Dear Neighbor, 

After 3.5 hours of debate at the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) board meeting, we took an important step in the long road to ending homelessness. 

We voted to move forward with a plan to move 200 homeless neighbors off of our streets and into a safer place.

Because we didn’t back down, in October VTA staff and the City of San Jose will bring back a draft agreement to place 200 tiny homes from the State just outside VTA’s Cerone Maintenance Yard in North San Jose. VTA will also evaluate other sites for some of these units or future units so we can continue to expand our network of safe, transitional housing that gets people out of the streets and creeks faster and more cost effectively.

I want to thank my colleagues and the dozens of residents who came out to speak in support of this plan. Special shoutout to Councilmembers Jimenez, Foley, Davis, and Gilroy Mayor Blankley – who stood strong and spoke up on behalf of their constituents. And thank you to Councilmember Cohen, who has championed this ideal site in his district.

This site would increase by 40% our stock of interim housing for those living outside. Currently, we have just over 500 units spread across our six Quick Build Communities—units that have already helped more than 1500 people transition off the streets. 

This solution has proven to be our most promising approach to ending the era of encampments – and it’s good to see it supported by electeds across the South Bay, partner agencies like VTA and residents from every corner of the city. 

By pushing for these solutions together, we can change the lives of our neighbors suffering on the streets today and increase the quality of life for the entire community. 

If you didn’t have a chance to make your voice heard this time around, or you want to continue to do your part to push for action, click here. It will take one final vote to push us over the finish line, and we need you to help us get there. More details to come!

Thank you, 

Mayor Matt

As many of you know, last month a majority of the City Council went too far – deciding to spend money we don’t have on raises we can’t afford. This week, the Council majority had to decide what trade offs they will make as a consequence of that decision. 

These are cuts we didn’t have to make. Over the next two fiscal years, according to the City’s independent Budget Office, we are likely to see over $20 million in operating deficits that will require service cuts or higher taxes. This figure does not include millions in increased fees dictated by these contracts and an estimated $60 million increase to the City’s unfunded pension obligations. Any time we commit to expenditures that exceed the natural rate of tax revenue growth, we force higher taxes and fees, and/or lower service levels on our community.

We have great workers, they deserve a raise. We also have great residents, who deserve the services they rely on. We had an opportunity to come to an agreement that was fair to everyone – but this one wasn’t. 

This year, we will be without Viva Calle and parks programming unless the Parks Department can raise funding from private sources. Without additional crossing guards to protect our children. And without important traffic safety measures. And it’s just a taste of what’s to come. 

I hope that I am wrong. I hope that a miracle occurs, and the economy experiences a sharp upturn and somehow we end up with dollars not yet accounted for. But it is irresponsible to rely on miracles to fund the services we all rely on. 

If you agree – click here to stay updated.

San Jose’s most dangerous streets will soon be safer thanks to AB645, which allows San Jose to be one of six California cities to pilot speed safety cameras, following Governor Newsom’s anticipated signature. These cameras will be allowed near schools and in our most dangerous traffic corridors (those with the most accidents and fatalities), and issue warning letters to speeders for the six months of operation before issuing fines. 

This new policy option–which currently is used to great effect in over 150 U.S. cities outside of California–is the result of a long effort to secure additional resources for San Jose public safety and increased pedestrian safety. Thanks to Assemblymembers Laura Friedman, Marc Berman, Alex Lee, Evan Low, Gail Pellerin, Ash Kalra, and Senator Aisha Wahab for allowing San Jose to pilot this tool to save lives.  

I have some great news, mixed with a bit of bad news. Let’s start with the great news: State Route (SR)-87 from SR-85 to Julian Street will FINALLY be repaved! I know that those of us who rely on SR-87 to get around town are thrilled to see these repairs completed. Our community has waited a long time for this project. The bad news? Caltrans crews need to close this stretch of the highway on the following weekends in order to do the work efficiently: 

• Friday, September 22 at 9 p.m. through Monday, September 25 at 5 a.m. in the northbound direction.
• Friday, October 20 at 9 a.m. through Monday, October 23 at 5 a.m. in the southbound direction.



These repairs will improve ride quality, traffic safety, and reduce wear and tear on our vehicles. For more details on this project, visit Caltrans’ website: https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-4/d4-projects/d4-santa-clara-sr87-roadway-rehabilitation

The last 8 months in office have flown by. Inauguration feels like just yesterday, but we are already starting to see small positive shifts in our community as we focus City Hall on the basics – homelessness, blight and crime. We have a long way to go to create the safe, clean and opportunity-filled city we all deserve, but I want to celebrate our work together and the progress we’ve made so far at our annual State of the City. 

Unlike traditional State of the City events, we are going to do things a little bit differently this year. In the week leading up to the event, my team and I will be out in the community highlighting important work that is being done to address the key issues facing our city, including homelessness, crime and blight. This week of action will culminate in the State of the City on October 21, which we will not only give you an update on the work we’ve been doing at City Hall, but invite you to get directly involved in helping our city realize its full potential. Please RSVP so we know to expect you. 

Want to keep up on what’s happening in Downtown San Jose? Subscribe to the Downtowner Online, a bi-weekly calendar of events in Downtown, here. Something fun is always happening in San Jose — hope to see you soon!

Clean-Up at Rosemary Gardens Park

Saturday, September 23rd at 8:45 AM to 12:00 PM

Sonora Ave. & Santa Paula Ave., San Jose, CA 95110

Take action and help beautify our neighborhoods! Join Team Mahan, Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services, Adopt-a-Park, and UA Local 393 to clean up Rosemary Gardens Park. After gathering with neighbors and community leaders at 8:45 AM, we’ll be picking up litter, raking dead vegetation, trimming trees, and spreading tanbark throughout the playground. Please RSVP here. See you on Saturday!

Pobladores Night Market

Thursday, September 21st at 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM

Parque de los Pobladores, 1st St. & Market St., San Jose, CA 95113

Join San Jose Downtown Association every Thursday for their weekly night market at Parque de los Pobladores. Enjoy delicious food trucks, shop local craft vendors, listen to live music, and more!

6th Annual Little Italy Street Festival

Sunday, October 1st at 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM

323 West Saint John Street, San Jose, CA 95110

Established in 2016, the annual Little Italy Festival draws over 15,000 visitors to San Jose’s Italian district. Indulge in authentic cuisine and wine from the Bay Area’s favorite Italian restaurants, all while enjoying endless live music and entertainment. Learn more here.

We made our city cleaner! Team Mahan and Project Hope got up early and got to work clearing blight and illegal dumping in the Hoffman Via Monte neighborhood. Residents joined us to pick up litter and dump their unwanted junk in our dumpsters! Want to help make our city cleaner and safer? Join us at our next community clean-up and be part of the solution: http://bit.ly/cleansj

Google’s first Creekside Socials in Downtown West was a blast! San Jose is the smallest big city in America with a strong sense of community. I appreciate that Google is leaning into that strength by bringing people together and activating the site of their future campus through block parties full of music, food and art. Can’t wait for the next one! Learn more about upcoming events here: https://www.creeksidesocials.com/ 

Heads or tails, rain or shine, Spartans stand strong! Great to join my colleagues for the coin flip (and some light rain!) to celebrate the deep partnership San Jose State and the City share and cheer on our Spartans. Congratulations to San Jose State Football on the big win! Keep making us proud.

Last weekend was a double header clean-up! After beautifying the 280 on-ramp near King Road, we joined United Vietnamese American Community of NorCal, the San Jose Vietnamese Running Club, local San Jose scouts, and Councilmember Doan to clean up along Roberts Avenue and Story Road! Thanks to everyone who joined us to create a safer, cleaner San Jose.