OFFICE HOURS AT THE FARMERS' MARKET |
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This Saturday, October 9th, I will be hosting office hours at the Berryessa Farmers' Market. Stop by to learn more about what is happening in our district or just to say hi.
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The Berryessa Farmers’ Market is operated by the Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association, a non-profit organization that manages multiple farmers' markets throughout the Bay Area. PCFMA’s mission is to empower local farmers and ranchers to be successful in their communities while providing those communities with access to healthier, better food.
All PCFMA markets accept EBT (Cal-Fresh) and WIC FMNP (Women, Infants, and Children Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program coupons).
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Join me in supporting local farmers and small businesses, while we work together to address the issues in our district!
Sincerely,
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- DUMPSTER DAYS COME TO SEVERAL NEIGHBORHOODS
- BEAUTFYSJ
- CITY COUNCIL UPDATE ON RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
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Do you need help paying rent? Please join our office and the Housing Department for a Rental Assistance Event at the Alviso Library Community Room on Saturday, October 9th from 10:00 A.M.- 2:00 P.M.
Address: Alviso Library
5050 N. 1st St. San José, CA 95002
To make an appointment please call (408) 975-4444
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Please bring each of the following documents to the event. Staff will assist you in processing your application.
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Proof of Address: For each adult in the household
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Proof of Income: (Must be from April 2020-current) For each adult in the household
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Proof of Identity: For each adult in the household
- Proof of Rent
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Join me in 2 weeks for a special Townhall meeting with our new City Manager, Jennifer Maguire. She has agreed to spend time with me the residents of District 4 to introduce herself, talk about her priorities, and answer questions. |
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DUMPSTER DAYS COME TO SEVERAL NEIGHBORHOODS |
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The District 4 Council office has sponsored six dumpster days so far this year, giving households within the Commodore, Cataldi, Townsend, Brooktree, Northwood, and Morrill neighborhoods the opportunity to properly dispose of several tons of unwanted junk. |
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Each month, we select a different neighborhood, pick an adequate and central location for the dumpsters – usually near a school, park or on an empty stretch of road – and either hand deliver a flyer at the door or mail postcards to each home within the neighborhood. The flyer or postcard is the notification for the upcoming dumpster day, has the date and time of the dumpster day, and serves as an admission ticket on the day of the event. |
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To date, we have helped District 4 residents get rid of 60 tons of garbage!
In case you're wondering... That's 5 T-Rexes' worth of garbage!
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Dumpster days take place on Saturday mornings. Eager residents line up to get rid of their junk as the helpful District 4 staff works diligently to move the line quickly, giving each resident the time and dumpster space to dispose of their items. Councilmember Cohen can regularly be seen sitting on top of a dumpster helping residents toss their junk into the large, green bins.
While we have brought dumpster days to several District 4 neighborhoods, we know that there are still many neighborhoods that need a dumpster day. If your neighborhood has yet to be serviced with a dumpster day, keep an eye out for a flyer on your door or postcard in the mail with information about and upcoming dumpster day.
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For those who can’t wait for a dumpster day to come to their neighborhood, calling 311 or (408) 535-3500, visiting sanjoseca.gov/311 or downloading the San Jose 311 App from the App Store on your mobile device and requesting a free, large item pickup is the easiest and fastest way to dispose of junk. Our city offers this as a free service to residents of single-family homes and RVs, and they will haul away up to 12 items at a time.
We also encourage you to donate usable furniture, appliances, clothing, toys and other goods to a charity or thrift store. A comprehensive list of locations to donate your unwanted items is available at recyclestuff.org.
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The following groups are eligible for BeautifySJ funding:
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Neighborhood Associations: A group of San José resident volunteers that are working to improve the neighborhood in which they live. The group must operate free of charge, and does not include businesses or people who work in the area.
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Emerging Neighborhood Groups: A newly formed group of San José resident volunteers that are working to improve the neighborhood in which they live. The group must operate free of charge, and does not include businesses or people who work in the area.
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Property Owner/Tenant Associations: Property owner(s) within San José working with tenants by including them in meetings and project planning. The association operates free of charge, working to improve the neighborhood.
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Community Partner Groups: Community Partner Groups involve resident volunteers; operate free of charge to improve a neighborhood; and include, but are not limited to, non-profit agencies, schools, Adopt-a-Park, Adopt-a-Trail, and Adopt-a-Street, or “Friends of a Park” type groups located within San José.
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Qualified groups may apply for funding for beautification projects, such as landscaping or neighborhood cleanup projects; or neighborhood quality of life and organization building events or projects, such as National Night Out or public safety events.
Interested groups are invited, though not required, to attend a pre-proposal workshop to review critical information about the program and learn how to apply for this Request for Proposal.
Applications due Friday, October 29, 2021.
Proposals will only be accepted online via WebGrants. To apply, register for a WebGrants user ID and access the application.
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CITY COUNCIL UPDATE ON RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS |
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While our City has made great progress in setting up a strong, equitable recovery from COVID-19, it’s clear that many working families in San José are still feeling the economic impacts of the pandemic. With the expiration of state tenant protections last week, it’s more important than ever that we take action to protect our residents and prevent a surge of evictions in the coming months. |
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With this in mind, during this week’s Council meeting, we voted to authorize the City’s participation in state rental assistance programs; this means the City will be consolidating its local rent relief efforts with the state’s in order to streamline the process of delivering services and aid to those who need it. It also means that the City will be giving the funding allocated to it by the federal government as part of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program to the state; city staff have indicated that they do not feel the City has the capacity to effectively administer such a large amount of money, and that the funding would be better off as part of a single, streamlined program managed by the state. This frees staff and local partners up to help more residents directly in the field while the state handles paperwork and payments.
As we strive to build back better from the pandemic, it’s critical that we make sure our most vulnerable residents have access to rental assistance—failure to do so could place countless families at risk of homelessness. Council’s action on Tuesday streamlines our efforts to connect tenants with relief, while also ensuring our funding is used as effectively as possible to serve San José residents.
To learn more about how to apply for rental assistance, visit HousingIsKey.com, or call 833-430-2122. The City of San José has also set up a help center to assist residents with the application process; they can be reached Monday through Friday, 8AM to 5PM, at 408-975-4444.
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SJ LIBRARY UPDATE: NEW HOURS & IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING |
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Starting next week, San Jose Public Library will expand hours at branch libraries and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Branch hours will expand from 33 to 39 hours per week, adding morning hours, and the King Library will expand from 45 to 52 hours per week, with hours added in the evening. These hours were determined by community need and our current staffing capacity, which we have been working to address since last year’s budget reductions. Since reopening, we have successfully filled more than 100 vacancies. As we continue to work through the recruitment process and fill vacancies, we anticipate announcing further hours expansions in November.
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New Hours at SJPL Branches (including Alviso, Berryessa, and Educational Park) starting Oct. 4:
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 1-6pm
- Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday: 10am -6pm
New Hours at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library starting Oct. 5:
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday: 10am-6pm
- Tuesday and Thursday: 10am -8pm
In addition to the hours expansion, SJPL will also resume in-person programming as capacity allows starting in October. We look forward to welcoming our community back into the library to access tech help, health workshops, citizenship programs, children's and teen programs, and other fun events for the whole family.
Below are our in-person programming guidelines:
- Masks are required for all indoor programs for anyone ages 2+.
- Program capacity and set-up is determined by location and program type.
- Some programs may require registration.
- Proof of vaccination status is not required for library-sponsored programs.
- All library programs are free.
For more details about expanded services,
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