- Continue to strengthen our sense of community and mobilize residents through D2 Neighborhood Associations. We hosted our first successful Havens Neighborhood Meet-and-Greet in December, where my team and I met with an enthusiastic group of residents. Our office looks forward to supporting and guiding this area's community members to become an established Neighborhood Association. The next Havens Neighborhood Meeting will be Wednesday, March 7. Please contact Maribel Villarreal to join this neighborhood's journey!
- Engage the community through education and conversation by providing you with comprehensive details, full background information, behind-the-scenes processes, and more about topics that affect your life. Our first D2 Town Hall on February 1 focused on Park Trends and Funding. My team, parks experts, and a packed room spent hours together talking about how we can work together to improve our treasured neighborhood parks. Learn more below.
- Advance conversations this budget season to fight for resources to support the opening of the San José Police Department South Substation. We are grateful to have hosted more than 100 community members at the South Substation for our Coffee with the Chief, featuring Police Chief Eddie Garcia, on February 10! Learn more below.
- Strive to do everything in my power to work with other groups and organizations, such as the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, to advocate for and protect Coyote Valley in our district. During my short time in office, 93 acres of open space have been purchased and preserved in D2's Coyote Valley.
- Continue to invest in housing solutions for all of San José. One of the most prevalent topics at this moment is Bridge Housing Communities (BHC's). BHC's would be “Emergency Sleeping Cabins,” as outlined under the requirements of Assembly Bill 2176, which would provide transitional housing for some of the City's homeless residents. Working homeless adults or adults with a work history will be prioritized. Residents will be required to have or create a housing plan for when they exit the BHC's. The City has identified the top three BHC candidate sites, the third-ranked of which is in D2, in accordance with the criteria and prioritization methods approved by the City Council in December 2017. Next steps: The candidate sites will undergo California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis as the City and my D2 office conduct community outreach. More information >>> My statement: BHC Update and D2 Community Meeting | My website: Homelessness in D2 | The Housing Department's Feb. 12, 2018 Memorandum | The City of San José website: Bridge Housing Communities | BHC FAQ's | Article from the Mercury News
As the year goes on, I hope that you will share your ideas and concerns with me, and that you will encourage others to do the same. I look forward to partnering with you in our District and City.
In community,
Sergio Jimenez
CONNECT, ENGAGE AND BE INFORMED.
#SJD2SJ
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D2 News: Updates & Accomplishments
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San José Police Chief Eddie Garcia talks about the state of the department and plans to activate the Southside Substation
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Our Coffee with the Chief event was a success! More than 100 of you joined us to get to know San José
Police Chief Eddie Garcia and hear about the Police Department's growing forces as well as plans to activate the Southside Substation. We are thankful to have a great personal dynamic with the department and community -- with each other's support, we can make our City an even better place.
Some highlights from Police Chief Eddie Garcia's speech:
- Our police officers are working hard -- and overtime! The department is handpicking the best candidates to add to its forces. By April, SJPD is looking to welcome 41 new officers. That means the team will grow to 1,150 officers this year! The Chief wants to see a department of 1,400 in the future.
- You can help get the South Substation open by continuing to voice support for it and pressuring the City to budget for it. SJPD needs $1.5 million to move in and activate the Substation, and $1.5 million in ongoing funds to find a home for the Academy that currently trains at the Substation. Officers are excited to come to the Substation! They need the community’s help to make it happen.
- Another small way to best support our officers, is to say “thank you.” This is a simple gesture that shows you are trying to understand them, be empathetic to what they go through, and work with them.
- The department has a no chokehold policy, new tactics in use of force, and mandatory taser wearing.
- Officers are not permitted to enforce school discipline, per a new Memorandum of Understanding with our schools. The primary understanding in this MOU is that school officials will ensure that student disciplinary matters remain the responsibility of school staff and not the police officer. The police officer will refrain from being involved in the enforcement of disciplinary rules that do not constitute violations of criminal law, or are criminal violations eligible for diversion.
- SJPD’s goal is to grow its department, strengthen community trust, and be proactive instead of reactive in keeping the city safe. A proactive burglary unit is in the works.
- Police Chief Eddie Garcia is passionate about leaving the San José community better than when he came.
- Don’t miss a beat! Get the latest updates and learn about the positive work our department is doing: Follow Police Chief Eddie Garcia on Twitter and follow the San José Police Department on Facebook.
THANK YOU, San José
Police Department, for your work and passion to keep us safe.
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Learning about park funding, projects, successes, and how we can continue to improve our outdoor community spaces
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Local parks are our shared outdoor community living room spaces. At our D2 Town Hall: Park Trends & Funding, we were joined by Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services (PRNS) Director Angel Rios, Park Manager Dave Mitchell, San José
Parks Advocates founder Jean Dresden, and a packed room to discuss how we can preserve and improve our parks!
Some topics of the evening included:
- How do we use parks, community centers, and trails to improve our quality of life? PRNS will present their Greenprint in April with proposals.
- With more than 100 ongoing projects, PRNS outlined the steps and timeline for a typical project.
- Parks Capital Funding and the PRNS Capital Budget Process: View the presentation by Dave Mitchell
- PRNS is exploring alternative funding streams for our parks (other than the City’s General Fund) so that regardless of how the economy is doing, there will be money to take care of our parks.
- PRNS is also working on increasing the amount of park rangers to support Coyote Creek and other creeks.
- Great news! PRNS has seen the number of Anti-Graffiti/Anti-Litter Programs and volunteers multiply steadily! Let’s encourage all our neighbors to keep uniting to #BeautifySJ
Here are some ways community members have gotten involved and can continue to get involved:
- Bike tours through D2 parks
- Joining forces with Neighborhood Associations
- Attending Town Hall meetings
- Attending City Budget meetings in the spring
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Honoring D2 business leaders for catalyzing positive change
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I had the pleasure of honoring outstanding citizens from District 2 at the 2018 State of the City Celebration: The Rue-Ferrari Business Group! The group started when concerned businesses came together to find solutions to impacts caused by homelessness. They organized and challenged the City to bring together the resources necessary for comprehensive solutions.
These business leaders collaborated with law enforcement and the City to curb blight and illegal parking. Even after achieving their goals of a safer, cleaner neighborhood, they continue to meet and engage other business leaders to better the community.
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Policy and civic engagement Q&A with high school students
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What a treat to give tours to groups of visiting high school seniors! These classes are currently learning about government, civil liberties, and civil rights. They asked me about how we make sure our City's homeless individuals' needs are met and how the Google project proposal will affect San José's density, housing, and transportation.
We also talked about...
- Freedom of speech: Public meetings, designated time for public comment during those meetings, and my social media sites are all examples of how I -- as a Councilmember and elected official -- hear constituents practice their freedom of speech.
- Affordable housing in San José: I often tell people to not forget about those who make our coffee, change our hotel room sheets, fix our lights, teach our children, and more. All these hard workers are an important part of our economy. They, too, need to earn a living wage. I believe we need to fight for housing that encompasses the whole spectrum of affordability.
- What my typical day looks like: Running between meetings/events/tours/committees/etc. I must emphasize... there's a lot of coffee involved.
I appreciate any chance I can get to expose people to the behind-the-scenes of policy making, civic engagement, and more. I've said this before and I'll say it again: Our youth are the future of our City, County, State, Nation, and beyond! I am grateful to spend time with their curious minds and excited to see what they will achieve.
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A message from my office regarding Oak Grove School District School Consolidation
Our office has received a number of questions regarding the Oak Grove School District School Consolidation. We acknowledge that this conversation is an important topic that affects many District 2 families. I want you to know that your concerns are important to my office and that our local school consolidation hits home for me, too, because my own family has been directly impacted.
However, OGSD school consolidation is beyond the jurisdiction of the City -- decisions are made by the OGSD Board of Trustees and the OGSD School Consolidation Committee.
My office understands that new OGSD school boundaries may affect traffic surrounding schools that will receive additional students, come the next school year. I have met with the Superintendent and Board Trustees, and can assure you that the City will work closely with OGSD to develop safe school routes when the time comes. I would like to echo OGSD and say that we at the City also hope to ultimately ensure that students and parents complete a successful transition. We encourage you to visit the
Oak Grove School District website for complete information.
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A Look at More Community Stories
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I spent a nice, refreshing, and successful morning with folks from the Silverleaf Neighborhood Association. They did an amazing job organizing a clean up of Monterey Road! Thank you to ALL our District 2 N.A.'s who have come together to #BeautifySJ.
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I had the privilege of visiting Cub Scout Pack 232. They had lots of wonderful questions like, “What can you do about homelessness?” and “What’s your role in school closures?” I’m always inspired by our younger generation's inquisitiveness and intelligence!
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Thank you Father Abiy Demilew for performing the February 6 Invocation! Father Abiy has served at St. Gabriel Cathedral, founded by small group of Ethiopian immigrants, in D2 for the past 11 years. The church is open to all and teaches love and compassion among the entire human race.
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Thank you Pastor Micaiah Irmler for presenting the February 13 Invocation! In addition to his work with young people, he is an entrepreneur, speaker, and Lead and Founding Pastor of Southridge Church in D2. His mission is to inspire people to live and lead bravely.
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D2 and You: Upcoming Events
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Please click on the photos/flyers below for more information:
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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
.
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D2 Human Services Commissioner Report
Jessica Dickinson Goodman is the District 2 representative who recently was appointed to the City of San José
Human Services Commission. She is documenting Commission meetings on her
blog to help inform others about relevant topics and progress.
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Serve your community by joining a board or commission
City boards and commissions provide input, guidance, and recommendations on key decisions affecting San José. Current vacancies on a number of City boards and commissions provide our community members with an opportunity to provide service and leadership in San José.
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California Local Rapid Response Hotlines
From Ready California: Changing immigration enforcement tactics and targets have unnerved many California residents.
Visit Ready California's website for points of contact to report immigration enforcement actions.
Please ONLY use these numbers to report ICE activity and Enforcement Actions.
Please use websites to find out how to make informational inquiries.
Santa Clara County Rapid Response Network
Region Covered: Santa Clara County
408-290-1144
Resources for DACA applicants and recipients
From the
Dream Resource Center
: As of January 13, 2018 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will be taking in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal applications. This means If you're a DACA recipient and your permit expired on or after September 5, 2016, you may send your renewal application. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (
USCIS
) will not accept any first-time DACA applications. This announcement come after the January 9 court-ordered injunction that ordered the Trump Administration to accept DACA renewals. USCIS will accept DACA renewal applications until further notice. The
National Law Immigration Center
recommends applicants to speak to an immigration attorney for renewals under the latest policy.
More information about DACA Clinics:
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Get involved: District 2 Neighborhood Associations
Neighborhood Associations are groups of community members who meet and collaborate to work towards common goals such as: beautification/clean-up efforts, safety enhancements, and social events. N.A.'s serve as a connection between the community and City Hall. We are here to support N.A.'s by providing direction, resources, grants, help with outreach, models for success, and more.
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Beyond San José: Get the latest news from your other elected officials
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Know your City: San José Public Library
Edenvale Branch Library 1-408-808-3036
101 Branham Lane East
San José, CA 95111
Santa Teresa Branch Library 1-408-808-3068
290 International Circle
San José, CA 95119
You may visit your local libraries to check out books and study, but San José Public Library offers so much more! Did you know you can get informed, connected, and involved in:
Visit the San José Public Library
Facebook and
website to learn about additional services and events!
Come meet me next week for my Office Hours at your neighborhood library!
Office Hours: Monday, February 26
Santa Teresa Library, Study Room B
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
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Students, get involved! My District 2 Team is looking for interns!
Join our team and make a difference in the community! The Office of Councilmember Sergio Jimenez welcomes college or graduate school students interested community engagement, public service, policy research, and local government to apply for our District 2 Internship.
This unpaid internship provides students with an immersive experience in day-to-day operations of a city council office that serves almost 100,000 residents.
Student interns are expected to:
Communicate effectively with others
Adapt and work in a fast-paced environment
Have a willingness to learn and apply academic training to required job assignments
Commit a minimum of 15 hours per week
How to apply:
To be considered for the District 2 Internship, please:
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Sergio's Office Hours
Come meet your councilmember to ask questions, share concerns, or simply have a conversation. Let's make District 2 an even better place to live, work, and play.
Meetings are first come first serve, and time may be limited to 15 minutes per person depending on the number of attendees.
MY NEXT OFFICE HOURS:
Monday, February 26
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Santa Teresa Library, Study Room B
290 International Circle
San José
, CA 95119
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City Resources
Speak with a live Customer Service Representative (408) 535-3500
Additional Resources:
(408) 975-1440
(408) 535-7770
(408) 534-2900
(408) 793-5510
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JOIN US IN THE COMMUNITY AND BEYOND TO
CONNECT, ENGAGE AND BE INFORMED.
#SJD2SJ
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San José District 2 | Office of Councilmember Sergio Jimenez
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