Dear Neighbor,

We know the formula for ending street homelessness. And using a $2 million Encampment Resolution Grant from the state of California, we’ve proven it. Take a look at the transformation below:

The Encampment Resolution Grant program, a four-year initiative with three rounds of funding, was designed by the state of California with a goal of addressing the crisis of homelessness in our cities. These dollars are meant to be used to address the largest encampments in cities across the state. 

San Jose secured this competitive grant and used the funds to clear a highly impacted stretch of the Guadalupe Creek from Woz Way to Julian St—offering housing to everyone, and paying for supportive services like addiction treatment, job training, and mental health counseling. 

On Friday, I had the opportunity to share our progress with Governor Newsom’s Senior Advisor on homelessness, Hafsa Kaka. She joined us on a walking tour along the creek, a visit to Arena Hotel to meet with formerly unhoused residents, and a stop at the Guadalupe Quick-Build Community where formerly homeless individuals have their own modular units as they work toward permanent jobs and housing. 

On November 27, the state of California announced another round of Encampment Resolution Grants available for cities. San Jose will apply for additional funding so we can continue to resolve our largest encampments by offering people dignified shelter, and requiring them to use it. 

We need to continue scaling our approach until we end the era of encampments in San Jose. But to do that, we need continued support from you, from our leaders at the state and county level, and from my city council colleagues. Together, we can give people suffering on our streets a second chance and create better conditions for the entire community. 

Thank you for staying engaged and pushing for a safer, cleaner San Jose!

Mayor Matt

Far too many of our working families have woken up to their catalytic converter stolen. Not only are they unable drive to work or drop their kids off at school, they also face a hefty $2,000 bill to replace it, and because of a loophole in our city law – our police officers often can’t hold thieves accountable. 

Right now, if one of our officers sees a catalytic converter lying out in the open during a routine traffic stop, they have no probable cause to search the vehicle to determine if the object is stolen. Current city law only allows officers to charge suspects if the seized converter has an identifier attached—which is often removed by thieves before they are sold. 

This week, I brought forward a memo in collaboration with Councilmembers Cohen and Foley that would close this loophole. Although our projections show a 50% decrease in catalytic converter theft, even one theft is one too many. San Jose is the safest big city in the Bay Area– and we need to work every day to keep it that way. 

Once passed by the Council early next year, this new ordinance will empower our police officers by making it illegal for individuals to be in possession of catalytic converters not attached to a car without valid proof that they are in lawful possession. 

We will continue to find the loopholes that exist in our laws and close them so that we can all feel safer in our communities.

Our community deserves a coherent and effective public safety strategy that protects the innocent, rehabilitates offenders, and ensures accountability. But today, far too often, our most vulnerable residents are falling through the cracks – and end up struggling on our streets with severe mental health or substance abuse issues. 

Many of you have joined me in supporting SB43, which aims to get care to those who need it the most. This statewide legislation reforms conservatorship law – expanding the definition of "gravely disabled" to include neighbors who are unable to meet their basic needs due to mental health crisis or addiction. 

This life-saving law was passed by the state legislature thanks to your advocacy, but now it’s up to our County to implement it. Fortunately, earlier this week the county board voted to move forward with a phased approach that begins to expand our treatment capacity and provide quarterly updates to the community on progress. 

We have to move urgently to ensure that we get people help as soon as possible. I will be watching the implementation closely and sharing my views with all of you. Stay tuned!

As I’ve been saying all year – there has never been a better time to be a sports fan in the South Bay! We have the World Cup and Super Bowl coming our way in 2026, the only women’s professional soccer team in Northern California, BayFC, chose San Jose as their hometown this year, and now, the Quakes are expanding their footprint in our city by building a world class training facility. 

It’s also been a big year for sports in my family – my soon to be six year old, Nina, has become quite the soccer star! And hopefully, she and her teammates, alongside kids from every corner of San Jose, will have new, state of the art fields to play on.

This is a community resource that’s badly needed. When I was a middle school teacher on the East Side, I coached soccer. I saw how transformative it was for my students to be a part of a team, and learn how to communicate on and off the field. But far too often, we couldn’t find a field to play on. That was 15 years ago. And still, the kids of today are facing the same problem. San Jose has a deficit of nearly 50 soccer fields. 

It’s time we fixed that. Once negotiations are completed, these fairground fields, created through a partnership between the Earthquakes, Santa Clara County and the City of San Jose, will coexist side by side with the pros – allowing our kids to see the dedication, sportsmanship and drive modeled by our Quakes players.

How a city looks impacts how its residents feel, and a clean city is one that we can all take pride in. When guests come to San Jose we want to make a strong first impression, which is why I proposed a "Clean Gateways initiative" in this year's budget. This week, we began work on our first gateway at Highway 87 and Santa Clara Street in partnership with CalTrans and BeautifySJ. This is just the first out of eleven “Clean Gateway” projects intended to beautify our entryways and build civic pride.

Dumpster Day 

Saturday, December 16 at 9:00 AM

Santee River Ct & Pecos River Ct, San Jose, CA 95111

We’ll be heading to the Lone Bluff neighborhood next weekend for a Dumpster Day! We’re urging the community to show up and bring unwanted junk or illegally dumped items so we can fill up as many dumpsters as possible. 

San Jose Toy Drive

Friday, December 15th to Sunday, December 17th at 12:00PM to 6:00PM

Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Gate D, 2542 Monterey Hwy San Jose, CA 95111

This year, Team Mahan is partnering with San Jose Foos (a popular social media account that shares events and news about the city), ToysForTots, and the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds to bring holiday cheer to San Jose! We’ll be passing out thousands of toys to kids from across the city at the 3rd annual San Jose Toy Drive. To sign up and receive a toy, you can learn more and RSVP here. 

If you’d like to donate a toy to the toy drive — there’s still time! You can visit http://sanjosetoydrive.com or drop off your donations at City Hall (200 E. Santa Clara Street) from today until December 15th. Every child deserves a present this holiday season — please help us make it happen!

Children's Heritage Holiday

Saturday, December 16th at 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

History Park, 635 Phelan Ave., San Jose, CA 95112

History Park is transforming into a winter wonderland! Immerse yourself in the holiday spirit at Children's Heritage Holiday at History Park. Enjoy festive activities, crafts, seasonal treats, and cultural performances that celebrate San Jose's diverse traditions. Meet Santa and witness the enchanting display from Christmas in the Park Drive-Thru. Celebrate the holidays with history, heritage, and joy! Learn more and buy your tickets here.

San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings

Tuesday, December 19th at 7:30 PM

SAP Center, 525 W Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95113 

Come cheer on the San Jose Sharks as they face off against the Los Angeles Kings in what will be an exhilarating night for hockey fans! Tickets are available here.

Holiday Music at the San Jose Museum of Art

Thursday, December 21st at 1:30 PM

San Jose Museum of Art, 110 S Market St., San Jose, CA 95113

Hear songs of the holiday season from the Silicon Valley Youth Harp Ensemble! Visitors can enjoy a selection of festive music to complement their museum visit. Learn more here.

Thank you to the fantastic volunteers who turned up for our Dumpster Drive at Ruskin Drive in District 4! We united forces with Councilmember Cohen to tackle litter and responsibly dispose of unwanted items, transforming our neighborhood into a cleaner, more welcoming space. With 16 dumpsters and hundreds of cars coming out to throw their junk this was a great way to connect with neighbors! Join us for the next community clean-up and help clean up San Jose: http://bit.ly/cleansj

Last weekend, we teamed up with Regional Medical Center, District 5 United, Councilmember Ortiz, PRNS, and BeautifySJ to clean up graffiti, litter, and illegal dumping in the Luz Neighborhood! Thanks to all of the volunteers, including a bunch of local students, who got up early to join us as we made a difference. Sign up to join us any Saturday for a community clean-up: http://bit.ly/cleansj

The holidays have arrived in San Jose! From Christmas in the Park  to the Downtown Ice skating rink, our city sure knows how to celebrate. Bring your friends and family to Downtown and enjoy the festivities!