Many thanks,

Vice Mayor / Vicealcalde

Magdalena Carrasco

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We had a fantastic turnout for the Great American Litter Pick Up with over 500 volunteers that turned out to multiple sites in the district.  I wanted to share some photos of the events and let you know that you can always organize a litter pick up in your neighborhood by contacting our Anti-Litter Team at (408) 975-7233. or visit  http://www.sanjoseca.gov/prns/antigraffiti/.   I wanted to share a speech that one of our star students at James Lick, Rene Mendez who received recognition for winning the anti-litter slogan contest with " Before You Dash, Pick Up Your Trash."   Thank you to the Alum Rock Village Association for providing Rene with a Target gift card for his creativity. 

"Good afternoon everyone, I am very proud of what everyone has been doig to make change such as of course picking up litter.  It is a great start to maintain a healthy environment for the future generations.  Here with a huge crowd in front of me, it is my honor to accept this award.  I would like to thank not just my friends, the school or the organization but I would like to thank the mindsets on everyone who made a hudge impact on today's living.  I am taking, of course about you.  You have  warm heart and a beautiful brain and you are the course the one who controls the actions you pick that will make a huge impact on yourself and others.  Every minute of every day changes are being to the world and you are of course doing it too.  Thank you so much for listening, I am Rene Mendez and remember, " Before You Dash, Pick Up Your Trash." 

I am so excited to announce that the 2018 Steering Committee for Participatory Budgeting has completed their duties of setting the rules for this year's process. Idea collection will begin in May!

Please check this link as we go live: http://sanjosedecides.com/districts/d5/ 

My team is also looking for budget delegates who will work for the next 6 months to decide which projects will end up on the ballot to be voted on in October! If you want to work to better your community please consider being a budget delegate.

If you have more questions, please reach out to Sachin Radhakrishnan in our office. His email is   [email protected] His number is 408-535-4944.

A mother is unique unlike any other woman in our lives. Please take time this Mother's Day to give thanks and appreciate your mother and as many mothers as you possibly can, for the job of a mother can sometimes be overlooked and underappreciated. We often forget that today woman not only hold regular jobs to bring in household income, but also have the full time job of being a mother 24 hours a day and seven days a week. 

We are also reminded on this special day the relationship and connections in culture with our neighboring country of Mexico. In 1914 the USA officially recognized the first Mother's Day and soon after on May 10th 1922 Mexico made Mother's Day or "Dia de las Madres" official. The celebration of Mother's Day in Mexico is celebrated with the same idea in mind as it is in the United States. Children and adults present their mothers with gifts of candy, cards, flowers as well as taking them out to eat, cooking for them or a day of pampering.

 For those who can't be home on Mother's Day, a telephone call to Mom to let her know that she's loved is usually sufficient for mom. One key difference, in the United States where Mother's Day is always the second Sunday in May, Mother's Day in Mexico is on a fixed date -- May 10 - no matter the day of the week. No matter the country and no matter the day, we know that every day is a good day to appreciate your mama. Thank you to all the mothers for everything you do and everything that you are. We love you!

During the May 1st City Council meeting, Council voted to approve a memo that was authored by myself, Mayor Liccardo, and Councilmembers Arenas and Davis that develops a partnership with AT&T that will result in the installation of small cells on City phone poles throughout San Jose. In exchange for allowing AT&T to install their equipment, the company will be making a $5 million dollar contribution to the City of San Jose's newly created digital inclusion fund. Monies that go into this fund will go directly into programs that help bridge the digital divide for those communities that don't have access to high tech resources, like adequate wireless internet, or computers at home. 

City staff will be developing a strategy over the next six months so that these funds are used efficiently and directly contribute to combating  the digital disparities in San Jose. This is a huge step in helping our students here in East  San José   to get more engaged in technology. Having consistent access to the internet is very important as many schools are becoming more and more tech savvy by the day. Our students must be well versed in all tech related fields as technology continues to expand here in the Silicon Valley.  To view the memo, go to https://sanjose.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3477923&GUID=124D8045-09F4-4B17-8DA9-16AD30110702&Options=&Search=. 

I appreciate everyone who brought this issue of bad road conditions on McKee Road, east of White Road, to my office's attention. This area has been a target for the Department of Transportation to host some more long-lasting repairs. Crews are often dispatched to the stretch of McKee Road between Toyon Avenue and Valley View Avenue to repair the road and place pot hole patches. However, these fixes are temporary and often fail because the road is under distress and is experiencing "Alligator Cracking." This means that the road is cracked in multiple areas and needs resurfacing in order for our residents to travel safely. Starting in June of this year, McKee Road between Toyon Avenue and Valley View Avenue will be resurfaced entirely. The old asphalt will be removed and new asphalt will be paved in its place. Please contact my office if you have any questions or concerns regarding this project.

TEALS  volunteers are industry professionals with a CS background who help high schools build and grow sustainable, high quality, and rigorous computer science programs in high schools. Volunteers work directly with classroom teachers to help them build their CS teaching capacity and interact with students to inspire the next generation of computer scientists. We are currently looking for volunteers to support high schools in East San Jose. You can learn more and apply at   tealsk12.org/volunteers.  If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to  [email protected]