Dear Neighbor, 

Hope is for the future and it’s what keeps us going. Zig Zigler once said, “If there is hope in the future, there is literally power in the present.” I know we’re all hoping for better days in 2021. I’m very proud of our community and how we’ve worked together to endure some of the biggest challenges of our generation. We’ve cared for each other by wearing masks and practicing physical distancing. We are in this together and we’ll come out of this together. 

Read more here.

Join me on Wednesday December 9 and 16 for office hours! Office hours are on Facebook Live at 5:30 PM. Reminder: Send your questions in advance to district6@sanjoseca.gov.

On December 9, I will be joined by ADU Ally! The ADU Ally helps customers with questions and connects them with city staff from planning, building, code, and fire throughout their application process. You can contact them here: ADU.Ally@sanjoseca.gov or 408-793-5302

The theme of the 2020 ornament is a combination of Santa and the iconic neighborhood structure, the Willow Glen Library. The ornament features Santa reading a book, outside the library which displays a sparkly Christmas tree. Like last year, the ornament is a 3 dimensional sculpture within a blown glass globe, topped off with a red tassel. The rim of the base is dated with the year 2020 and the bottom of the base identifies the ornament as the ninth in a series.

List of stores to purchase from here.

Red Dot Fitness, located on The Alameda, is owned by Scott Howell and Catherine English. Their mission is to provide clients and community a unique and unparalleled fitness experience while helping them to achieve their ultimate potential. They offer personal training, small classes, targeted nutrition coaching, and more.

Their website also features a blog that discusses topics such as how to boost your immune system, youth training, and injury prevention.

Contact Red Dot Fitness here.

Tomorrow, Friday, December 4 at 9:00 AM, San Jose City Council will hold a study session to learn more about the ongoing efforts of the BeautifySJ initiative.

The meeting will provide a status report on the EOC trash, debris and blight response related to homeless encampments, illegal dumping, and the longer term strategies, service models, and resources needs to equitably, effectively and efficiently achieve consistently clean conditions across the City.

Details here. Zoom: https://sanjoseca.zoom.us/j/91325378626

Join San Jose Jazz and the City of San José for a hands-on virtual workshop on Thursday, December 10 at 6:00 PM to develop a vision for public spaces in the development of downtown San Jose’s Diridon Station Area. Using everyday household objects, you’ll tap into memories and creativity to design public spaces that are welcoming and accessible. Register for the event here. 

Because the Authority strongly believes that connecting people to nature and outdoor open spaces is more important than ever, they are providing interactive virtual nature events to attend from the comfort of your own home. Please sign up for these events below or visit the virtual events page to sign up for events by our partners or watch past events.

One event is Kat Track's! What do wildlife DO in winter? Where do they go? Join Authority Educational Aide Kat and wildlife enthusiast Rick to learn how to discover wildlife in the winter season. Look for tracks. See what happens after a winter storm. Explore the outdoors. Seek out and solve hidden mysteries and natural treasures in the natural world around you.

This virtual program will be hosted on Zoom.

Join Zoom Meeting

Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89056185173?pwd=eHI5S1htRTN1a2pvK2FIV0tNRzBmQT09

Meeting ID: 890 5618 5173

Passcode: SCVOSAED

The City of San Jose has launched 'Cash for Trash!' This partnership with Mastercard and Valley Water will engage homeless residents in the battle against blight.

Cash for Trash will now take place at 40 locations throughout San Jose. Site locations are determined with input from Valley Water. BeautifySJ crews will distribute Cash for Trash bags at each location, redeemable at $4 per bag. Participants can turn in up to five bags for a total of $20 which will be loaded onto a Mastercard City Key card. These debit cards are program-specific cards that Mastercard has enabled maintenance-free, as part of this partnership. Funds can be used to pay for essential items with minor restrictions on items like alcohol and tobacco.

This innovative program engages with homeless residents, putting them in contact with city staff with the potential to lead to further opportunities to offer needed resources. The program will also help to tackle the exacerbated blight accumulating on streets and in waterways near encampments.

Christmas in the Park

Christmas in the Park is going to be a drive-thru at History Park! Same tradition of trees and animated displays, but in a new setting!

From the safety and comfort of your own car, enjoy spectacular light shows choreographed to a soundtrack that plays through the FM radio in your car. See your favorite Christmas in the Park displays and so many new features like a 325’ light tunnel, snowflake arches and a pixel-light forest – all in the amazing historic setting of History Park. You have to purchase your tickets in advance and tickets start at just $10.

More information here. Look out for the D6 tree!

Toyota and Silicon Valley Ambulance have partnered to provide a $500 discount towards EMT school. SVA will administrate the program in support of low income and diverse youth

who seek to obtain loans to attend EMT school.

Firefighter's ABCs will provide an additional grant in the amount of $1000 for two diverse youth in Santa Clara County to attend EMT school in July of 2021. They will also provide the same for 2022 and 2023. They will select one male and one female for this program.

Application here.

We’re granting amnesty to cars nesting during quarantine! If you have a parking ticket issued on or before March 19, 2020 that’s accrued extra fees, our new parking amnesty program will excuse all late fees on a parking ticket.

While we realize these temporary changes don’t address every situation, the Amnesty Program can provide financial relief to thousands of people. Visit our Parking Compliance page to learn more about the Amnesty Program and parking information, or contact the Office of Parking Violations at (800) 294-8258.

Learn more here: http://bit.ly/3enM1Qo.

Every year, roughly 200,000 Americans are hospitalized due to severe flu and approximately 36,000 die from flu-related illnesses. The flu shot is a safe, effective way to reduce your chance of ending up in the hospital. Get your flu shot today. For those with insurance, under the Affordable Care Act, a flu shot is available without cost as a preventive service from your regular doctor or most pharmacies. For those without health insurance, or anyone who finds it more convenient, free community clinics and the County of Santa Clara offer many opportunities to get a free flu shot. For a list of sites offering free flu shots for the 2020 flu season, visit www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/press-release-09-17-20-free-flu-shots.aspx

Learn more about the flu at www.sccphd.org/flu.

Child Advocates of Silicon Valley, recruits, trains and supports CASA Volunteers to ensure every foster child in Santa Clara County foster has a mentor and advocate to help them navigate the system. Sign up for an info session and learn more here.

This year, AACI is collecting gift cards to provide to children of the families we serve during the holiday season!

You can provide joy and cheer to a family during an especially difficult year by donating funds or gift cards to AACI's Holiday Drive. Every $25 will provide a child with the opportunity to choose the gift of their choice!

Learn more about how you can support the drive here.

Your San José Clean Energy Bill Explained: As an SJCE customer, you will still receive one bill for your power service, sent by PG&E. Here are the main elements of your bill and what the charges are for. Use this worksheet to calculate your savings with SJCE.

Questions? Call us at (833) 432-2454 or email us.

Discount Programs: San José residents and businesses may be eligible for programs that offer savings on your electricity bill, home energy efficiency upgrades, and discounts on electric vehicles through State or Federal funding. Learn more about these programs and see if you qualify.

The City of San José adopted the Diridon Station Area Plan (DSAP) in 2014 after years of community engagement. The DSAP sets forth a blueprint for the development of the Diridon Station Area, a 250-acre district surrounding San Jose Diridon Station on the western edge of downtown.

There are many opportunities in November to share information and gather feedback on the draft documents related to the Diridon Station Area and Downtown West proposed project, as described here.

Feedback form here.

The number of COVID-19 cases and the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Santa Clara County continues to rise, reaching record levels. As of today, there were 760 new cases of COVID-19 and 239 COVID-related hospitalizations. To reduce the likelihood of a surge in hospitalizations that would exceed the capacity of hospitals in the county, the Health Officer is announcing several changes to the Mandatory Directives that accompany the Public Health Officer’s Risk Reduction Order. Read the new order here.

These revised and new Mandatory Directives will remain in effect until at least December 21, 2020 at 5:00 a.m. unless they are extended.

The temporary tax relief entails an automatic three-month income tax extension for taxpayers filing less than $1 million in sales tax, extends the availability of existing interest and penalty-free payment agreements to companies with up to $5 million in taxable sales and provides expanded interest free payment options for larger businesses particularly affected by significant restrictions on operations based on COVID-19 transmissions. The total tax relief, if fully utilized, is estimated to have billions in impact. These efforts are informed by recommendations made by the Governor’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery.

Application and information here.

Many services available to all community members regardless of insurance status, ability to pay or immigration status

If you, a family member or someone you know has been impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and need food assistance, health services, financial help, legal assistance or other support services, here are some available resources that can help. Many services are available to all members of our community, regardless of ability to pay or immigration status.

Resources here.