d4sanjose.com • (408) 535-4904 • district4@sanjoseca.gov

Portions of Alum Rock Park Reopened

Portions of Alum Rock Park reopened on Friday April 14, after extensive damage caused by recent storms. The lower parking lot at the entrace to the park will allow for limited parking and people on foot and on bikes will be allowed to use the trails that are safe. Repairs will be ongoing for quite some time in order to restore all of the park amenities, but we are pleased to announce the first phase of reopening.

PRNS has released this map detailing which trails and roadways are now open to the public. Be advised, parking is limited, as access to all but one lot is still restricted due to unsafe road conditions. Please observe all signage as closed trails are not safe at this time.

Northwood Park Improvements

Starting this week work will resume at Northwood Park to create a continuous concrete pathway on the the north end of the park. See map below with red highlighted area where the pathway will be installed. The rain events delayed the completion of this work that began in February. The lifted and unsafe concrete throughout the park was removed and replaced in February.  This work is scheduled to be completed by on Friday, April 28th.

Berryessa Art Festival

Berryessa Art Festival is just 3 weeks away! An exciting array of vendors and artists will come together at the Berryessa Art Festival! With Mother's Day just the day after, it's your chance to find mom a one-of-a-kind gift all while supporting local makers, and the Berryessa School District.

Berryessa Art Festival Needs You! We're looking for volunteers to help make this 46th annual neighborhood event run smoothly! Click here to get started.

Showcasing local artists, crafters, artisans, musicians, and more, the Berryessa Art Festival is back! The community’s favorite tradition returns with food, drinks, entertainment, and shopping in the beautiful Penitencia Creek Park meadows behind the Berryessa Community Center.

Local artists and merchants can sign up for a vendor booth, volunteers can get on the roster, and businesses looking to sponsor the festival can do it all at BerryessaArtFestival.com

Take a Walk on the Wild Side!

Get up close and personal with incredible animals!

A fun FREE event for all ages, we will be featuring activities including arts and crafts for children, owl pellet dissection, and educational booths about local wildlife, common issues they face, and what WCSV does to rehabilitate sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife in the Bay Area. We will also have informative presentations throughout the event.

Join us in the parking lot in front of the Center in Penitencia Creek Park

Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 10 am to 2 pm

Highlighting Environmental Stewardship throughout the Month of April

This week's spotlighted organization is Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful

Protecting Wildlife and Waterways

Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful is a community-based organization that focuses on Coyote Creek in the largest watershed in the southern San Francisco Bay. 

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Our vision is a vibrant Coyote Creek: clean waters, abundant wildlife, and natural beauty that everyone can enjoy. We’re accomplishing this by both mobilizing community resources and participation, and by engaging community members to become the creek’s advocates and caretakers.

KCCB is always looking for volunteers and donations to keep making progress in their mission to clean up Coyote Creek and its surrounding areas. Please consider getting involved by following this link.

This Week's Invocation

Piedmont Hills High School Interact Club

Pictured: Members of PHHS Interact

Piedmont Hills High School Interact Club puts Service Before Self. Members of the group kicked off this week's City Council meeting with an informative, passionate presentation highlighting the importance of access to clean water not just here in San Jose, but all over the world.

Berryessa Farmers Market is Back!

This year the Berryessa Farmers Market will open on May 6; it will operate every Saturday from 9am - 1pm through November 18. The market has moved to the Piedmont Middle School campus.

Volunteers Needed for Tree Planting on Arbor Day

We're planting trees at Cataldi Park on April 29th! Join Our City Forest in recognizing Arbor Day by planting about 30 trees at Cataldi Park in District 4. There will be a small ceremony featuring to kick of the festivities and then dozens of volunteers will get to work sprucing up the park and helping us achieve our goal of planting 1000 trees in the district.

Happening At The Alviso Library

This program will educate students on the fundamentals of computer hardware. In this two-hour workshop, students will learn the basics of computing and how to build a computer system Participants will be working in groups for the building portion. Assistance will be provided by the instructor as needed. Registration is required. Email to register.

Saturday, April 22

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. 

Alviso Branch Library

North First St. San José, (408) 808-3052 

Let's End Distracted Driving!

Each year over 3,000 people are killed in accidents caused by distracted drivers. April is Distracted Driver Awareness Month and the NHSTA and our office are offering these tips to make your drive safer for you and everyone else on the road.

Drive Responsibly

In 2021, distracted driving killed 3,522 people. April, which is national Distracted Driving Awareness Month, is a good time to regroup and take responsibility for the choices we make when we’re on the road. Follow these safety tips for a safe ride: 

• Need to send a text? Pull over and park your car in a safe location.
• Designate your passenger as your “designated texter” to respond to calls or messages.
• Do not scroll through apps while driving. Struggling not to text and drive? Put the cell phone in the trunk, glove box, or back seat of the vehicle until you arrive at your destination.

The Consequences

During a portion of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, from April 3 through 10, you may see increased law enforcement on the roadways as part of the national paid media campaign U Drive. U Text. U Pay. This campaign reminds drivers of the deadly dangers and the legal consequences – including fines – of texting behind the wheel.

Take Action

• Remind your friends and family: If you’re in the driver’s seat, it’s the only thing you should be doing. No distractions. 
• If your driver is texting or otherwise distracted, tell them to stop and focus on the road.
• Ask your friends to join you in pledging not to drive distracted. You could save a life. Share your pledge on social media to spread the word — #JustDrive.

Which Issue Is Most Important To You?

FREE Eye Care Clinic - April 23rd

• Seeing clients, mostly having no medical insurance
• Provide Spot Vision prescription reading
• Test Vision Acuity (eye charts)
• Test Glaucoma where necessary
• Provide detailed eye examinations by professionals
• Dispense recycled eyeglasses where necessary and when available
• Order new eyeglasses where necessary and recycled unavailable
• Connect client to Lions Eye Foundation for further treatment if required

To Sign Up: Choose a time from 9, 10, 11 AM, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4 PM • Send a text containing

First Name, number of patients, hour of the day to (408) 596-33692

For more information, or to volunteer, please email Mara in my office

Let's Be Friends!

Get the latest from me and my staff on Instagram, Nextdoor, Facebook, and Twitter.

We post everything from emergency notifications and district specific updates to council meeting breakdowns and inside looks at life at City Hall. Got recommendations for businesses, schools, or local heroes we might want to highlight? Send us a DM!

We welcome all your feedback as comments on our posts, direct messages in our inbox, phone calls to the office. Click the links above or the icons below to connect with us.

We Need Volunteers!

Berryessa Art Festival is going to be incredible this year! Here in District 4 Council Office It's our first time running the festival and so far it's shaping up to be the biggest and best in years, we're super excited! Everything is in place, but we're only missing one thing: YOU! We need folks to help with everything from set-up to wine pouring, ticket taking to clean-up. If you'd like to help make this year's Berryessa Art Festival a huge hit, please sign up to volunteer!

click here to volunteer.

Dumpster Day Volunteers!

We need some volunteers to help make our next Dumpster Day event run smoothly.

Volunteers can help with traffic management, monitoring bins, and loading.

This is a great opportunity to give back to your community with a morning effort to clean up the neighborhood.

Dumpster Day is April 22nd. Location will be provided after sign up.

Click here to volunteer.

Who's making a big difference in our community? A great teacher, business owner, a police officer who goes beyond the call of duty. Maybe there's someone spending their free time organizing creek clean-ups or blanket drives for the unhoused... If you've got someone special in your neighborhood, let us know by nominating them to be a District Hero!

Local businesses have a new opportunity to reinvigorate their business, save money, and support community-wide energy conservation efforts through a new program from San José Clean Energy, the local clean electricity provider operated by the City of San José.

The San José Energy Efficient Business Program has unlocked several rebates to San José business owners for qualifying HVAC, refrigeration, or water heating projects. These rebates, totaling up to 80–90% off the project cost, will make renovations to your small business more affordable and kickstarting these upgrades so much easier! All business customers with an active San José Clean Energy account are invited to participate. 

Want to see if your project qualifies for the rebates above? Learn more or find a participating contractor at SanJoseCleanEnergy.org/Business.

Monday - Friday 7:00 am - 4:00 pm at Berryessa Union School District, 1376 Piedmont Road. For more information email support@campusclini.org or call 855-286-2577.

Booster shots are available for everyone who has had the two initial vaccinations. Reservations can be found at sccfreevax.org.