THIS SATURDAY - DAY ON THE BAY IN ALVISO

The Office of Supervisor Otto Lee and the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department are proud to present this fun-filled festival along the beautiful South Bay shores of Alviso.



We were excited to bring this event back last year after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our 2022 event will include a resource fair and showcase the beautiful Alviso Marina, along with several family-friendly and recreation activities. This special event is a wonderful opportunity to share information, services, and resources with the local community. 

Historically, Day on the Bay has drawn more than 10,000 people to enjoy activities, and celebrate the rich diversity and abundance of our community's cultural expression. The Mercury News reports that it is the most attended event in the historic waterfront town of Alviso. 

In The Wake of the Week

Viva Esquela at Cherrywood Elementary! 

Earlier this week I rode my bike with SJPD’s Captain Trayer to the Viva Esquela street fair in front of Cherrywood Elementary School. We celebrated International Walk to School Day with students and parents as the city closed off the street, making it a car free morning.

We joined representatives from Valley Water, Santa Clara County Parks, San Jose Public Library, RAFT, and more, to learn about little things we can do in our own daily lives to fight climate change. For example, riding a bike or walking to school at least one day a week, taking shorter showers, volunteering to help clean up our creeks and parks. 

We also learned about the dos-and-don’ts of traffic and pedestrian safety, proper use of crosswalks, and paying attention to your surroundings any time you’re on the road or sidewalk.

I even got to hold a snake courtesy of our friends at the Parks department. That was fun, and it was also how I learned that Captain Trayer is not a big fan of snakes!

Distracted Driving and Pedestrian Safety

October is National Pedestrian Safety Month. It’s a sad coincidence that a tragic accident recently killed a young student as he walked to school in San José.

Take a look at the last text you sent or received. Would that text be a fair trade for a car accident? There’s just nothing happening on your phone that could be more important than a human life. It’s as simple as that. 

The NHTSA estimates we lose upwards of 3,500 lives on American roads every year due to accidents caused by distracted drivers. That figure is mind numbing. Just as heartbreaking are the 400,000 injuries the NHTSA attributes to texting and driving per year. 

In our office, we’ve been thinking about what can be done on the city level to help prevent the loss of life on our roads and sidewalks. 

We’ve determined the best thing we can do is to focus on making crosswalks and stop signs more visible to drivers, starting in areas around schools. Of course we believe all pedestrians should be safe while walking around their neighborhoods, but we feel it’s imperative that we focus our attention first on our most precious resource, our children.

My office, along with Councilmember Foley, Vice Mayor Jones, and Mayor Liccardo will be working with city staff to create a policy that enshrines this priority as we move forward.

Including The Voices of Our Youth 

This week, the Council unanimously approved my memo calling for ways to involve more youth in local government. We are asking the Youth Commission to analyze the other City Boards and Commissions and put forward recommendations regarding which of these bodies should hold a permanent spot for young people under the age of 25.

We must empower the voices of our youth where decisions are being made that directly impact their futures and livelihoods. Their perspectives should be included as we develop solutions to address our most pressing issues, including climate sustainability, quality of life, affordability, and public safety.

• ART SHOW 'N SHINE
• FINANCIAL HELP WITH HOME REPAIRS
• CITY BEAUTIFICATION GRANT PROGRAM BEGINS
• FALL INTO FICTION WRITING CONTEST BEGINS

ART SHOW 'N SHINE TO KICK OFF CREATIVE CHALLENGE

Join us on October 8th from 6:00 - 9:00 PM at 20 Barack Obama Boulevard and see sound-reactive lights in action, dancing to the rhythm of the music. Including a small lowrider car, bike, and pedal car exhibit.

The 408{ART} artists have created sound-reactive lights with custom collage artwork. Now it's time to celebrate their accomplishments merging Lowriders, San Jose, and art culture!

Featuring:

• 6pm-9pm artist exhibit - short remarks
• DJ Music
• Car show
• Food trucks
• Creative Ambassador art activities
• Street parking is plentiful and free for this event.

IS YOUR SAN JOSE HOME IN NEED OF REPAIRS?

Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley has partnered with the City of San Jose to offer home repair grants to low income homeowners--mobile homes included. We make repairs that directly impact a homeowner’s health, safety and quality of life. Eligible repairs in this city include, but are not limited to the following:

Repair assessments are made by Habitat staff after visiting the home with the homeowner to determine the scope of work. Projects range in size depending on the home and homeowner's needs.

Download a Request for Service form inDownload a Request for Service form in English – Español – Tagalog – 繁體中文 - 简体中文 – Tiếng Việt - Hindi.

Required Documentation

• Photo IDs and Proof of Legal Residency for all Applicants
• Copy of Certificate of Title
• Proof of occupancy (including space lease agreement if in a mobile home)
• Copy of Homeowner’s Insurance Policy
• Income documentation for all household members 18 years of age and older

You can visit the Habitat for Humanity website for more details on grant amounts, requirements and other information.

BEAUTIFY SJ GRANT PROGRAM

The City of San José is committed to supporting residents in their efforts to beautify their neighborhoods and create a cleaner and more vibrant San José.

The mission of the BeautifySJ Grant Program is to support residents’ efforts at reclaiming their public space and to empower residents to aesthetically demonstrate their pride in our City. The City believes that the power to shape the future of our neighborhoods lies in strengthening the civic participation of our residents.

The BeautifySJ Grant Program provides funds (from $300 up to $5,000) for neighborhood clean-up efforts, beautification projects and neighborhood engagement opportunities in San José.

Proposals will only be accepted online via WebGrants. To register for a WebGrants user ID and to access the application, please go to: grants.sanjoseca.gov.

EMERGENCY HOUSING UPDATE

As a result of your advocacy and the efforts of my staff, plans to utilize the Robert Gross Perculation Ponds/Noble Park have been canceled. As part of the process, the City of San José collected suggestions for alternative locations in District 4. In the spirit of full transparency, the City published the entire list of suggestions they received. City staff is currently vetting the locations on the list and will share a revised list when it is available. We will update the Emergency Housing Page as new information becomes available.

COVID 19 UPDATE

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

How to Protect Yourself and Others From COVID-19: With COVID-19 cases on the rise, it is important to follow CDC guidelines to prevent illness. Most importantly, stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccines, wear a well-fitting mask, avoid poorly ventilated areas and crowds, and take precautions when you travel.

Free Masks Available: Each adult can get three free N95 masks at pharmacies and community health centers. For help finding a location, call 800-232-0233.

Resident Resources: The City of San José’s Virtual Local Assistance Center is a one-stop for information on Food Assistance, Housing, Employment, Health & Wellness, Utilities, and Immigrant Resources.

Current Vaccination/Booster Sites: The full list of vaccine sites, and testing sites are available on the County of Santa Clara COVID-19 website. Please note that vaccination sites are a combination of drop-in and by appointment only. Residents are encouraged to make an appointment, where possible. All sites have boosters available.