Preserving our open spaces has many immediate and long-term benefits for our community and our environment. Protecting Coyote Valley is a major step toward mitigating the effects of climate change and protecting our watershed. The Coyote Valley is made up of 348 acres of wildlife habitat, farm and ranch land, hiking trails, and critical wildlife linkages.
Paving over the area would risk contamination as well as our ability to recharge the water supply. This week, my Council colleagues and I voted unanimously to approve the memo I authored with Mayor Liccardo, and Councilmembers Jimenez, Peralez, and Foley to protect this critical environmental corridor for future generations.
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- PJS FOR THE HOLIDAYS
- HOMETOWN HERO ADERYN CLARK
- CLIMATE SMART 2030
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Help us keep kids warm and cozy this winter. The District 4 Council office is partnering with local schools to deliver warm pajamas to kids for the holidays.
Nearly everyone remembers having a favorite pair of jammies when they were children. Pajamas give children a way to display their admiration for superheroes and cartoons, keep kids cozy and warm, make them feel secure, and even lower the risk of cold or flu. Donating a pair of pajamas will make a world of difference for a child in your neighborhood during the frigid winter months.
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We request new with tags or new in package pajamas in any kids’ size 5-18, or adult sizes small or medium for older kids. They can be footy pajamas, two-piece pajamas, flannel, plaid, plain, with popular characters, for boys, girls, or gender-neutral.
Please bring or have pajamas shipped to:
Berryessa Union School District office
c/o District 4 Pajama Program
1376 Piedmont Road, San Jose, CA 95132
Please bring PJs by December 3rd
E-commerce sites such as Amazon.com, Target.com, and Costco.com make it simple to purchase and have pajamas delivered directly, but you can personally drop them off if you prefer. Feel free to attach a holiday greeting note to your gift for the recipient.
You may also contact the Council District 4 office at 408-535-4904 if you need guidance with your donation or if you want to make a cash or gift card donation to the District 4 Pajama Program instead.
We appreciate the kindness our constituents display toward their neighbors and hope you will join us in making this giveaway a terrific success.
The BUSD district office will be closed for Thanksgiving on the week of Nov. 22-26, so if you’re going to hand deliver or have Amazon, FedEx or UPS deliver, please hold off until the following week. USPS shipping is OK during the week of the Thanksgiving closure.
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Aderyn Clark, Hometown Hero for the Japanese Friendship Garden |
Aderyn was born and raised in San José. She is currently, in her first year of college and is pursuing a biology major at De Anza College. Aderyn plans to transfer to complete her bachelor's. |
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1) When did you join Girl Scouts?
I joined Girl Scouts when I was in kindergarten and became a Daisy which is the earliest point a girl can join. I continued being a Girl Scout until the very end because of the great friends I made through the program and the leadership skills it taught me.
2) Why is the Japanese Friendship garden important for the community?
The Japanese Friendship Garden is important for the community because it is a place of peace and beauty -- it's a place for people to go unwind while simultaneously making lasting memories with family and friends. The garden is an especially important place in the Japanese American community's history. The entire garden is a symbol of peace between two previously warring countries as it is a gift from Okayama to San Jose through the Sister Cities Program founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
3) What did you work on to revive the garden?
There are several different things I worked on to preserve the Garden. The most notable was the formation of the Friends of Japanese Friendship Garden. This organization was created to bring members of the community together who could make a difference in the restoration of the Japanese Friendship Garden after the severe damage the 2017 Coyote Creek Flood caused. Through the Friends of JFG and the hard work of PRNS staff, many accomplishments were made such as the repair of the wishing well, replacement of broken tiles on the entry gate roof and floor, and improved care for the koi fish. On top of it all, we were able to begin working with Councilmember Maya Esparza to make even greater strides towards restoring and preserving the Japanese Friendship Garden for future generations to enjoy.
In addition to the Friends of JFG, I ran a docent program alongside dedicated park rangers and volunteers. Together, we gave tours of the Garden to spread awareness about the Garden's situation, the work that was being done to improve it, and what the Japanese Friendship Garden is all about. By teaching people about the garden and the meaning of what makes it beautiful, we were able to build a deeper connection between the garden and the community.
The docent tours were ultimately turned into the self-guided tours you can see in the Garden today at either entrance. The self-guided tour would not have been what is today if it wasn't for the extensive knowledge of PRNS staff and the outstanding art skills of artist Andrew Young.
4) How has this experience shaped where you are today?
This project was a huge learning experience for me. When I started this project, I was a sophomore in high school and my communication skills weren't the best. My entire time with the Friends of JFG and the docent tours enabled me to improve on a lot of basic things I needed to know for the real world that I hadn't had a lot of exposure to in school, such as email etiquette, running meetings, professional presentations, and much more. Such basic things seem so trivial but I realized how vital proper communication and good leadership are when trying to accomplish a goal.
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CITY COUNCIL APPROVES CLIMATE SMART COMMITMENT FOR 2030 |
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You can use tools like the Surging Seas Risk Finder above for projections of the potential effects of continued climate change.
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This week, the San Jose City Council took a bold step towards ensuring our efforts to reverse the impacts of climate change. Moving our goal of achieving carbon neutrality ahead from 2050 to 2030 demonstrates the understanding of the urgency this challenge requires. After conversations with city staff and research from my team, I felt that the council had to be bolder in the direction we provided to staff, and therefore authored a supplemental memo to offer a more comprehensive approach.
Here is a summary of the specific items detailed in my memo:
- Focus on equity by analyzing the areas of the city that have been historically underinvested in and require improvements to their infrastructure in order to keep those communities safer. It’s imperative that we analyze our gaps in resilience through a lens of equity to prevent continued disproportionate impacts on our most vulnerable residents and make the conversion to carbon neutrality accessible for them.
- Advocated for permanent staffing for the Environmental Services Department to push forward carbon neutral initiatives while seeking outside funding sources.
- Ensure that carbon neutrality is accessible to new developments, creating the conditions for people to live car-free if desired. Such developments require collaboration from all City departments to support sustainable living.
- Accelerate the electrification of residential and commercial buildings by transitioning away from gas.
- Provide residents with assistance in retrofitting their homes for energy efficiency, such as improving insulation to existing structures and quality of our tree canopy to mitigate the effect urban heat islands.
- Develop new design standards that incorporate roof space in new construction to be utilized for solar panels and green roofing options.
- Encouraged the City to collaborate with regional partners and the state to ensure that we are sharing best practices and innovating to ensure our neighboring cities know that #ClimateAction is not only feasible but is an investment in our future and the generations that follow.
- Prepare a full climate risk assessment to find areas where there are gaps in resilience to floods, sea level rise, fire, and extreme weather events so we can be best prepared to protect our residents.
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CITY COUNCIL APPROVES CLIMATE SMART COMMITMENT FOR 2030 |
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JOIN THE OPEN SPACE AUTHORITY'S OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE |
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The Open Space Authority is looking for individuals with a knack for numbers and a passion for connecting people to nature to come play a part in providing public oversight for the funds that positively impact your communities! |
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The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority is currently seeking applications to fill several positions on the Measure Expenditure Oversight Committee. The Measure Q Expenditure Oversight Committee is an independent advisory committee of citizens in our jurisdiction created to review the expenditures authorized by Santa Clara County Open Space Authority Parcel Tax, Measure Q and now Measure T. The positions will be open until filled. Please reach out to the Authority’s Deputy Clerk at chernandez@openspaceauthority.org with any questions.
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KIDS 5-11 ARE NOW ELIGIBLE FOR PFIZER VACCINES |
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Santa Clara County announced COVID-19 vaccination shots are now available for youth ages 5-11. Parents and guardians should visit www.sccfreevax.org to sign up for an appointment or to find a convenient drop-in location. Many of the initial available appointments have already been reserved, but the County expects an increased vaccination supply in the coming weeks and additional slots should open soon. There are also still plenty of vaccines for members of the public ages 12 and older.
In addition, Berryessa Union School District is pleased to have secured COVID vaccination clinics for our eligible students with Santa Clara County (SCC) as well as with our Safeway Pharmacy partner.
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We appreciate the County’s support in providing this service so quickly to a community that has experienced significant exposure to COVID this past year. In addition, through our Safeway partnership, vaccination clinics will be available to all eligible students across the district, ages 5 - 11, on the following dates and locations:
·Thursday, November 18, 2021 - Piedmont Middle School, 2:30 - 5:30 pm
·Saturday, November 20, 2021 - Morrill Middle School (BYC), 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Again, we are grateful for our county partners in offering vaccination services to our students, families, and staff this past year.
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