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Maintaining Focus
Looking back on January, I could not have been more proud to call San José my home. Seeing over 30,000 people march from City Hall to Cesar Chavez Park and stand up for the rights of women, Muslims, environmentalists, immigrants, LGBTQ, and voters has shown me that our community has the power and drive to create change. On that day, in front of each of you, I reiterated my pledge as your elected representative, to fight and protect the rights and dignity of all our residents.
Like many of those seeking refuge in our country, my father came to the United States in search of a better life, and through his hard work and sacrifice, he showed me the value and the lessons of pursuing the American dream. Today, not only do I get to honor my father's sacrifice by serving as a public official, but I get the privilege to serve the most diverse district in our city, in one of the most diverse regions of the world. San José is a city of immigrants, with different ethnicities, backgrounds, orientations, faiths and interests, and I believe that these differences are what makes America and our City great!
The new administration has shown us that now, more than ever, we must continue to raise our voice and stand up for those who can't. We must not be satisfied with marches, protests, or twitter battles. We must reach across the aisle, get past our own prejudices, and build bridges, not walls.
As Martin Luther King Jr. once said "Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve." There is still so much for us to do and we must do our best to get involved if we want real change.
Let's continue to engage, be kind to our neighbors, and work hard to ensure a safe and welcoming San José.
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La Raza Roundtable
It was great to see a room full of Latino leaders, and an honor to introduce State Senator Ben Hueso at the La Raza Roundtable de California meeting on January 27th. With the Trump administration's current stance on immigration, Senator Hueso and Senator Kevin de León have been leading the charge for immigrant rights by introducing bill SB 6 and if passed, will ensure that all individuals in removal proceedings receive representation in a timely fashion.
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Women's March Bay Area
I was honored to stand alongside many of our city's residents on January 21st, as we stood up against hate and bigotry. To see so many of our residents out there marching was truly something to behold. Thanks to Women's March Bay Area a non profit organization that is part of a national movement to unify and empower everyone who stands for human rights, civil liberties, and social justice for all, for organizing such an amazing event. As residents of San José, we must all do our part and work together to build bridges, not walls!
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March for Immigrant Rights
On January 14, myself, along with many of our D3 neighbors, came out to march for immigrant rights, and listened to some great inspirational speeches by Representative Zoe Lofgren and Representative Ro Khanna. San José is a city of immigrants and it's important to recognize the contributions that these new residents bring to our community. Let us continue to support all of our neighbors to ensure we can all succeed and move forward together.
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Swearing in a new board
Earlier this month, I had the honor of swearing in the new board members of our local San Jose Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) chapter. With over 10,000 members nationally and a history of leadership since 1929 the San Jose JACL is committed to upholding the mission of the National Japanese American Citizens League while offering educational, civil rights, cultural, community building and social programs and activities of particular relevance and interest to the local community. Thanks to Sharon Uyeda, Tom Oshidari and the rest of the JACL board for your hard work, and dedication.
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Housing Department Releases Draft Ellis Act & Tenant Protection Ordinances
The draft Ellis Act Ordinance and Tenant Protection Ordinance has been released by the Housing Department for public review and comment. The City Council directed Housing to develop these ordinances when it amended the Apartment Rent Ordinance last spring.
The draft Ellis Act Ordinance would create a uniform process and timeline for when a property owner decides to discontinue renting apartments and displace tenants, and it outlines requirements for notifying tenants and providing relocation benefits.
The proposed Tenant Protection Ordinance, originally titled the "Anti-Retaliation and Protection Ordinance," would provide protections from no-cause notices for tenants participating in City programs including code enforcement and the Rental Rights and Referral Program.
Community information workshops have been scheduled to help the public understand the proposals. The Housing Department also welcomes written feedback on these recommendations. The 45-day comment period will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 3.
You can also mail comments to: San José Housing Department, c/o Rachel VanderVeen, 200 E. Santa Clara Street - 12th Floor, San José, CA 95113.
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#ToImmigrantsWithLove
A project of
Define American and
I Am An Immigrant, #ToImmigrantsWithLove is a letter writing campaign for immigrants and the allies who love them to publicly acknowledge that we are standing with them no matter what.
By sharing our stories, #ToImmigrantsWithLove seeks to build knowledge,create solidarity, build trust, and show love for all our communities, and with Valentine's Day approaching, what better time to spread a little Love!
Through the #ToImmigrantsWithLove campaign, you can make a difference by showing the immigrants in your life that you are not afraid to publicly support them through this period of uncertainty.
To join this campaign, and share with others, click
HERE.
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Do you have a big idea to improve San Jose's parks? Take the Greenprint Survey!
The Department of Parks Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) is excited to begin the
Greenprint
Update. The Greenprint is a strategic plan that guides San José's development of parks, trails, and recreation facilities as the City grows.
This is an important and strategic effort as San José is poised to have greater leadership and influence in the Bay Area, California, and the nation. This major update is expected to take approximately 12-18 months and will include public input through community meetings as well as Mapita, a community engagement tool and online interactive
mapping survey
.
All are encouraged to take the survey, share feedback, and pass the link along to others. PRNS will be holding outreach events in the coming months, and the first community workshops are anticipated to be held in early 2017.
As event dates and locations are finalized, they will be posted on the Greenprint website: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/greenprintv
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Become a Young Placemaker!
Applications for the PRNS new Young Placemakers pilot project are now being accepted by the city of San José. The Young Placemakers is a new City program aimed at both empowering our youth to identify neglected spaces in our community, and starting new grassroots movements.
Participants will learn about placemaking through a ten week course where they gain professional skills such as marketing, event planning, and budget management. Youth will help identify spaces that could benefit from public activation; develop design and event concepts; find and highlight local youth talent; and carry out the concept to completion.
Applications are now online Here
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Know Your Rights
If you or a loved one find yourselves dealing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other law enforcement officers at home, on the street, or anywhere else, remember that you have rights.
Below are a collection of links to help you in these situations.
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Significant Changes in the 2016 California Codes!
The State of California updates the building codes every three years, and the updated 2016 codes have now replaced the 2013 codes and are in effect for the next three years. On February 24th, the City of San José will host a one-day free workshop, City staff will highlight the significant changes to the Building, Electrical, Plumbing, Mechanical, Residential, and Fire codes as well as CALGreen and Residential Building Energy Efficiency Standards and related local San José Municipal Code amendments. You are welcome to attend any of the topical sessions that are of interest to you. A Q&A session will follow each topic. Coffee and water will be provided.
For more information, and to RSVP, contact Sarah Shull at:
sarah.shull@sanjoseca.gov or 408-535-7722
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Help Keep D3 Clean!
We all notice the litter and graffiti that pops up around highways or bridges from time to time. Instead of ignoring it, report it! the California Department of Transportation maintains 15,133 miles of highway and 13,063 state highway bridges, and will go out and clean up these reported incidents. If you see graffiti on our highways or bridges, and would like to report it, you can submit a maintenance request
HERE
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Looking for Interns!
High school Juniors, Seniors & college undergraduate students are invited to apply for an internship opportunity with Councilmember Peralez's office. This unpaid internship position provides students with a work opportunity and learning experience in the day-to-day operations of a city council office. Service hours, academic credits at the discretion of your university, and a letter of recommendation are available upon completion of the term. Student interns are expected to have a willingness to learn and apply their academic training to the required job assignments.
For more information, click
HERE
or contact Christina Ramos at:
Christina.M.Ramos@sanjoseca.gov
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Looking for a job?
Our City Forest, is recruiting now for service-oriented people to join their award winning AmeriCorps team. Positions begin in mid-March and are full-time with a 6-month commitment.
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Downtown Construction Brief
Click the link below for updates on active construction projects in Downtown San Jos
é that affect public streets. Special thanks to the Department of Public Works (DPW) for providing this brief.
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Coffee with my D3 Councilmember
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D3 Residents are invited to join me for our monthly Coffee on Saturday February 18th from 10:30 am - 12:00 am at Cafe De Canto, located at 7 N. 33rd st. San Jose, CA 95116. Afterwards, from 12:00 - 12:30, I will be streaming on Facebook live on site, taking questions from D3 residents unable to make it to the coffee.
Can't attend that weekend? Each month, I will host a coffee chat at rotating venues throughout the district.
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| #D3Decides Participatory Budgeting |
2017 D3Decides is looking great!
February marked the end of the first phase of D3Decides. We were able to collect over 200 idea submissions from District 3 community members, a number that quickly surpassed the 158 ideas that were submitted in the last cycle. If this success wasn't enough, over 20 of these ideas were submitted by Spanish speakers, surpassing last year's figure of 0. Additionally over 5 of these projects were submitted by youth. Great job to everyone who participated in the first phase.
As we begin the next phase of D3Decides, our office invited District 3 community members to volunteer as budget delegates to help sort through the submitted ideas. At our first Budget Delegate Orientation this past week, over 20 individuals answered the call to help make the second phase of D3Decides a success. We are very excited about the progress we continue to make in our second year of Participatory Budgeting. If you're interested in being a budget delegate, make sure to attend the next meeting which will be held on Thursday, February 9 from 6:00pm-8:00pm, or contact Gabriela Soto at
Gabriela.Soto@sanjoseca.gov
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Year One Update!
PB Cycle 1
The District 3 Office has been working closely with the Department of Transportation & the Department of Public Works to begin the implementation of the three lighting enhancement projects underneath Highways 87 & 280, and the implementation of the Art-Utility box projects.
Lighting Enhancement Update
The Department of Transportation will work with last year's budget delegates to choose the lighting that will be placed beneath Highways 87 & highway 280.
Art on Utility Box Update
This month the District 3 Office is making a call to local artists who would like to assist in the Utility-Art project. For more information, see the call to artists below.
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Call for Local Artists!
In 2016 San José District 3 residents voted city funds to be directed to Art Utility Boxes as part of D3 DECIDES Participatory Budgeting program. In collaboration with Comcast, we are now seeking local artists who want to beautify the City of San José - District 3 with their inspiring creativity. Artists will be responsible for designing and painting an image that expresses a sense of community on utility boxes. Interested Artists must submit a proposal of their idea which includes the theme, costs for project design, materials cost, and painting labor. Each submission costs can range from $400- $1,000. A selections committee comprised of both Comcast and District 3 residents will then notify artists on next steps in the process (Note: If selected, artists will be required to send forward a sketch).
All interested should fill out the attached
Interest Form.
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Track Your PB Projects
I
f you are interested in tracking the progress of the approved projects from the first year of D3Decides,
please go to
www.sanjoseca.gov/cpms
,
select Council District 3, enter "PB" in keyword and submit. Once the list is populated, you may select any project for its current status. If you have any questions, please contact Gabriela Soto at
Gabriela.Soto@sanjoseca.gov
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Forager
420 South First St.
An exciting new place for food and drinks, Forager is looking to create a launching pad for entrepreneurs in the food, beer, and arts industry. Each kitchen at Forager will be operated by independent chefs chosen through their rigorous selection process. In identifying potential chef candidates, they will be looking not only for high-quality, innovative menus but also a die-hard entrepreneurial spirit. Of the 7 individual micro-restaurants Forager plans to have 2 flagship anchors who will be with them for the duration of their lease, allowing for the other 5 to be rotating out every 12-18 months.
For more information, visit their
website
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Local Color
27 South First St.
Under the banner of "Local Color," artists Erin Salazar and Drew Clark, locals themselves, enlisted a posse of young creative people to temporarily transform an abandoned downtown San José building into a gathering place for artists. The enormous venue in question sits at 27 S. First St., formerly Ross Dress for Less, which closed last summer. Local Color hosts weekly arts events that can include music, dance, hands on exhibits, and much more!
For more information, visit their
Facebook
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D3 Representative Quick Links
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D3 February Star:
Dee Barragan
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For this months D3 resident highlight, we would like to congratulate, and thank Dee Barragan for all her work she has been doing for our district! As the currently president of the D3 Community leadership council, commissioner of the neighborhood services commission, and Crime Stoppers volunteer, Dee spends a lot of her time making sure our D3 neighborhood Associations are well represented and safe within the city. Thank you again for your dedication, and commitment to our D3 community.
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Kids Art Camp Registration Begins
Feb 6
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Black History Month - a community conversation
Feb 7
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Cirque Du Soliel - Luzia
Feb 9 - Mar 19
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East African Cultural Festival 2017
Feb 11
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SBIA Annual Banquet
Feb. 25th
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All Access Sports Tournament
Feb 25
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Santa Theresa High Music Marathon
March 3
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