Congratulations to San José's Jill Bourne for winning Library Journal's Librarian of the Year. Here's what else is going on in the Capital of Silicon Valley.
Mayor Selects Magdalena Carrasco 
as Vice Mayor 

On January 24, the City Council confirmed Mayor Liccardo's nomination of Magdalena Carrasco as San José's Vice Mayor.

Councilmember Carrasco was first elected to the City Council in 2014. Prior to joining the City Council, she spent 10 years as an advocate and spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children Services' foster care and adoption program, as well as roles with First 5 Santa Clara County and the Gardner Family Health Network. She also served for two years on the Eastside Union High School District Board of Trustees and has been an active parent volunteer at her children's Alum Rock Union Elementary School District schools. A child of immigrant parents, Councilmember Carrasco was the first in her family to finish high school, graduating from San José's Independence High School and later earning a degree in Chicano Studies from U.C. Santa Barbara.

"Magdalena brings a strong voice, real-world experience, and an unwavering commitment to expanding opportunities for the many residents in our community who struggle to survive and make a better life for their children." said Mayor Liccardo. "As the Councilmember representing East San José, Magdalena has also been an important partner in our collective work to broaden prosperity and educational opportunity in our city."

  City Council Approves New Police Officer Contract

On Tuesday, the City Council approved a new contract with the Police Officers Association that includes wage increases spread over the next 3.5 years as part of the City's ongoing efforts to address SJPD's chronic staffing challenges and rebuild the department.

Recent compensation surveys have shown that SJPD officers' take-home pay lags behind other nearby cities, and in recent years, the City of San José has continually seen officers leave the department for other law enforcement agencies.

To address this challenge, and to successfully recruit and retain more officers, the new agreement includes a series of pay increases over the next 3.5 years.

"Rebuilding the San José Police Department remains our top priority," said Mayor Sam Liccardo. "We have already begun to stem the tide of officers leaving the department, and with this contract, we'll now be in a much stronger position to aggressively recruit and retain more officers. In addition, we've reached agreements with the POA on a number of other provisions that will allow us to significantly enhance the level and quality of services provided by our department."

Learn more about how the new POA Contract will greatly aid the Department's efforts to recruit and retain more officers.


New Homeless Housing Projects Gain Approval

Continuing their commitment to provide additional supportive housing for San José's homeless population the City Council approved two new projects.

On January 10, the Council approved changing the land-use designation of the former Santa Clara Inn to allow it to be used for homeless housing. The idea to convert old underutilized motels into homeless housing was originally initiated by then-Councilmember Liccardo in 2012 to address both the enormous need for homeless housing as well as to fight the crime, blight, neighborhood impacts that come from run-down and underutilized motels. The new "Casa de Novo" project provide 27 homes that will provide permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals. Abode Services, will manage the property, lease units to homeless individuals, provide 24-hour security, and critical services for its homeless residents.


Then on January 31, the City Council approved the development of a six-story 84-unit residential facility that provides both housing and social services to homeless individuals. The project partners, PATH and Affirmed Housing, have a successful track record in building and operating facilities that offer housing to homeless residents as well as much needed support services for its tenants including case management, mental health care, substance abuse treatment, and life skills education. This project is expected to begin construction in Summer of 2017.

The City Launches SpeedUp San José

SpeedUp San José is a project by the City to find out if our residents and businesses are receiving the internet they pay for. Help us with this important project by answering a couple of questions and taking a speed test. By giving just a few minutes, you will help us increase transparency around internet quality and costs throughout San José.

Once testing is complete and we have a better idea of the quality of internet speeds across San José we can take the steps necessary to ensure you get the internet you pay for.

Help us SpeedUp San José by taking the speed test today.

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