At our District 2 Holiday Appreciation Party & Awards Ceremony , Supervisor Mike Wasserman and I had a lot of fun with community members (teenagers, seniors, and everyone in between!) who helped get stuff done this year -- from policy discussions to neighborhood clean ups!

It was a special evening dedicated to celebrating everyone's successes. My team was proud to see people from neighborhoods across District 2, including: Los Paseos, Oak Grove, Blossom Valley, Silver Leaf, EGOPIC, Hellyer-Christopher, and Cottle-to-Lean! Thank you for coming out to commend and encourage one another, and for continuing to strengthen our community. Visit our photo gallery to see more of our festivities .

Bridge Housing Communities Update

On Tuesday, December 12, 2017, the City Council voted to move forward with Bridge Housing Communities (BHC) as a way to temporarily house our most vulnerable residents. The following direction was given to the Housing Department as next steps in the implementation of BHC:

Full adoption of the recommendations made by the Mayor, Vice Mayor and Councilmembers Jones, Peralez, and Arenas in their  memorandum.

In addition to the recommendations described above, we also adopted the following recommendations from my  memorandum .

- Direct staff to evaluate cost-cutting measures and seek alternative funding sources that would not divert funds already appropriated for permanent housing.

- Direct staff to determine if housing a targeted population in the BHC pilot site would violate Fair Housing laws. Specifically, consider using the Kenton Women’s Village in Oregon as a model for the pilot site.

- Direct the Planning and Housing Departments to concurrently focus on diverse solutions to solving our homeless crisis: Explore an emergency ordinance for the implementation of safe parking programs and come back to Council with a timeline for implementation.

Additional recommendations from Councilmembers Nguyen and  Diep  were also included.

On Monday, December 4, 2017, Gensler Architectural Firm unveiled two design concepts for emergency sleeping cabins and two conceptual site designs for Bridge Housing Communities. You may see these designs by clicking on the photo above and by viewing Gensler's Bridge Housing Communities Presentation.

For more information, please:

Read my message regarding Bridge Housing Communities / "Tiny Homes" sites

Read my full thoughts and detailed synopsis: Bridge Housing Communities Update

Visit our website at Homelessness in D2

View the City's Bridge Housing Communities webpage

How we can work together to address the issue of the notoriously blighted Monterey Road

Like many of my residents, I am frustrated by the amount of garbage and graffiti along Monterey Highway.

The issue of illegal dumping and graffiti along the Monterey corridor is a problem that has existed for far longer than my tenure as Councilmember, and for many years our community has expressed concerns. It is my hope that together as we can address the issue head-on.

Much of the area along Monterey Highway is under the jurisdiction of the Union Pacific Railroad (UP). UP is a private corporation governed by the Federal Railroad Administration, and to be frank, according to them, their first priority is transportation and commerce -- not graffiti and blight.



I want you to know I am taking steps to address your concerns. Our office will be working directly with the Mayor’s office to put pressure on UP.

I encourage all of my residents to contact UP and express your concerns over the graffiti and blight that has plagued our community. UP needs to hear that they have not been good neighbors and that we are not going to tolerate the neglected and blighted condition of the tracks. Our office has been told that UP prioritizes areas that receive the greatest amount of complaints, so your calls matter!

We are also aware of issues with the MySanJose App and are working with our technology department to address the concerns. As with most new technologies, the MySanJose App has some bugs that still to need to be fixed. Our goal is to make the appropriate changes to increase the app’s usability and efficiency.

Thank you to those community members who continue to be our eyes and ears on the ground. My staff and I are committed to listening to and addressing your concerns.

To report homeless encampments, illegal dumping, or other hazards on Union Pacific property:

1-888-UPRRCOP (1-888-877-7267) or visit UP's website for more information.

To contact UP’s Northern California Director of Public Affairs, Francisco Castillo: Send a message

To view a visual presentation, you may view this informative video from Kron4 explaining the politics of illegal dumping in San José. Thank you to our residents who shared this with us.

To view a report from the City's Anti-Graffiti and Anti-Litter Programs that provides an annual update on the status of the programs and the impact they have had within our neighborhoods to keep San José clean, see the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee agenda .

To view an Illegal Dumping Initiative Update that provides an update on illegal dumping and litter mitigation efforts, see the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee agenda.

You can also watch the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee meeting video for the full discussion as well as my comments.

HomeFirst operating an Overnight Warming Location in D2 through the cold weather season

On Tuesday, November 28, 2017, the City Council unanimously approved a contract with HomeFirst to operate four Overnight Warming Locations (OWL’s) through the 2017-2018 cold weather season. The OWL’s will run from December 5, 2017 through June 30, 2018 at Tully Community Library, Southside Community and Senior Center, Alum Rock Library, and Roosevelt Community Center. These OWL's will prevent houseless individuals from freezing to death and dying on the streets.

I am pleased that many of the community's concerns were incorporated into the program agreement. The Contract with HomeFirst will provide the following:

• Access to restroom facilities and food;

• Site set up, supervision, and sanitation;

• Security services will be provided through a subcontract with a professional, established security agency to provide service during all hours of operation at each location;

• Cleaning services to be provided through a subcontract with a professional cleaning service to clean each location in the morning after the locations are activated so that the locations can be returned to regular programming the next morning without interruption or delay to residents;

• If site staff identifies any issue, it will be addressed within the same business day by HomeFirst or the City Representative;

• HomeFirst will provide bus tokens and shuttle service to offer transportation as users exit the facility to ensure no loitering occurs at the site;

• As a result of community input, the amended agreement will provide funding for expanded security and additional HomeFirst staff at each site. At the request of the community, HomeFirst will ensure that security remains on-site for a short period after each OWL site is closed;

• The agreement also requires HomeFirst to survey participants to ensure quality of the services and customer satisfaction.

The OWL's will be activated only when the following inclement weather thresholds are met:

• An overnight low of 38 degrees or lower with a probability of rain less than 50%; or

• An overnight low of 42 degrees or lower with a probability of rain of 50% or greater; or

• Prolonged periods of rain with flooding in low-lying areas; or

• 50% probability of rain for two or more days.

At the Southside Community and Senior Center, the OWL program will run in Rooms 8 and 9 -- not in the multipurpose Edenvale Room -- to avoid conflict with the senior programming.

Many of you recommended we utilize the San José Police South-Substation as an OWL. I was encouraged by this recommendation. However, after careful review with Police Chief Garcia, it was determined that the Substation is not an appropriate location for this use. The Substation is occupied and utilized 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by recruits, community service officers, and police officers. Additionally, there is no way to confine individuals to the community room within the Substation because all spaces are interconnected. Currently, the Southside Community Center is the most appropriate location within District 2.

I will monitor the OWL program very closely this winter and evaluate its effectiveness and community impact. OWL’s are intended to rotate throughout the City where there is need for services; this is not a permanent location. 

Though the OWL program is not the solution to our housing crisis, it does bring temporary relief to the imminent and ever growing danger of deaths on our streets.

If you have any questions, please contact Vanessa Sandoval at (408) 535-4925 or at [email protected].

For more information, please view:

The Housing Department's memorandum dated November 6, 2017

The Housing Department's website

Santa Clara County Public Health Department, Hepatitis A Information

Our District 2 Website, Homelessness in D2

VTA garners community input for State Route 85 Guideway Study

Drive on State Route 85? You will want to join this conversation.

Valley Transportation Authority's State Route 85 Guideway Study evaluates transportation alternatives for the 23.7-mile corridor that connects the cities of Mountain View and San José, from the SR 85/US 101 interchange in Mountain View to the SR 85/US 101 interchange in South San José. Study alternatives will include Bus Rapid Transit service and infrastructure, Light Rail Transit, and possible future transportation technologies or other options.

Residents and I met with VTA in November regarding noise reduction, viable transit improvements, and feasible alternatives for State Route 85. We were able to share our top values and suggestions. Visit VTA's website for more on the State Route 85 Guideway Study, fact sheets, upcoming meetings, the project schedule, and more.

Mobilizing multiple neighborhoods and local businesses to make an impact

THIS is what it looks like when neighbors come together.

THIS is what it looks like to partner with our community. 

THIS is what it looks like to  #BeautifySJ!!!

Endless "thank you's" to  Blossom Valley Neighborhood Association ,  Oak Grove Neighborhood Association ,  Cottle to Lean Neighborhood Association ,  Hub's Coffee ,  The ART of bbq LLC , Supervisor  Mike Wasserman, Mayor  Sam Liccardo, Councilmember  Johnny Khamis, and all our VOLUNTEERS for dedicating their Saturday morning to our D2 Community Clean Up.

D2 youth publish "Through Teens' Eyes, " providing a unique platform for youth to be heard and connect with others

Our D2 Youth Commissioner Katherine Ho and the D2 Youth Advisory Council never cease to amaze me. They believed in the power of voices. They reached out to teens from all over Silicon Valley from all different backgrounds and compiled many of their personal stories. The result was Through Teens' Eyes: A Collection of Personal Stories.

"The Through Teens' Eyes Project was started by teens with a drive to make sure that every teen's voice is understood... What started as a spark to form a deeper connection between teens and the people around them and to create a safe space for teens to express themselves turned into the stories presented through these pages...," Katherine writes.

When asked to write the forward for this collection of essays, I, Councilmember Jimenez, was flattered and thought to myself, “What sage advice can I dispense to the youth who will read these essays?” I quickly realized that these young folks are light years ahead of where I was at their age.

 

The writings of our youth touch on their dreams and aspirations, and also speak to the experiences that have shaped them. These teenagers exhibit their imagination, zest for life, and freshness of thought that I believe we can all learn from. My hope is that this collection’s writers and readers will strive to maintain their youthful lens through which they see the world and that they continue seeing what is possible without being jaded by the inevitable challenges life will bring them.

 

This collection of essays is but one example of how our youth are interacting with and changing the world for the better. I cannot wait to witness the things you achieve and the people you impact. Adelante! 

Support our youth and get your very own copy of Through Teens' Eyes on Amazon !

Rising D2 Leader: Norma Callendar

Norma Callendar is a former D2 Neighborhood Commissioner, but her community leadership did not end there. She is a member of the D2 Leadership Group and serves on the Independent Police Auditor Council. She is involved in outreach ministry and serves as a greeter at Emmanuel Baptist Church. She volunteers for the Veterans Administration. She is also an American Red Cross Disaster shelter volunteer who has traveled to Northern and Southern California to help fire relief efforts. Norma, thank you for your work to impact others' lives in so many capacities, in our community and beyond!

D2 Participatory Budgeting Round 2 Updates

Residents and neighbors, thank you for participating in District 2's Bernal to Bailey Participatory Budgeting Round 2, which is now complete.  Congratulations to all the projects that won! 

We are excited to share that two projects have been completed. 1. The Paseos Lighting project and 2. Money for our local schools: $40,000 has been awarded to renovate our local Home & School Clubs at Los Paseos Elementary School and Martin Murphy Middle School.

To learn more about D2 PB Round 2 project information and implementation timelines , please visit  bit.ly/D2PBROUND2 . 

SJPD's Holiday Safety Tips

Click on the image below to view the tips on SJPD's website.

For more information, please visit the City's Curbside Recycling webpage and Free Junk Pickup webpage.

Make this New Year happier and safer: Report illegal fireworks

As the New Year approaches, so do our holiday festivities with family and friends. But injuries, fatalities, loss of pets, and fires have resulted from fireworks use, and all types of fireworks are illegal in San José.

You can help make our communities safer and quieter by reporting the use of fireworks in your neighborhood. From December 18 through January 3, you can report fireworks use at www.sanjoseca.gov/fireworks, or call 408-535-5600. 

Please continue to report illegal fireworks during our Lunar New Year. Our online reporting tool and phone line will be available from February 1, 2018 to February 18, 2018 for this holiday.

Need to report abandoned vehicles, street light outages, and more? Use MySanJose: Our quick & easy tool to request City services



Want to get that pothole or street light fixed? Need to report graffiti, illegal dumping or an abandoned vehicle? Have a different question for the City? With the new state-of-the-art MySanJose  app  and  website , it is now a breeze to file and track a City service request or reach one of our customer representatives. It is super easy to use – see our zippy  tutorial . 

Download the MySanJose app today:  www.sanjoseca.gov/mysanjose

Apply for a grant for your environmental education program or youth engagement project



The Open Space Authority is pleased to introduce a new grant program, funded by Measure Q . This annual competitive grant program funds environmental education programs and youth engagement projects in one or more categories:

The grants are open to Public Agencies, Schools and School Districts, and Nonprofits.

The Fiscal Year 2017-2018 grants range from $5,000 to $24,999 and applications are due March 16, 2018. For more information and application materials, visit Open Space Authority's website.

City of San José   Contractors Survey: Small & local businesses, let us know what you think



Earlier this year, the Silvy Group was one of two consulting firms selected to explore ways to improve the inclusion of small and local business participation in its Capital Improvement Program construction and consultant contracting. To better understand the challenges facing contractors in working with the City and other public agencies, the Silvy Group has developed a quick survey for the community. 

The survey is using SurveyGizmo as its platform and is strictly anonymous. It should take no more than 5 minutes to complete. You may take the survey here.

Please click on the images of the flyers below for more information.