would like to get involved in your neighborhood association, or you do not see your neighborhood listed and would like to activate your neighborhood, please reach out to sachin.radhakrishnan@sanjoseca.gov

VTA Eastridge to BART Regional Connector Update

ONGOING AND ANTICIPATED CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES

1. TURN RESTRICTION: Southbound Capitol Expressway to Eastbound Ocala Avenue

One left-turn lane remains open until June 2026.

2. FALSEWORK INSTALLATION: Northbound Capitol Expressway between Tully Road and Story Road AND Southbound Capitol Expressway between Excalibur Road and Cunningham Ave

Night Work and Lane Closures

• Sunday night, February 1 through Saturday morning, February 7
• Sunday night, February 8 through Saturday morning, February 14

Two lanes will be closed, and one lane will remain open on northbound (NB) Capitol Expressway from Tully Road to Story Road.

Two lanes will be closed, and one lane will remain open on southbound (SB) Capitol Expressway from Excalibur Road and Cunningham Avenue.

Overnight lanes closures are from 10:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Follow detours.

3. CONCRETE POURING: Story Road Intersection

Night Work & Intersection Closure

• Monday night, February 9 through Tuesday morning, February 10

The Story Road intersection will be closed to eastbound (EB) and westbound (WB) traffic to pour concrete.

4. CONCRETE POURING: Ocala Avenue Intersection

Night Work & Intersection Closure

• Friday night, February 20 through Saturday morning, February 21

The Ocala Avenue intersection will be closed to eastbound (EB) and westbound (WB) traffic to pour concrete.

5. CONCRETE POURING: Northbound Capitol Expressway 

Night Work & Intersection Closure

• Tuesday night, February 3 through Wednesday morning, February 4

The Cunningham Avenue intersection will be closed to eastbound (EB) and westbound (WB) traffic to pour concrete.

...

Any questions, comments, and concerns can be directed to the VTA Community Outreach Office at community.outreach@vta.org or (408) 321-7575. Please make sure to provide your name, address, a summary of your concern, and your phone number.

SAFETY REMINDERS

• Pay close attention to detour signs and lane closures
• Reduce speed through construction zones
• Avoid distractions such as mobile devices
• Use alternate routes when possible

DAY AND NIGHT WORK SCHEDULES

• Day crews work Monday through Friday, from 7:00 am through 5:00 pm

• Night crews work from Sunday night through Friday morning, from 10:00 pm through 7:00 am.

• Weekend day and night crews work as needed.

• Crew schedules and construction activities can change at any time.

*Construction activities can change at any time

City Services

To combat the rise of vehicles with expired registration, the City of San Jose has created a new team under the Department of Transportation that deals solely with citing and towing vehicles with expired registration for at least 1 year. Please be aware that they are currently completing their sweep of the city, citing and towing any vehicles that fit this criterion. 

To report vehicles with expired registration, please use the 311 app. 

If you are reporting a general vehicle concern, you can also use the 311 app. For DOT to cite or tow the vehicle, it must be one of these options highlighted and fit the requirements under each of the categories in the image below. DOT will conduct its investigation to determine if it meets the threshold to be cited or towed once you have filed a report. 

To learn more about free legal services through the Elevate Community Center, click here!

Announcements

Cash for College

Every student’s goals deserve support. Cash for College workshops offer free guidance to help complete the FAFSA or CADAA and unlock the financial aid students qualify for. Find the nearest workshop and take the next step! ...

Las metas de cada estudiante merecen apoyo. Los talleres de Cash for College ofrecen orientación gratuita para completar la FAFSA o la CADAA y acceder a la ayuda financiera correspondiente. Busca el taller más cercano y da el siguiente paso.

Become an Advocate Volunteer

Working with children in foster care can be tough and demanding, but it's also very impactful. As an Advocate Volunteer, you have the ability to help a foster child overcome the effects of having experienced abuse, neglect and/or abandonment. This can completely alter the life trajectory of a child.

SHOW UP for a foster child! Learn how you can make a difference in a foster child's life by attending a virtual volunteer info session.