DAY ON THE BAY RETURNS FOR 2021! |
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This year’s event is focused on community health and wellness. We’ll have free (while supplies last) COVID-19 vaccines, flu shots, Marina boat tours, kayak rentals, and pumpkins for kids.
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There will be a health and resources fair, as well as several live entertainers and activities for the entire family. Come out and help me celebrate the return of this great event.
Sincerely,
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- DAY ON THE BAY THIS SATURDAY
- FREE TREES FOR SAN JOSE RESIDENTS
- UPCOMING TOWNHALL - INTRODUCTION TO NEW CITY MANAGER
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FREE TREES FOR SAN JOSE RESIDENTS |
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As we face the effects Global Climate Change, one very simple thing we can all do to help mitigate the impact is plant trees. Our friends at Our City Forest have begun an ambitious initiative, ¡Comunidades Frescas y Verdes! (Cool & Green Communities), which is focused on San José’s East Side and high-need areas.
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4 WAYS YOU CAN HELP
SPREAD THE WORD
Post the flyer - and share with those who can benefit!
VOLUNTEER
If your group would like to help plant trees or co-sponsor an event, contact Erika Alvarez at erika@ourcityforest.org
ADOPT A TREE
DONATE
Please help us continue planting more trees where they are needed the most! To sustain our efforts, funds are needed to remove cement and asphalt, to support our old fleet, grow climate-suitable species, and to provide tree care, community education, and volunteer training services. Donations are also needed to help us increase and sustain the annual stipend for our full-time community service members to $25,000. Please visit www.ourcityforest.org/donate
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Let's work together as a community and ensure that future generations can benefit from actions we take now. Trees don't need much water to thrive and they can help us combat intense heat and reduce temperatures, reduce pollution, recharge our ground water, fight erosion and make our neighborhoods beautiful and inviting. Join me in helping to support this initiative. |
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Join me next week for a special Townhall meeting with our new City Manager, Jennifer Maguire. She will be spending some time with me and the residents of District 4 to introduce herself, talk about her priorities, and answer questions.
Also, the zoom link from last week's newsletter requires a registration before you'll be admitted into the webinar. Please register below.
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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!
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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 last 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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MAKE YOUR HOME MORE RESILIENT WITH SOLAR + STORAGE |
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Bay Area SunShares is offering limited-time 15% discounts on rooftop solar and 10% discounts on battery storage from pre-vetted installers. Since 2016, SunShares has helped make solar and storage installations simpler and more affordable for more than 900 Bay Area residents!
Learn about the benefits of solar + storage on our website. To secure your discount, simply sign up on the SunShares website by November 30, 2021 – no commitment necessary. You’re also invited to attend a free online webinar on October 14 at 6 p.m. where SunShares staff and solar installers will answer your questions.
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