Housing Day recap and preparing for The Big Game next month

Dear neighbors,

This Tuesday was Housing Day at City Hall as my colleagues and I considered several pieces of housing-related legislation. After robust public comment and some productive conversations on the dais, I’m proud of the policies my Council colleagues and I were able to pass, including three memos our office led to help build more housing here in San José.

But we still have a lot more work to do to address our affordability crisis. My team is hard at work on more ways to address our housing shortage and bring vibrancy back to our streets. We look forward to sharing more in the months ahead!

In the meantime, The Big Game is nearly here! Downtown will be the place to be for concerts, block parties, and more. Join us for the festivities – and make sure to take transit to avoid the street closures. And if you see any ICE activity, call the Rapid Response Network at 408-290-1144.

Yours in community,

The Big Game is almost here! Whether or not you have tickets to the game in Santa Clara, there are plenty of free ways to celebrate in District 3. I look forward to seeing you at San Pedro Super Fest next weekend!

For a full list of events across San José, visit sj26.org.

SB 79 Implementation

The California State Legislature passed SB 79 last year with the goal of making it easier to build housing near key transit centers. District 3, as the most transit-heavy part of the city, will see more impact than any other district. For that reason, I worked with the Mayor and Councilmembers Campos and Cohen to move forward legislation to ensure that SB 79 is implemented thoughtfully. The direction we provided to city staff will help our city capitalize on the opportunity provided by SB 79 and provide District 3 residents with vibrant, affordable housing options near some of our city’s most active transit hubs.

Commercial-to-Residential Conversion Projects

One of the best ways we can meet our housing goals and build a vibrant, thriving downtown is by converting empty commercial space into new housing opportunities. I was proud to partner with the Mayor and Vice Mayor, as well as Councilmember Domingo Candelas, to pass legislation that will help move commercial-to-residential conversion projects forward – while supporting well-paying union construction jobs.

Multifamily Housing Incentive Program

We know that the need for new housing extends far beyond downtown. New housing developments will provide much needed housing as well as increased foot traffic to support our local businesses, improve public safety, and bolster our citywide economy. The action the Council took this week to expand our Multifamily Housing Incentive Program will help us achieve these goals by moving both market-rate and affordable housing developments through the pipeline in growth areas across our city.

Inclusionary Housing Ordinance

Our inclusionary housing ordinance is a critical tool for helping the City meet its housing affordability goals. At the same time, last year’s cost of residential development study shed light on just how challenging and expensive it is to build housing in San Jose. I worked with several of my Council colleagues to refine our approach to inclusionary housing, creating pathways to improve the financial feasibility of housing construction while preserving deeply affordable housing options.

Mobile Home Ordinance

Mobile homes are a key part of the District 3 community; they’re one of the few remaining naturally affordable housing options for many prospective homebuyers, and as your councilmember I represent one of the largest communities of mobile home residents in the city. Any policy change that impacts this community needs to be accompanied by transparent and substantial engagement with mobile home residents; for that reason, my Council colleagues and I voted to defer any changes to our mobile home regulations so that the City can do further outreach and ensure mobile home residents have a strong voice in the process.

PRNS scholarships for 2026 now available

Scholarship-eligible families in San José can register for Spring classes, Summer camps, and Summer swim lessons starting January 28 at 10 am.

Contact a community center near you or visit sanjoseca.gov/scholarships to learn more.

Apply for the BEST Grant Program

The Bringing Everyone’s Strengths Together (BEST) Grant Program is now accepting applications for the 2026–2029 funding cycle! This grant supports programs that build on youth strengths and help reduce their risk of involvement in violence through impactful services and partnerships.

Application deadline: February 19, 2026, at 4 p.m.

Learn more about this funding opportunity at sanjoseca.gov/sjyea

Wanted: Dumpster Day Volunteers

We're sponsoring a Dumpster Day in Spartan Keyes on Saturday, February 14 from 8 am to 11:30 am and we'd love to have you come out and help. Please meet us at the intersection of South 10th St & East Humboldt St.

Click here to sign up!

Apply for the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury

Apply for the 2026–27 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury by March 27, 2026. Serve your community by helping ensure local institutions operate fairly and transparently.

Learn more and apply: santaclara.courts.ca.gov/CGJ

In light of the homicide on South 1st Street on the day after Christmas, we held a town hall this month to bring together the neighborhood, your District 3 office, and our law enforcement partners to discuss what happened and what we can do to make the neighborhood safer. Thank you to everyone for making time on a weekend for hard questions and important conversations.

Earlier this month, we welcomed Guitar Wars to the SoFA District! It's been 40 years since downtown had a music retailer, and they really couldn’t have picked a better place than the SoFA District, the beating heart of our downtown arts scene.

I joined hundreds of volunteers on this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service for a tree planting with Our City Forest. The power of collective action is just one of the many parts of Dr. King’s legacy that remains relevant and resonant in 2026, and it was an pleasure to come together with folks from San José and beyond to make our city a little greener.

Last week, we welcomed Tamien Station Apartments to the neighborhood! Tamien Station Apartments represents so much of what makes for a vibrant community: safer streets, close proximity to public open space with Tamien Park, easy access to transit and housing choices for families of all sizes.

The world is coming to San José and we’re ready! The Locker Room, our new visitor center on Third and San Carlos gives us all a new way to be ambassadors for San José, by helping visitors discover our neighborhoods, local businesses, and events in 2026 — and beyond.

In addition to selling merch and spotlighting our San José teams, the amenities this space provides include community gathering and meeting space, and a complimentary podcast studio so that creators from out of town can help promote San José.

I started my day on Wednesday with a business walk with our Calle Willow Business Association! Thank you to everyone who took time out of their morning to talk about the needs and goals of one of our critical business corridors: Alonso from Arteaga's Food Center, Mario from Mario’s Boots, Sofia from 180 Grados Nutricion, Yajaira from Elite Cuts Barbershop, Mimi and Armando from Prosperity Lab, DA Hugo Meza, and Jessica from our Office of Economic Development.

Do you have an event you'd like to share with our D3 neighbors? Send the details to district3@sanjoseca.gov for consideration in our newsletter!