 Strength in the Face of Adversity
With February now behind us, leaving its mark of both good and bad, what will stand out in my mind most is the outpour of compassion and endurance of San José - Our City.
During the last two weeks of February, water from Anderson Dam spilled over into Coyote Creek and swelled into neighborhoods across San José, affecting over fourteen-thousand people, and leaving millions of dollars' worth of damages. Despite the circumstances, many in our community showed resiliency in the face of this adversity.
In the aftermath of the storm, I witnessed children setting up water stations for volunteers, neighbors opening doors to one another, and local businesses coming out to donate food for volunteers and victims. This overwhelming generosity from our community and businesses, the strength of those affected by the flood, and the determination of our public officials, only reaffirms my commitment to this great City and its residents.
I want to personally thank our first responders for their work in making sure our citizens were safe, the many local businesses, nonprofits, and individuals who continue to give their time, money, and resources to those in need. There is still much to do to ensure everyone affected by the flood can go home, to evaluate what went wrong, and determine how to prevent this from happening again. Until then, let's keep on rising to the occasion, give a helping hand, and most importantly, never losing sight of who we are as a community.
|
|
|
#D3Decides Delegates Meet
We kicked the month off with our very first Budget Delegates meeting for the 2017 Participatory Budgeting process. Hearing a parent state that, "I'm here tonight to show my daughter how to get things done", and seeing over 20 community members in that room committing their time as Budget Delegates to this process was inspiring. Thanks again to everyone who participated that night, and let's continue to work to make this year's D3Decides the best yet!
|
East African Cultural Festival
The Office of Immigrant Affairs along with the Eritrean Community Center hosted their very first East African Cultural Festival. Thank you Zulma Maciel for making our Office of Immigrant Affairs such a successful tool for our diverse community in San José, and thanks to everyone who attended.
|
Making History
On February 15th, the San Jose International Airport (SJC) became the first airport in the nation to offer citizenship workshops from the
New American Workforce, helping all of our eligible city employees apply for naturalization. Thank you Kim Becker, Director of SJC and Ali Noorani, Director of National Immigration Forum for your great work!
|
Visiting those affected by the flood
On February 22, I took a moment to visit some of our residents staying at the overnight shelter for San José's flood victims at James Lick High School. Big thanks to the American Red Cross Silicon Valley Chapter, Salvation Army, Martha's Kitchen, Hunger at Home and all the volunteers working nonstop to assist families impacted by the recent Coyote Creek floods.
|
| Coyote Creek Flood Update |
Returning Home After the Flood
Recovery from flood damage may require demolition and/or construction on your property. If you need services to remove debris, see the list of companies that are licensed by the City of San José to provide construction and demolition debris bins and boxes. Learn more on the
Disposal of Flood-Related Debris page.
Do not return until authorities determine that it is safe to do so.
Local Assistance Center Operation Hours Extended
Multi-Agency resources for flood survivors at:
Shirakawa Community Center
2072 Lucretia Avenue
- Tuesday, March 7, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 8, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Latest Flood News & City Announcements:
Stay up to date on the latest news about the 2017 Coyote Creek Flood reentry and recovery efforts. News and Announcements section is updated with the latest content.
To subscribe, go to our City website and select "2017 Coyote Creek Flood Recovery" bulletin under News Flash.
|
Flood Recovery Opportunities to Help
City teams and various community organizations are working together to assist those in need who were affected by the flood through cleanup, repairs, and donation drives. If you are interested in volunteering visit our volunteer website at:
helpindisaster.com/sanjose
For those interested in making a financial donation, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation has set up a San Jose Flood Victims Relief Fund. To donate, please visit:
www.siliconvalleycf.org/sjflood
|
The Great American Litter Pickup Day (GALPU)
The Great American Litter Pick Up Day is almost here, and we are asking all of our San José residents to come out and help beautify our neighborhoods. On April 22nd, join us for this Earth Day Event. Event activities will include a "Kick Off" of the event at each of the meeting locations hosted by the District 3 Team at these two locations.
- McKinley Elementary School (651 Macredes Ave.)
- Guadalupe River Park (438 Coleman Ave.)
We will be meeting up at 8:30am for registration and a light breakfast. Registering ahead of time is highly recommended as this will ensure we have enough food for everyone.
New This Year!
D3 Neighborhood of the Year:
The District 3 office will be holding a friendly competition among our neighborhood associations to encourage them to come out as a neighborhood. The neighborhood association that has the highest number of registered participants will be recognized by Councilmember Peralez as the Great American Litter Pick Up Neighborhood Association of the Year 2017!
Mayor Liccardo's High School Challenge:
This year Mayor Liccardo will be recognizing 3 high schools in San Jose for having the highest numbers of volunteers come out and participate in their District's Great American Litter Pick Up. The schools can use this money to help fund a beautification project in their school.
The following prizes will be awarded:
- 1st place: $1,000
- 2nd place: $300
- 3rd place: $200
To learn more, or to sign up to volunteer, click HERE
|
Boards and Commissions
The Office of Councilmember Raul Peralez invites interested members of the community to apply to one of the vacancies in our District 3 Boards and Commissions. All positions are voluntary and time commitment varies. Once appointed, attendance at regularly scheduled meetings is critical.
Applications are now online HERE
|
Help Wanted!
The San José Office of Immigrant Affairs is looking to hire 2 AmeriCorps VISTA's for year-long, full-time positions, starting in May/June 2017. We are looking for young, motivated leaders who understand the immigrant community, and who are interested and passionate about making our City a more welcoming place for our immigrant community! To apply, sign up for the VISTA program if you have not done so already, and click on the link below!
To apply for this job, Click
HERE.
|
2017 D3 Internship
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.
To apply, please send a Resume and Cover Letter to Christina Ramos at:
Christina.M.Ramos@sanjoseca.gov
|
Silicon Valley Reads
FIRST 5 is proud to sponsor this year's
Silicon Valley Reads, an event to encourage reading throughout the county. This year's selection for young children is Bear and Bee by Sergio Ruzzier.
FIRST 5 will be hosting readings of Bear and Bee for children under the age of 6 and their families at local
Family Resource Centers. The first 40 families in attendance at each event will receive a free copy of the book to take home.
Friday, March 3
9:30 am - 11:30 am
Northwood Elementary School, bldg. 700
2760 East Trimble Road
San José, CA 95132
408.684.4785 (Please RSVP
Friday, March 10
9:30 am - 11:30 am
1399 Santee Drive
San José, CA 95122
408.573.4804
|
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: HERE
|
|
Coffee with my D3 Councilmember
|
D3 Residents are invited to join me for our monthly Coffee on Saturday March 18th from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm at Taqueria Lorenas, located at
854 N 13th St, San Jose, CA 95112
. Afterwards, from 12:30 - 1:00 pm, 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. Our next Coffee with my D3 Councilmember will take place at on Saturday, April 15th at
IJava located at 387 Delmas Ave. from 11am - 1pm.
|
| #D3Decides Participatory Budgeting |
PB Update!
Participatory Budgeting Cycle 1 (2015-2016)
In the weeks to come, the District 3 Office will be delivering a technology grant to another District 3 school. The District 3 Office has 3 more checks to deliver in order to complete this project.
Participatory Budgeting Cycle 2 (2016-2017)
Steering Committee Update
The District 3 Office, along with the help of Katie Scally from the Mayor's Office, successfully hosted it's first Steering Committee. Steering Committee members discussed the most effective ways outreach community members, in an effort to engage all District 3 residents. Over 15 great outreach ideas were developed. We are very excited to see the success of all of the ideas conceived.
Budget Delegates Update
We are so proud of our budget delegates. With over 250 ideas submitted, budget delegates have begun sorting through ideas to see which projects meet the D3Decides criteria. For the most part, delegates are now interacting with staff to get cost estimates and any additional information needed in order to make the final list of proposals. Voting will begin in April. More details to come.
|
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.
All interested should fill out the attached
Interest Form.
|
Bill's Hotdogs
52 S 1st St #310
At Bill's Hotdogs they take pride in the food they serve, serving hot dogs from a local butcher shop that has served in the community since 1926. They can be found all over the South Bay, San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California at local school events, private parties or feeding the hungry workers of corporate Silicon Valley. Bill is determined to give you "The Best Damn Dogs" & catering service in town. Thank you Bill for feeding our many volunteers during the February 25th flood clean up event!
For more information, visit their
website
|
San Jose Learning Center
490 W. San Carlos St
The San Jose Learning Center was created in January 2011 by SJSU MBA graduate, Alicia Forbrich. Being a daughter of two immigrants (Japan and Germany), Alicia has always had a deep respect for other cultures, languages and people. This inspired her to start San Jose's most diverse language school, offering classes for over a dozen foreign languages to teens and adults. The school also offers private lessons for all ages, and corporate programs for many companies throughout Silicon Valley.
Alicia strongly believes that offering a variety of languages helps the community learn about each others cultures and build stronger relationships. The instructors hired at the school share the same belief and contribute to the holistic and friendly environment at the school. At SJLC you don't just receive a high quality education, you receive a community network to meet new people and learn more about the world!
For more information, visit their
website
|
|
|
D3 Representative Quick Links
|
|
Congratulations
Neighborhood Champions!
|
On Thursday, March 2nd, the Responsible Landlord Engagement Initiative (RLEI) honored neighborhood leaders whose actions have brought positive impact to their communities by helping to resolve issues with problem properties. Congratulations
Aurelia Sanchez,
Carl Crizer,
Marcus Salomon, &
Patricia Phillips for your hard work to ensure a welcoming and engaging community.
|
If you or a loved one find yourselves dealing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other law enforcement officers, remember that you have rights.
Below is a collection of links to help you in these situations.
|
We all notice the litter and graffiti that pops up around highways or bridges from time to time. Instead of ignoring it, report it! If you see graffiti on our highways or bridges, and would like to report it, you can submit a maintenance request
HERE.
|
|
Downtown Construction Brief
|
Click the link below for updates on active construction projects in Downtown San José that affect our public streets. Special thanks to the Department of Public Works (DPW) for providing this brief.
Learn More
|
If you are interested in tracking the progress of approved projects from the first year of D3Decides, please go to the Capital Project Management System webpage, 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 (408)535-4933 or send her an Email
|
CINEQUEST
Feb 28 - March 12
|
Pianist Boris Giltburg
March 11
|
Prazak Quartet (Prague)
March 12
|
Timeout: Tea & Conversation
March 14
|
City of San Jose Career Fair
March 18
|
4th Annual Whiskies of the World
March 30
|
Gould Piano Trio (UK)
April 2
|
Pianist Beatrice Rana
April 8
|
Dover String Quartet (USA)
April 22
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
