Dear District 2 neighbors,
Public safety has been
one of my top priorities
as your City Councilmember these past three years. I would like to take this opportunity to remind you about the many public safety resources available to you through the City of San
José
and the County of Santa Clara, and some additional resources that I am initiating through my Council Office.
Save the Date | Saturday, February 29, 2020 | District 2 Coffee with the Chief
(Pictured above)
!
Meet San José Police Chief Eddie Garcia, learn about our plans to open the Southern Police Substation, and continue working together with us to keep our city safe!
This event is intended for residents of San José Council District 2
. Our goal in hosting this event at the Substation is for our community to experience what it could look like if open and fully activated for the public, as I've been advocating for over the past 3 years.
Due to the limited capacity in our event space at the Substation, registration is required.
Click here to RSVP: bit.ly/D2COFFEE2020
Emergency? Need 9-1-1? Call if you can. TEXT if you can't
(Pictured above)
.
Text to 911 is now available in Santa Clara County. If you need help, but can't safely speak on the phone or are unable to speak, send a text message to 911.
Crime Prevention resources for your neighborhood
Crime affects all of us. Police and Community Partnerships create an opportunity to work together to improve the safety of our community. We do this by sharing information about neighborhood crime issues and discussing ideas and tips on how to solve and prevent them. The safety of our community is a shared responsibility, and crime prevention is everybody’s business.
How the City staff and leaders are protecting San José during an emergency event
Below in this newsletter, read about how all City departments are preparing to manage emergency events and training both staff and residents in San José for resiliency.
Learn more about our City and neighborhoods in my past monthly
newsletters from 2017, 2018, 2019, and this year
, which include City resources and information, policy and community updates, upcoming events, and a visual, in-depth recap of the work we've done together.
My goal has always been to empower the community and make City Hall accessible to you -- to give you a voice in local government. I invite you to join me as I advocate for a more equitable San José and make our home a better place to live, work, and play.
In community,
Sergio Jimenez
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CONNECT. ENGAGE. BE INFORMED.
#SJD2
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D2 News: Updates & Accomplishments
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Proclaiming International Holocaust Remembrance Day and demanding an end to racial violence
January 27, 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the largest camp established by the Nazis. At our City Council Meeting on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, we proclaimed International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Millions suffered grievous oppression and death under Nazi tyranny. The Holocaust was undoubtedly one of the most horrific tragedies in history. Today, we remember all genocides that have taken place across the world and demand an end to racial violence.
In remembering the suffering of the persecuted, we give honor to their memory and struggles. Never again can we be indifferent to the suffering of others. We will always fight back.
We thank Holocaust survivor Tamar Jacobs for sharing with us her deeply personal and inspirational story of how she turned past traumas into courage.
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OGSD's first annual State of the District event
When I have the opportunity to speak to Oak Grove School District Elementary School students -- at a City Hall Tour, College Day, or a visit to their school auditorium -- they often have NO idea who I am.
But then I ask them if they like to play at their neighborhood park, if they like going to their neighborhood library, if they take walks on City streets, if they notice new buildings, if they love waving to our San José Police Officers and Firefighters… and everyone raises their hands.
I tell them that those are all services made possible by the City of San José. And I, as their representative and voice at City Hall, help support these services and make decisions that make our neighborhoods a cleaner, safer, more inclusive place for everyone.
I can’t do this alone. Thank you to all the students, families, educators, administrators, and Board Members at OGSD's State of the District last night for listening to my #SJD2 update and for continuing to engage with the City to make our home a better place!
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Educating and empowering neighbors at the Rental Rights Workshop / Roundtable N.A. Meeting
Sharing core City services with our diverse, multilingual residents is vital to ensure that our entire community is informed and engaged. Thank you San José Police Captain Gina Tibaldi and the San José Housing Department for educating and empowering our residents at the Roundtable Neighborhood Association Meeting and Rental Rights Workshop at Christ the King Church!
I am proud of how far our newest Neighborhood Association, the Roundtable N.A., has come. It's great to witness the transformation of this previously under-served area. My vision of uniting neighbors in the Roundtable Neighborhood began in 2018 when I secured money from the City's Budget to dedicate to activating this area. Since then, my team has worked hand in hand with Project Hope to empower this neighborhood by: meeting community members -- many of whom are primarily Spanish or Vietnamese speakers, leading meetings and events, and helping them develop into a strong, self-sustainable, and action-oriented neighborhood organization.
Additional great news: My office was able to connect the Roundtable N.A. to the Santa Clara County Realtor's Association, who granted the N.A. with $5,000 for a landscaping project to deter trash behind Christ the King Church, where Roundtable N.A. holds their neighborhood meetings. These neighborhood leaders are hitting the ground running with initiatives to improve their community!
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Edenvale Shopping Center business owners rally together to solve concerns
When Erasmo Zuniga, manager of Mercado California, witnessed areas around his business that needed improvement, he reached out to other business owners in the Edenvale Shopping Center along Monterey Road to hold a Business Crime Prevention Meeting. At the meeting, business owners got the chance to talk to SJPD about ideas and tips on how to solve and prevent crime. Businesses also received information about the SJPD
S.T.O.P. Program
, which offers private property owners several tools to address trespassing. The Edenvale Shopping Center business owners are proactively continuing meetings and collaboration. If you would like more information, contact my office at
District2@sanjoseca.gov
.
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Preparing to protect our City through an Emergency Management Training & Study Session
What happens when disaster strikes in San José -- or part of the city? As public servants, my team and I are being trained by the City's Office of Emergency Management to help lead emergency responses in District 2 as well as communicate with other emergency personnel (such as public safety officers, the City's Public Works Departments, and more).
In December, I had the opportunity to tour the Emergency Operations Center and speak with Director Ray Riordan about how the City will effectively prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against natural or human-caused disasters. In January, I walked through Mock Emergency Activation procedures at Santa Teresa Library -- one of our "District Disaster Offices" that will serve as an information and resource hub for the community in the case of an emergency event.
Additionally, the entire City Council sat down for an Emergency Management Study Session on Thursday, January 30, 2020 to understand how the updated Emergency Operations Plan, Annexes, and Support Plans will be implemented; the coordination between the City Emergency Operations Center and the ten Disaster District Office Plans; and how communications with the public is coordinated. We also discussed strategies, actions, and our role as Councilmembers. You may
learn more about the Office of Emergency Management here
.
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Base pay increases, a hiring incentive pilot program, and a referral bonus pilot program for Public Safety Dispatchers
On Tuesday, February 4, 2020 the City Council approved Side Letter Agreements Between the City of San Jose and the Municipal Employees’ Federation and the City Association of Management Personnel, which includes base pay increases, a hiring incentive pilot program, and a referral bonus pilot program for Public Safety Dispatchers.
Public Safety Dispatchers are the first to receive calls for help from community members and are crucial to efficient emergency response. Over the years our City has struggled to recruit and retain dispatchers. This new agreement will help incentivize employment opportunities at the City as well as fairly compensate the men and woman who direct our public safety calls.
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Latino College Prep visits City Hall
If you've followed me over these past three years, you know that meeting with students is one of my favorite parts of my role as a San José City Councilmember.
On January 30, 2020, I had the honor of welcoming young ladies from Latino College Prep into my office at City Hall. I expressed to them that they are the future of our great city and encouraged them to continue being engaged and involved in their community. We always need new, diverse voices and perspectives influencing local government!
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Continuing my part in the fight to protect mobile home parks
A few weeks ago
I felt again compelled to speak up for the protection of mobile home parks, and this is the letter I sent to the City's Housing and Community Development Commissioners on January 23, 2020:
"I am proud to have co-authored a memorandum with Councilmember Peralez and former Councilmember Rocha in 2018 to initiate a General Plan land use amendment on the Westwinds Mobile Home Park in District 4 and the Mountain Springs Mobile Home Park in District 7. My colleagues and I saw the writing on the wall nearly two years ago -- certain mobile home communities were vulnerable to redevelopment putting at risk of displacement thousands of working families and uprooting long established communities. In that memorandum, I stated 'that we must protect our affordable housing stock with the same vigor we protect our threatened employment lands.' I firmly believe this to be true.
We must continue to work on solutions that ensure our City remains a home to all of our residents, regardless of income level. In the midst of a housing crisis, our City cannot bear to lose any of its mobile home parks. The last few weeks we have all been made aware of just how vulnerable our mobile home communities are. Hardworking, longtime residents of our City in the Westwinds Mobile Home Park are terrified by the looming risk of displacement for approximately 35,000 residents, the largest number of mobile home households in any city in California. More concerning is that we know displaced residents would very likely have no comparable housing available to them in San
José
or Santa Clara County.
Our City has prioritized the protection of mobile home parks and residents since 2014. We reaffirmed our commitment to this endeavor on October 17, 2017, through the priority setting process, ranking Mobile Home Conversions as number three on our Council priority list. Unfortunately, prioritizing mobile home parks has not been enough and the process for a General Plan land use amendment has lingered at City Hall for years. On March 13, 2018, I adamantly opposed delaying this process any further because delays have only exacerbated our housing crisis and created uncertainty for residents.
Though I am grateful that Mayor Liccardo and other Councilmembers have finally caught on to the urgency we presented in 2018, it is disheartening that this process has taken so long. I look forward to seeing our Planning staff speed up the work to create a land use designation that is exclusively reserved for mobile home parks, so that we make it clear once and for all that mobile home communities are an integral part of our City’s future."
I am happy to report results of this item from the
Housing and Community Development Commission meeting:
On February 12, 2020, the "City-Initiated General Plan Amendments for Mobilehome Parks" will go to the Planning Commission. On March 10, 2020, it will be heard by the full San
José
City Council.
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Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters is modernizing voting and providing voters with greater flexibility and convenience. What's changing?
Starting with the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary Election:
- Every registered voter will receive a Vote By Mail ballot starting 29 days before Election Day
- Voters can vote at any of the Vote Centers in Santa Clara County
- Approximately 22 Vote Centers will open for 11 days including Election Day and approximately 88 Vote Centers will be open for 4 days including Election Day for a total of 110 Vote Centers throughout the County on Election Day
- Vote Centers will offer more space, additional services and new enhanced voting equipment
VOTERS will have more options and will get to choose WHEN, WHERE, and HOW to vote!
USE YOUR VOTE BY MAIL BALLOT or GET A BALLOT AT A VOTE CENTER.
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Office Hours will resume on Monday, March 16th
My District 2 Office Hours will resume on Monday, March 16, 2020. As always, if you would like to talk to us anytime, I welcome you to ask questions, share concerns, or simply have a conversation with my team and I. Feel free to contact us at
District2@sanjoseca.gov
or (408) 535-4902. Don't forget to provide your name and contact information (email address and/or phone number) so that we may be in touch with you as soon as possible.
Please continue to engage with us!
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D2 and You: Upcoming Events
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The Largest Food Program in California
Thursday February 6, 2020 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
CalFresh is the largest food program in California and provides monthly food benefits to qualified individuals and families. A positive change that occurred on June 1, 2019, enables people receiving SSI/SSP benefits to qualify. This workshop will describe all of the CalFresh benefits, the application process, how to receive the maximum benefits, which food items can be purchased and will provide all necessary documentation. Staff will be on hand so that you can apply the day of the presentation or schedule a date to apply at the local office. Moreover, free yoga and cooking books will be provided. To register, please email
share@bayareaolderadults.org
with your name and note that Councilmember Jimenez sent you.
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Discover Animal Tracks Hike for Adults Age 50+
Thursday February 6, 2020 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Join us for an easy-to-moderate two-mile hike at Calero County Park. This excursion takes us on a loop along sunny trails, past rock formations with views of green rolling hills and oak trees and Alamitos Creek. Along the way, we will learn about the wildlife that can be found at this park and how to identify their tracks. This is a perfect time of year for track identification! Everyone will be given tools to identify tracks on the trails. We will end with a bring your own social picnic lunch in a nearby garden. To register, please email
share@bayareaolderadults.org
with your name and note that Councilmember Jimenez sent you.
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Scientific Research on the Antarctic Ecosystem
Thursday March 5, 2020 from 11 AM to 12:30 PM in San Jose
Why do researchers go all the way to Antarctica to study effects of climate change? What can phytoplankton – small green cells in the water – tell us about the Antarctic ecosystem? How do you do research on an icebreaker? Dr. Anna Alderkamp will answer these questions, share striking photos from her research and more. Anna is an Antarctic scientist who went on multiple expeditions to explore effects of melting glaciers on the Antarctic ecosystem. To register, please email
share@bayareaolderadults.org
with your name or call us at 408-774-0593 or visit
https://www.bayareaolderadults.org/bao-lectures
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Pulgas Ridge Wildflowers
Wednesday March 25, 2020 from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM Pickup in San Jose
Join us for a walk led by a naturalist in a park known for its showy spring wildflowers such as Indian warrior, hound's tongue, mule's ears, milkmaids, fetid adder's tongue, giant trillium, mission bells and more. Pulgas Ridge is home to 90 native species of trees, shrubs, ferns, and flowers. On this trek, we will have one gradual 300-foot climb with hillside views. Everyone will get a wildflower guide to help them identify the colorful specimens we see along the way. We end the day with an included social picnic lunch. Bus transportation from San Jose to Redwood City. To register, please email
share@bayareaolderadults.org
with your name or call us at 408-774-0593 or visit
https://www.bayareaolderadults.org/bao-hikes
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Click on the flyer below for more information.
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Click on the flyer below for more information.
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A message from the TechEquity Collaborative
Last October, Governor Newsom signed the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 into law, extending anti-gouging rent caps and just cause for eviction protections to 8 million California tenants. We (along with our fellow coalition members) celebrated this historic achievement, but we knew simply passing the bill wasn’t enough.
That’s why
we partnered with ACCE, Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, and the Code for San Francisco brigade to build the
Tenant Protections Tool
. Renters across California can understand their coverage, learn what new protections are in place, and learn their rights in the face of massive rent hikes and unjust evictions.
Our ask to you is to share this tool widely, especially with people who may not be aware of their new protections, because the law only works when people know about it.
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San José Clean Energy (SJCE) rang in the new year with cleaner electricity! Their default electricity generation service GreenSource is now 86% carbon-free, including 45% renewable from wind and solar. Despite a 6% increase in carbon-free energy compared to 2019, SJCE will maintain its 1% rate discount relative to PG&E standard service, inclusive of PG&E added fees. GreenSource also support the City’s
Climate Smart San José
goals creating a cleaner and more sustainable future.
We also approved the enrollment of residential and small
rooftop solar
(Net Energy Metering, or NEM) customers into SJCE’s GreenSource service and NEM program, which is similar to PG&E’s but with a few extra benefits. Enrollment will occur in four phases beginning in April 2020 and ending in January 2021. Customers will receive a letter in mid-January and four postcard notifications before and after service begins. SJCE still will also hold
informational meetings
to answer questions and assist customers.
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Tax services provided by AARP at Southside Community Center
Appointments for
tax services provided by AARP at Southside Community Center, located at 5585 Cottle Rd, San Jose, CA 95123,
will take place in the computer room on Mondays from 9:00am to 3:00pm.
The first date for appointments will be
Monday, February 3, 2020
and the final date is
Monday, April 13, 2020
. Appointments usually last for 1 hour long and there are 4 appointments each hour. Spaces are filling up quickly.
The sign up sheet for taxes will be located at the Southside Community Center front office desk. The best number to call is the Southside Community Center number at
408-629-3336
to make an appointment.
You will need to bring these items to your appointment:
- Photo ID
- Social Security Card if a new client
- Last Year's Tax Return
- All 2019 Tax Documents
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City boards and commissions were established for the purpose of advising the City Council and providing ongoing input into policies and issues affecting the future of the San José community.
The Senior Citizens Commission studies, reviews, evaluates and makes recommendations to the City Council on any matters affecting elderly people in the City, including health, education, employment, housing, transportation and recreation.
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City Resources
How you can help keep our community safe and clean
See blight or homelessness in your neighborhood or around San José? Report it to the appropriate agency. All reporting is tracked at each agency and forwarded to the appropriate response team for action.
Union Pacific
(usually the property around the railroad tracks)
1-888-877-7267
Submit complaints regarding the Union Pacific Railroad to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Complaints regarding train noise or encampments can be submitted to their office directly by constituents either by sending an email to
r7_gx@dot.gov
or by phone to 916-414-2315.
Caltrans
(usually property surrounding / adjacent to freeways and highways)
Homeless Concerns
(on City of San José property)
408-975-1440
MySanJose App
- request services on City property
408-535-3500
Download the app to your smartphone!
Schedule a FREE Large Item pick up
, right in front of your home
Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office for support in contacting these agencies and departments:
(408) 535-4902 |
District2@sanjoseca.gov
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Need to report abandoned vehicles, street light outages, and more? Use
MySanJose: Our quick & easy tool to request City services
Want to get that pothole or street light fixed? Need to report graffiti, illegal dumping or an abandoned vehicle? Have a different question for the City? With the new state-of-the-art MySanJose
app
and
website
, it is now a breeze to file and track a City service request or reach one of our customer representatives. It is super easy to use – see our zippy
tutorial
.
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Please don't leave your large items on the side of the road. It's easy &
FREE
to get rid of your junk!
San José residents can schedule FREE appointments on the
Free Junk Pick Up website
to have large items (such as mattresses, sofas, refrigerators, tires, and
more
) picked up by their recycling collection company.
Thank you for keeping our City clean and combating illegal dumping!
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Students, get involved! My District 2 Team is looking for interns!
Join our team and make a difference in the community! The Office of Councilmember Sergio Jimenez welcomes college or graduate school students interested community engagement, public service, policy research, and local government to apply for our District 2 Internship.
This unpaid internship provides students with an immersive experience in day-to-day operations of a City Council office that serves about 100,000 residents.
Student interns are expected to:
- Communicate effectively with others
- Adapt and work in a fast-paced environment
- Have a willingness to learn and apply academic training to required job assignments
- Commit a minimum of 15 hours per week
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Get involved: District 2 Neighborhood Associations
Neighborhood Associations (N.A.s) are groups of community members who meet and collaborate to work towards common goals such as: beautification/clean-up efforts, safety enhancements, and social events. N.A.s serve as a connection between the community and City Hall. We are here to support N.A.'s by providing direction, resources, grants, help with outreach, models for success, and more.
Sign up for N.A. Newsletters:
Reserving meeting space as an N.A.
As an established Neighborhood Association, you may reserve space for community use directly with Libraries and Community Centers in our District. As long as the meeting takes place during regular hours of operation, there is no charge to to your N.A.
If your event goes beyond the hours of operation, there is a charge for staffing. Our office is happy to accommodate
2 uses per N.A. per year
for N.A.’s by paying for the staff time. Any additional uses outside of this would require your N.A. to cover the cost.
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Beyond San Jose: Get the latest news from your other elected officials
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JOIN US IN THE COMMUNITY AND BEYOND.
CONNECT. ENGAGE. BE INFORMED.
#SJD2
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San José District 2 | Office of Councilmember Sergio Jimenez
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