Dear Neighbor,
In Mexico, Children's Day Día Del Niño is celebrated on April 30th. Children's Day focuses on evaluating the conditions of development, education, and physical and emotional health of childhood. Now more than ever we must focus on the physical and mental health of our children, especially when we do our best to socially distance ourselves and stay home.
To make Children's Day something special, the best option is to surround yourself with games, paintings, materials to build and create. Children love spending quality time with their parents, so the most precious gift you can give them is spending time building and playing with them.
Improvising a home theater, taking them to eat ice cream, painting together, entertaining them with a card or recognition, will be a good option to wish them a Happy Children's Day!
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We all recall the first shelter-in-place that happened a year ago this month. Schools and businesses were shut down because of a deadly virus that has claimed over 547,000 people.
Since the pandemic first began, the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department has confirmed 113,929 cases and 1,934 deaths among individuals with COVID-19. In California, we have had 3.8 million confirmed cases and 58,244 deaths. In the United States, 31.5 million cases and over 547,000 deaths.
SCC has administered 506,00 vaccines since mid-January. For three months, only over 65+ were allowed to get the vaccine, and The County has administered 54% of vaccines to that age group! A critical feat.
It behooves us to get 85% of our County residents vaccinated! Vaccine distribution now includes residents aged 16.
However, we cannot forget that our 65+ senior population must continue to get vaccinated. If you have a Senior in your home or family circle, I implore you to help them get vaccinated. Please visit sccfreevax.org to find vaccination information.
To prevent the fourth surge, stay vigilant by wearing a mask, maybe a two, washing your hands, and maintaining six feet apart, especially if you have received the vaccine.
We must work juntos to make sure we keep our communities safe and healthy.
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On February 23, 2021 Councilmember Carrasco voted to approve a $3 per hour Hazard Pay for eligible employees working at qualifying grocery stores within San José along with a majority of the City Council. Councilmember Carrasco believes our essential grocery workers deserve Hazard Pay for working through the COVID-19 pandemic in hazardous conditions. This temporary pay increase will be in effect from March 26, 2021 to July 24, 2021. City Council may extend hazard pay beyond July 24, 2021 as needed.
You are eligible for Hazard Pay if you are an hourly employee working at least 2 hours of work for a qualifying store. Employers are required to post information about eligibility, rules, and contact information at your workplace.
If you have questions about Hazard Pay, please email covid19sjbusiness@sanjoseca.gov or call the Office of Economic Development's business hotline at (408) 535-8181
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CA COVID-19 Rent Relief Program
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The California COVID-19 Rent Relief Program is now OPEN! This program provides financial assistance to assist low-income renters who need help paying for utilities and rent accumulated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Landlords who have one or more eligible renters can use this Rent Relief Program to get reimbursed for 80% of each eligible renter's unpaid rent accumulated between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. Landlords who are interested in getting reimbursed must agree to waive the remaining 20% of rent accumulated in that time period.
Renters can apply on their own if their landlords do not participate in the program. Renters who apply on their own can receive 25% of unpaid rent accumulated between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. You are eligible to apply if one or more people in your household meet all of the following requirements:
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qualify for unemployment benefits, experienced significant costs or a reduction in household income or other financial hardship due to COVID-19
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demonstrate a risk of housing instability or experiencing houselessness
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have a household income equal to or less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI)
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What's AMI? AMI is determined by cost of living by each County and the income supporting the household. In Santa Clara County, the Median Income for 4 people in a household is $141,600. In this example, you would be eligible for this Rent Relief Program if your household makes equal to or less than $113,280 per year. The Median Income depends on how many people are in your household. For Santa Clara County:
Number of People in Household
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Councilmember Carrasco voted on March 23, 2021 to authorize the City Manager to make agreements with Sacred Heart Community Service and the County of Santa Clara to distribute $30.4 million in assistance from the federal government. Keep an eye out for updates on our local program - but for now, you can apply to California's state COVID-19 Rent Relief Program if you are eligible.
Learn more about the state program or ask questions by calling a toll-free phone number: 833-430-2112
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Earth Day 2021 will mark the 51st anniversary of this holiday.
Of course, social distancing doesn't mean that you can't go outside and enjoy nature, as long as you do so responsibly!
One of the best ways to connect with the Earth is through cleanups! Go on a walk with a trash bag and help to clean up any plastic that you find. Stay tuned for a litter pick-up in district 5 on Earth Day! |
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National Administrative Professionals' Day
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National Administrative Professionals' Day, also known as Secretaries Day or Admin Day, recognizes the professionals who keep an office running smoothly every day. We celebrate these professionals on the Wednesday of the last full week in April of each year. The day recognizes the work of secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists, and other administrative support professionals. Central to any business, these professionals keep an office organized and efficient.
The day in the life of an administrative professional is varied from moment to moment. While organization is key to their success, their flexibility and ability to handle the unexpected make them valuable to any business. Some of their responsibilities include managing appointments, drafting letters and memos, booking business trips, coordinating appointments and planning meetings.
We would like to recognize our own Executive Administrator, Kiara Arreola. We are very lucky to have her in our office! Kiara has made many events, meetings, and project happen in district 5. We would like to thank her for everything's she's done and we hope to see her continue to thrive! We love and appreciate you Kiara <3
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The City's/Public Works Department's Construction Academy
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Calling all contractors! Join us for one of our Opportunity Awareness Events on Wednesday, April 21 from at 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. or 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Find out about NEW opportunities to bid on open public works contracts, and inquire about the Construction Contracting Seminar Series. Register by April 19 at www.sanjoseca.gov/constructionacademy
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Allcove Youth Advisory Group applications
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Are you interested in applying for an innovative and exciting youth advisory group focused on bringing an integrated mental health care center for youth in your community? We are looking to select a group of youth leaders who represent the diversity of the Bay Area across race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, lived experience, ability, and socio-economic status.
The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) ensures that youth voice is at the forefront of the allcove center experience. The YAG will help the allcove centers gain a better understanding of young peoples' needs and opinions in order to provide them with a relevant and effective services. The YAG is comprised of up to 15 young people from the local community in which the center(s) will be located. For more information on allcove, please visit: http://med.stanford.edu/psychiatry/special-initiatives/allcove.html
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VAPW is the Vietnamese American Professional Women Association of Silicon Valley. As an organization, they strive to mentor and encourage the younger generations of our community to enter professional careers and to engage in community responsibility and participation.
Each year, they award scholarships to Vietnamese American female students who best exemplify academic excellence, extracurricular involvement, and community service. Each recipient will be awarded $2,000.
If you would like to find out more information about our organization, please visit their website at www.vapw.org.
The eligibility requirements for the VAPW Scholarship Application are as follows:
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Female student of Vietnamese ethnicity
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High school senior or community college student matriculating to college
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Resident of Silicon Valley
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Acceptance to a college or university for the 2021-2022 academic year
Selection criteria for the VAPW Scholarship include:
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Cannabis Retail Location Survey
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Take the Survey!
The City Council has directed an exploration of changes to regulations governing Cannabis Businesses.
This includes consideration of where cannabis retail stores might locate. Please tell us what you think are acceptable cannabis retail locations with our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CNY8SZF
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On March 11th I, along with Community Health Centers, council colleagues, County supervisor Cindy Chavez & Susan Ellenberg, and community leaders & members stood in partnership to urge Governor Newsom to exempt Santa Clara County from the Blue Shield's third party distribution plan.
Some changes include the state's My Turn online system, which can be accessed at myturn.ca.gov, will now serve as the central site for all Californians to sign up for vaccination appointments. Individual counties and health care providers will still play an essential role in immunizing people at their vaccination sites and mobile clinics, but the central booking system hopefully will make obtaining appointments more efficient and straight-forward.
Additionally, when the state decides to expand vaccination eligibility to the next category of the population whose turn comes up for doses, every county in the state will have to follow suit at the same time. Until now, county health officials have been able to make their own call on when to provide vaccines to the next eligible category of people.
We cannot allow for blanket, "one-size fits all" approaches to vaccine distribution. We cannot allow outsiders to tell us how to take care of our community. We have to take this pandemic seriously and the people of our county know best. We know where the most impacted populations are. We are the one with personal connections with CBO's and community leaders.
Increasing vaccine accessibility is incredibly important and it begins in the most impacted areas, such as East San José. I, along with other community leaders will continue to fight for the proper vaccine allocations so that our people can be safe and return to some sort of normalcy.
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On March 26, 2021, my staff, the District 5 community, and elected officials came together to celebrate the leaders in our community. Our East San Jose leaders were recognized for their tireless work throughout the year, especially in the midst of a pandemic, and were treated to a night of prize raffles, laughter, and the delicious goodie boxes crafted by various small businesses in district 5 that were delivered by my staff.
This event wouldn't have been possible without our special guests, ARUSD Board President Corina Herrera-Loera and her husband Gerardo Herrera, who opened our event with a ceremonial blessing, followed by lovely poems recited by Jonathan Borca from the School of Arts & Culture at Mexican Hertage Plaza.
Finally, I would like to recognize our event sponsors who made this event a reality - the Schoennauer Company, LIUNA Local 270, Affirmed Housing, Silicon Valley Cannabis Alliance, Republic Services, Mexico Bakery, and Goodwill of Silicon Valley.
We'll see you all next year!
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National Internship Awareness Month
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April is National Internship Awareness Month!
In 1937, U.S. Congress passed the National Apprenticeship Law, laying the foundation for defining the expectations of what an internship consists of. Today, internships provide our young professionals an opportunity to gain valuable employment training and experiential learning opportunities. Internships also provide job seekers a chance to gain meaningful experience in industries where they wish to start their career, which can be especially difficult for those with little to no experience, or those who live in competitive job markets.
I'm proud to offer these experiences for individuals who are interested in pursuing a career in local legislative process, public health, social media/tv relations, and community engagement and would like to express my deep appreciation for my current interns for their hard work and dedication to district 5.
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#StopAsianHate #AsiansAreHumans
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In the aftermath of the horrific Atlanta shooting of 8 people, including 6 of Asian descent, as well as the hundreds of anti-Asian hate crimes in just this past year, the rising violence against Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the wake of COVID-19 must be addressed. These attacks are just a fraction of America's long history of racism towards AAPI, beginning with xenophobia immigration policies, continuing with Japanese internment in WWII, and today, with the physical abuse of Asian elders in our own San Jose, as well as the murder of a 55 year old Asian grandfather in his own driveway in East San Jose. President Trump's use of anti-Asian rhetoric surrounding coronavirus, dubbing it "the China virus," is partly to blame for this rise, as Asians of all ethnic origin have been the victims of heinous hate crimes, assaulters wrongfully justifying their actions as being revenge for the spread of the pandemic disease. Other sources of misinformation surrounding Covid-19's origins have led to increasing scapegoating of Asian people and subsequent hate crimes directed towards them. These victims are proud Asian-Americans with no correlation with the dissemination of this Covid-19 disease who deserve better treatment from their fellow Americans. To support AAPI anti-hate crime organizations, you can find information at this link or use the hashtags #StopAsianHate or #AsiansAreHumans on social media to spread awareness.
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Library Update!
Beginning this afternoon, Dr. Roberto Cruz-Alum Rock Branch Library and Tully Community Branch Library will be offering computer and printing access to the public!
Computer and printing access will be available Monday-Saturday from 1-6pm. Library members will be able to reserve a public computer for 45-minutes and can print up to 10 black and white pages for free. Customers will be required to reserve a computer in advance. More information can be found at: http://www.sjpl.org/computers
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