On December 18th, I visited the SJMade Holiday Craft Fair taking place at the San Jos é Convention Center. It was great to see so many local artists and vendors come out and share their hard work with many of our San Jos é residents who attended. For more information, visit  SJMade's website .

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

Everyone living in the United States has certain basic rights under the U.S. Constitution and it is important that we all assert and protect these basic 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. 

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 

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 .

If anyone is interested in volunteering or interning for the District 3 office, please send and email and a copy of your resume to Gabriela Soto. 

Gabriela.Soto@sanjoseca.gov 

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. 

For more information, contact Gabriela Soto at:  Gabriela.Soto@sanjoseca.gov.

Last year, around 20 budget delegates shepherded 27 outstanding projects through the  Participatory Budgeting process. This year, we are looking for a bigger cohort of Budget Delegates who will help us make this year even more successful! if you are interested, c ontact Gabriela Soto at:  Gabriela.Soto@sanjoseca.gov.

It was great to welcome Rookies Sports Lodge to our Downtown San Jos é community! Located in the Heart of Downtown San Jos é, on the corner of south first and San Fernando St. Rookies Sports Lodge is the newest bar and grill in the area. Their menu features an array of options from sandwiches to pizza and salads. Like beer? their full bar will have just what you are looking for.