Your City - December 2016

The San José metro area repeats as the Milken Institute's Best Performing Large City. Here's what else is going on in the Capital of Silicon Valley.

San José Extends Overnight Warming Shelters

At its Dec. 13 meeting, the City Council voted to continue operating temporary overnight warming centers.

Last December, the City Council declared a shelter crisis in San José. That declaration allowed the City to turn certain libraries and community centers into temporary overnight warming centers for its homeless residents during periods of inclement weather. The City will continue offering the temporary overnight warming centers at the following locations:

Bascom Community Center
Tully Community Library
Washington United Youth Center
Biblioteca Branch Library

Altogether, this declaration will activate 250 emergency shelter beds. In addition to shelter, each center will provide food to homeless residents. Read the staff report for more information about the warming shelters.

This action caps off a year in which the Mayor and City Council have taken great strides to reduce homelessness in San José, In November, Mayor Liccardo and Supervisor Cortese announced that the All the Way Home Campaign had housed 510 our of approxmately 700 homeless veterans in Santa Clara County.

In addition to the success of the All the Way Home Campaign, 772 units of interim and permanent supportive housing have either been approved or made available by the City Council. This includes the conversions of two former motels, the Santa Clara Inn and The Plaza Hotel, through the Mayor's hotel/motel conversion program. The City also debuted Dignity on Wheels, a mobile shower and laundry facility that serves the homeless.

CalTrans & Partners Forge New Agreements for Freeway Clean-Up

After months of discussions led by Mayor Liccardo and State Sen. Jim Beall, Caltrans is beginning to step up to its responsibility for addressing the proliferation of trash, graffiti, and other sources of blight along San José's freeways.

On Dec. 13, Caltrans finalized an agreement with the County of Santa Clara to engage with members of the San José Conservation Corps and alternative work programs to assist with litter and debris removal, weed abatement, plant restoration and minor storm damage repair on state highways in San José, and throughout the county.

This agreement will complement many other collaborative efforts underway to help clean up our
freeways:

Earlier this fall, Mayor Liccardo partnered with Caltrans, the Downtown Streets Team, and Goodwill to launch California Connects, a new program to place formerly homeless individuals in jobs as Caltrans highway crew members and help fill the high vacancy levels in the agency's local maintenance crews.
At the urging of State Sen. Beall and Mayor Liccardo, Caltrans recently restored its contract with a graffiti cleaning service, Graffiti Protective Coatings (GPC), to address the proliferation of graffiti seen on our highways since the contract ended a few months ago.
Through Mayor Liccardo's San José Gateways initiative, launched in coordination with the Downtown Streets Team two years ago, the city has used $250,000 in private donations from local businesses to engage formerly homeless individuals to help clean up litter and eradicate graffiti at freeway off ramps.
Earlier this spring, the City of San José, Caltrans, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Microsoft and Prospect Silicon Valley sponsored an "Unleash Your Geek" contest to challenge local innovators and entrepreneurs to design a device that will clean graffiti on freeway overpasses more quickly and cost-effectively. More than 130 entries have been received, with strong participation from San Jose State University students. Semifinalists will be announced in January, at which point they'll begin constructing their prototypes.

Water District Begins Transition to Fluoridated Water in San José

On Dec. 12, San Jose Water Company customers in Almaden Valley, East San José and Santa Teresa began to receiving fluoride in their water. Other areas of San José will begin to receive fluoride as the San Jose Water Company upgrades its water treatment plants across the city. The upgrades will be completed by 2020.

Funding for the treatment plant upgrades came in part from the Health Trust ($1 million), First 5 Santa Clara County ($900,000), the California Dental Association Foundation ($500,000). The City of San José also contributed $250,000 in one-time funding to help leverage additional grant funds and ensure a successful launch.

"Studies show that fluoridated water reduces incidence of tooth decay by up to 40%, and our children's health demands our investment," said Mayor Liccardo. "Thank you to all of the partners involved for their help in bringing fluoridated water to San José."

Read more about fluoride coming to San José.

City Council Approved Supergraphics Ordinance for Downtown and North San José

The City Council voted in favor of updating its sign code to allow supergraphics, large wall signs consisting of a message printed on flexible material attached to the side of a building, in the Downtown and North San José. The ordinance would allows supergraphics on non-residential buildings, for up to 40 large downtown conventions or special events (for up to 14 days per event), as well as during additional limited-duration opportunities.

Allowing supergraphic signs in the city's urban center and premier corporate center support the City's goals to create a more vibrant and activated city.