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[Photos: District 2 Bridge Housing Community Forum on Monday, August 21, 2017]
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In the wake of September 11, it is evident that our country and communities are resilient. We all recognize that trying times call for unity and working together. We saw it that day 16 years ago how a tragic attack on our values brought us together and made us stronger. This same unity and resilience is ever present now as we unite with our brothers and sisters devastated by hurricanes and flooding in Texas and Florida.
Our nation and our district are very diverse. In District 2 we have immigrants from all parts of the world. Many languages are spoken and we all have diverse backgrounds and stories to share. There are residents who live in million dollar homes in the foothills of Coyote Valley not too far away from those who live in tents on the side of Monterey Road. Because of this, we may believe that we have more differences than commonalities, or we may perceive that it is one group versus the other. This perception is wrong. We share more than our differences. Regardless of where we land on the political spectrum, we are one nation, one city, and one community that is stronger united.
Over the last several weeks, our City has been debating how to best address a vast and growing population of unsheltered residents. This has brought up strong emotions and fears for all us. A problem this great has no easy solution and whatever solution that is ultimately implemented will take years of collaboration in order to make it work.
My task of representing you and our district as a whole is no easy feat -- I knew that coming in. Undoubtedly, there will be times when we disagree on how to move forward. There will be times when you feel unrepresented by my position. What I want every individual to know is: just because we disagree, it does not mean I do not hear or understand you.
For those of you who took the time to contact my office about temporary tiny home villages for the unsheltered, known as Bridge Housing Communities (BHC), I thank you. Your attendance at our Community Forum on August 21, phone calls, emails, Nextdoor posts, Facebook comments, and petitions have all been read and considered. It was because of your input that I authored a
memo
with two of my colleagues requesting the elimination of all City owned property from consideration as BHC sites. Had this recommendation passed, both the Monterey/Bernal and the Monterey/Branham sites would have been eliminated from consideration. I made this recommendation because like many of you, I do not believe that those two locations are appropriate for a BHC site.
Though my recommendation was not accepted, I voted with the majority because the new site criteria and staff direction opened up hundreds of new sites for consideration and refocused the project as a Citywide effort supported by all districts. All City owned vacant lands as well as underutilized lands from other public agencies are now on the table for evaluation. I am confident that we as a community can work together to find better alternatives that are NOT at Monterey/Bernal or Monterey/Branham. I strongly recommend that you remain engaged with this process and help us find a location that would be suitable for our district, and you should rest assured that each district in the City is doing the same.
Within the next 60 days, the BHC proposal from the Housing Department will be returning to Council for a feasibility review. If BHC are not an appropriate investment or undertaking for our City, we can recommend that the project be eliminated and that funds be redirected to other more effective solutions. In the meantime, I encourage you to remain informed and engaged. I invite you to visit my
website
for up-to-date information and resources on homelessness.
I value all residents and community leaders who contribute to thoughtful, productive conversations. I look forward to working together as a district to explore the best solutions for our City.
In community,
Sergio Jimenez
________________________________________________________________________________
For more information please visit our website at
Homelessness in D2
,
where you will find: City of San José resources for reporting and addressing homelessness, BHC statements from Councilmember Jimenez, important information about activity near the intersections of Monterey Hwy & Bernal Rd. and Monterey Hwy & Branham Ln., requests for underutilized land from San José City Council to other public agencies, a message from the City of San José's Housing Department, and more.
Please contact other public agencies and encourage them to collaborate with the City in temporarily housing our most vulnerable residents:
CONNECT, ENGAGE AND BE INFORMED.
#SJD2SJ
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D2 News: Updates & Accomplishments
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Neighbors unite at D2 Movie Nights
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Look around. What you see and feel is COMMUNITY. Hundreds of D2 residents joined us at our neighborhood parks for food, lawn games and a free movie screening of
Nacho Libre
at Great Oaks Park,
Moana
at Ramac Park and
Trolls
at La Colina Park.
These exciting nights were made possible by our partners: the San José Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department, Viva Parks team, San
José
Fire Department, San
José
Police Department,
San José Library, Southside Community Center,
Local 230, Police Officers Association, EGOPIC Neighborhood Association, Costco Great Oaks, Target Village Oaks, T-Chuvis and Vito Scarnecchia. Thank you all!
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Community members and leaders celebrate Indian culture at City Hall
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Our office, along with Assemblymember Ash Kalra and Councilmember Sylvia Arenas, co-hosted the 9th Annual Indian Independence Day Celebration. The event began with a ceremony in the City Hall West Plaza during which the United States and Indian national anthems were sung by Rahul Joshi, and the flags were raised by the Oak Grove High School Color Guard. Following the ceremony, a community reception included performances by Isha and Anupriya from the Tarangini School of Kathak Dance and food provided by Chutney Mary’s.
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Trash Punx, the D2 Office & volunteers join forces to clean up D2
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"Our community has been over-populated by a massive amount of trash caused by us. We decided to do something about this by uniting our community together. Join us as we pick up trash around our community, one piece at a time and have fun while doing it!" - The Trash Punx
On August 19 and September 2,
The Trash Punx
and volunteers put their boots on the ground and targeted Monterey Highway in D2. They collected more than 20 bags of trash!
Visit their website
to join them next time and #BeautifySJ!
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SJPL's first graduating class breaks down barriers
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Congratulations,
San José Public Library
's first class of adult high school graduates: Career Online High School Class of 2017! Councilmember Jimenez was honored to join a room full of people celebrating the graduates as they beamed with pride. Tears of joy, emotion and transformation could be seen and felt in the room.
“These graduates remind me of my family -- some of my brothers and sisters took different educational journeys because they were not able to finish high school for various reasons. I am proud to support the graduates here today achieving their dreams. I wish you the best as you continue breaking down barriers. Anything is possible!” - Councilmember Jimenez
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Real Life Heroes connect generations of San
José
residents
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Community members of all ages gathered at Southside Community Center to learn about Real Life Heroes and how valuable it is to connect senior volunteers with youth. Let's all work together and continue to make San José an age-friendly city!
About the
Generation to Generation Campaign
: San
José
believes its citizens are its greatest asset. With Generation to Generation campaign, San
José
wants to mobilize adults ages 50+ to work with kids and youth, especially those from low income and under-served communities. Many of those kids are not reaching their educational potential. One in three youth do not have a mentor and a role model in their lives. In partnership with Encore.org, City volunteer programs and youth serving organizations, the Generation to Generation campaign will serve as a conduit for adults 50 years old and older to connect and find youth-serving opportunities. The goal is to unleash the spirit of service, empower creativity and leverage their professional expertise.
Learn more
how you can get involved and make a difference in a child’s life!
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Neighborhood success story: Residents lead efforts to address problem house
The saying "it takes a village" certainly proved itself recently. Through successful combined efforts, the D2 Office, residents in the Blossom Valley Neighborhood Association, San
José Police Department,
Responsible Landlord Engagement Initiative and Code Enforcement banded together to bring under control a blighted property on Paddon Circle in the BVNA neighborhood. We appreciate the hard work of Mr. Curtis and his neighbors who came together to make their community safe.
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Monterey Plaza Update
Our office is happy to announce that City Sports Club will be joining the
Monterey Plaza as its newest tenant, filling the former Walmart’s space! Dollar Tree will also be relocating to the former Walgreens space and should be open before the new year. Kimco Realty is also working on two exciting deals at the center that we hope will continue to renew and revive the health of our local shopping center.
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D2 PB Round 2 winners announced
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We are proud of all residents involved in the Bernal to Bailey Participatory Budgeting Round 2. From our Budget Delegates to our Steering Committee members and all community members who voted, this PB Round 2 process is a testament that together we can improve our surroundings and community. Congratulations to all the projects who won! For more information about winning projects and their implementation timeline,
please visit our website
.
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A Look at More Community Stories
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Kicked off the Coyote Valley Bus Tour to engage leaders about this vital open space, the future of South County agriculture, groundwater, Co2 emission and habitat migration
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Spoke at the Mexican Consulate in our very own D2 during
Workers' Rights Week about the
importance of providing San
José
workers and their families with a living wage
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Enjoyed visiting the Cottle to Lean Neighborhood Association meeting as they hosted Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren
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Walked the
Silicon Valley Pride Parade with Mayor Liccardo, Vice Mayor Carrasco, and Councilmembers Jones and Davis
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Joined the Housing Department to inform residents about the Tenant Protection Ordinance and draft Apartment Rent Ordinance
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Met with D2 union leaders and MEPS constituents to discuss responsible developments
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High Speed Rail Update from Councilmember Jimenez
Currently, High Speed Rail (HSR) has pushed back their
San José to Merced timeline to accommodate our community and City needs. Since taking office in December, I sponsored a HSR Community Forum in March to receive feedback from community members on alternatives, concerns and preferred alignments. In this forum, the District 2 Office participated in great conversations with our residents and received a large amount of feedback from community members about concerns such as construction, property loss and more. As a result of this forum and the leadership of our office, the agency has reopened and revamped the Community Working Groups (CWG) to include active District 2 community leaders, residents and stakeholders. The CWG meetings occur every month and review topics ranging from alignment alternatives, to construction mitigations to environmental studies.
Most importantly, the City and I have heard our residents loud and clear. For this reason the City has contracted two firms,
HDR and
Exeltech Consulting Inc, to assess the possibility of other alternatives that align with community priorities and preferences. Our office is also happy to announce that the City’s Department of Transportation has a team specifically dedicated to HSR and actively works to include community input and concerns into the future plans of the project. In the next two weeks, the Department of Transportation, High Speed Rail and my office will be discussing cut-and-cover, underground tunnels and preferred alignments for District 2.
On September 27, 2017, HSR will be finishing discussions from our previous meeting at City Hall Wings 118-120. I will be present at this meeting, and I invite all my neighbors to attend.
If you’d like to get involved in the HSR District 2 Community Working Group, please contact
Maribel Villarreal.
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Standing with DACA youth after program's rescission
DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, was established in 2012 by President Obama. This program allowed immigrants who were brought to the United States as children to apply for a work permit, obtain a social security number, and be protected from deportation.
Through DACA, motivated youth were able to achieve incredible things. DACA has since been rescinded by the Trump administration, leaving behind widespread uncertainty and distrust. The Office of Councilmember Jimenez views this action as a derailment of the American Dream. This action taken against upstanding individuals who dedicate themselves to improving their lives completely contradicts the ethics of San
José, an inclusive city that celebrates hard work and diversity regardless of immigration status.
“Let us not forget that DACA youth are a force to be reckoned with. They have led their fight for justice and equality with fearlessness and resilience. I urge our elected officials in Congress to act immediately to protect all DACA recipients. I want every DACA youth in San
José to know that we stand beside you, we will fight with you, and we will do whatever we can to protect you.” - Councilmember Jimenez
Helpful resources:
Free DACA Renewal by USF Law on 9/15 and 9/16: Call (415) 422-4385
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Immigrant rights and information
Everyone living in the U.S. has certain basic rights under the U.S. Constitution. Undocumented immigrants have these rights, too.
If you find you have to deal with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other law enforcement officers at home, on the street, or anywhere else, remember that you have these rights and learn how to assert and protect them:
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MySanJose: A new, 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 and You: Upcoming Events
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Viva CalleSJ is a free recreation program that temporarily closes miles of San
José streets to bring communities together to walk, bike, skate, play and explore the city like never before.
Visit the website to learn more, and join the fun on Sunday, September 17, 2017!
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Saturday, September 23
9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m.
San José Convention Center
Executive Ballroom - 150 W. San Carlos Street, San
José
, CA 95113
Join the City of San
José
and local immigration rights organizations for free by registering
here
. The event will offer community members free eligibility screening and application assistance.
Friday, October 27
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Qiunlan Community Center
Cupertino Room
- 10185 N Stelling Road, Cupertino, CA 95014
The Sierra Club invites you to enjoy healthy food, fine wine and an auction to help fund critical work to save our local environment. Get tickets
here
.
Saturday, October 14
7:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Coyote Creek Trail - 5125-5225 Hellyer Avenue, San
José
, CA
Choose from a selection of three cycling challenges (10 miles, 25 miles and 50 miles) and enjoy a day of exercise along other cycling enthusiasts. Register
here
.
Saturday, September 30
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
George W. Page Park - Santa Teresa Boulevard & Miyuki Drive, San
José
, CA 95119
SJ Parks Advocates and the SJ Parks Foundation invite you to
sign up
to take a leisurely 14 mile bicycle tour that explores the variety of parks in District 2, starting with George W. Page Park.
Saturday, October 28
6:00 a.m. m
akeup and sign-in begin;
9:00 a.m.
run begins
Kelley Park - 1300 Senter Road, San
José
, CA 95112
Participate in a family-friendly 5K run at Kelley Park to raise money for the San
José
Parks Foundation. Come at 8:00 a.m. to see the Zombie contest. Register
here
!
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SPECIAL OFFICE HOURS
Monday, September 18
6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Edenvale Library - COMMUNITY ROOM
Starting Saturday, September 30, Office Hours will resume to this schedule:
Edenvale Library, Study Room B
First Saturday of every month
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Santa Teresa Library, Study Room A
Last Saturday of every month
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
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City Resources
(408) 975-1440
(408) 535-7770
(408) 794-1900
(408) 277-5305
(408) 534-2900
(408) 793-5510
(866) 249-0543
(408) 794-1900
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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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