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District 4 Pumpkin Giveaway

This week’s third annual District 4 Pumpkin Giveaway was a huge success. With help from the Berryessa Union School District We gave out over 300 Halloween Pumpkins to kids from the community! If your kid got a pumpkin at our event b e sure to send us us photos of your jack-o-lanterns!

Celebrating FAHM at City Hall 🇵🇭

Mabuhay and happy Filipino American History Month (FAHM)! Last Friday, Councilmember Peter Ortiz and I sponsored the Annual Filipino Flag Raising and Lighting Ceremony at San José City Hall to commemorate all the contributions of our thriving and vibrant Filipino community. We were brought together by the Filipino Americans Coming Together in San José Coalition, also known as FACTsj, who organized this event as well as all the October FAHM events in San José. Thank you to all the community leaders, elected representatives, and organizations that participated in this wonderful gathering! A special thanks to Angela Pedrigal from my own office for her incredible work in organizing this fantastic event!

🇵🇭 music by @kawayanfolkarts

Upgrading Water Treatment Facility

Last Thursday we cut the ribbon on a major upgrade of the largest waste water treatment facility west of the Mississippi! The new Headworks allows the plant to continue to serve millions of residents in Santa Clara County for another 60+ years. As chair of the Treatment Plant Advisory Committee, I’d like to thank all of the staff who design, build, and operate our essential infrastructure.

Slow Down, San José

This week my staff and I joined Councilmember Pam Foley at Vinci Park Elementary School to kick off a new safety program called Slow Down San José. Traffic and pedestrian fatalities are on the rise in our city and the results have been tragic. Too many residents, some of them young children, have been killed on our streets due to excessive speed, inattention at the wheel, and other forms of reckless driving. We must urge one another to be mindful of the dangers of these behaviors.The City of San José has created Vision Zero and Slow Down San José in an effort to raise awareness and to spread a message of caution to all drivers.

Slow Down, San José. Take the pledge.

Take a pledge to reduce your speed and drive safe.

Tragedy only takes a second.

Speeding is the primary cause of fatalities and serious injuries in San José. In 2022, 670 people were killed or injured in speeding-related collisions.

We can end this. 

Vision Zero believes, together, we have the power to change. We understand the challenges and are committed to improving traffic safety on our streets.

When you speed it's harder to stop.

On average, a car driving 25 mph takes about 30 feet to stop.

At 35 mph, it takes 59 feet – nearly twice as long.

This images illustrates the greater distance it takes for a car to stop at higher speeds. Take the pledge to slow down.

Honoring San José Clean Energy

This week we honored our San Jose Clean Energy team for their excellent work in creating the Solar Access Program for our underserved communities. The Solar Access Program received the 2023 Beacon Leadership and Innovation Award from the Institute for Local Government for its outstanding equitable efforts in community outreach and delivering climate resilience. 

I was honored to be presented with the award by ILG at the League of California Cities annual convention last month. This comprehensive outreach campaign was in partnership with three community-based organizations: International Children’s Assistance Network (ICAN) Mujeres Empresarias Tomando Acción (META), and Alviso Community Fund (ACF). Together, they created an inclusive public engagement strategy that resulted in cost savings for over 800 San Jose residents with savings ranging from $32 to over $100 per month. The Solar Access Program is an excellent example of how we can successfully address climate change while helping our most underserved residents. Thank you to our San Jose Clean Energy team for their leadership on this program and congratulations for receiving the 2023 Beacon Leadership and Innovation Award.

A Beautiful Day On the Bay

This Saturday we enjoyed another beautiful Day On The Bay in Alviso. Thousands of folks from all over San Jose and rest of the South Bay came out to the Marina for some fun activities, entertainment, food, and community. 

With everything from a pumpkin patch to kayaking, Day On The Bay is always a really great event in one of the best parts of District 4.

Help Us Clean Up District 4

Councilmember Cohen is thrilled to invite you to volunteer at our District 4 Litter Pick-Up event at beautiful Commodore Park (N. Jackson & Commodore) on Saturday, October 28th, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.

We'll provide all the supplies, and we recommend you wear sunscreen and bring water for the sunny day. If you are interested, please let us know by responding to this email. Thanks so much for your consideration and we're looking forward to having you join us!

We'll provide all the supplies, and we recommend you wear sunscreen and bring water for the sunny day. If you are interested, please let us know by responding to this email. Thanks so much for your consideration and we're looking forward to having you join us!

Take a look at the video from a Litter Pick Up Event we held in June.

Water Purification Townhall Event

Join us at Ruskin Elementary School on October 30th at 6pm to discuss the Valley Water processes and systems in place to purify our water!

Free Medical Help

Help Keep Your Neighborhood Safe

The San José Police Department wants your help in fighting crime by taking part in the Camera Archive & Mapping (CAM) program. The CAM program allows residents and business owners to register the locations of their video surveillance systems with the City. When a crime occurs, police will be able to identify the locations of nearby video cameras and enlist the assistance of the community to help officers collect video evidence and follow up on leads.

The San José Police Department wants your help in fighting crime by taking part in the Camera Archive & Mapping (CAM) program. The CAM program allows residents and business owners to register the locations of their video surveillance systems with the City. When a crime occurs, police will be able to identify the locations of nearby video cameras and enlist the assistance of the community to help officers collect video evidence and follow up on leads.

Through the program, SJPD will be able to directly contact CAM registrants who are using video in an area in which a crime occurred. Police would ask CAM registrants to check their video surveillance system for a specific date and time for video that may show activity involved with a crime, such as a getaway car or the direction that a person of interest was headed.

For more information on the CAM program, including an exhaustive FAQ, click here.

How To Report A Crime Anonymously

Reporting crimes, regardless of their magnitude, is vital for maintaining public safety and promoting a secure community. By reporting both minor and major crimes, individuals contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the local crime landscape. This valuable information assists the police department in strategically allocating resources and determining where to increase patrols or improve surveillance. Detecting patterns of criminal activity becomes more feasible with a higher volume of reported incidents, enabling law enforcement to respond effectively and implement proactive measures to deter crime. Ultimately, reporting crimes empowers communities to actively participate in making their neighborhoods safer and more resilient against criminal activities.

Click the link below to report a crime. Hopefully you don't have a crime to report right now, but you might want to click the button and bookmark the page it takes you to.

Volunteer In Your Community

Volunteer Opportunities: 

If you are interested in volunteering over the summer, we are in need of volunteers for a wide array of events that take place in District 4! Please consider helping out your community.

Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Angela Pedrigal, at angela.pedrigal@sanjoseca.gov for more information. 

Let's Be Friends!

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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.

Easily Access City Services

San Jose 311 is your gateway to City Services from vehicle blight abatement, graffiti removal, reporting fireworks, illegal dumping, pot holes, and more.

click here to get started.

Rebates up to 90% for Your Building Upgrades!

Through the San José Energy Efficient Business Program, your business can receive rebates when you make certain energy-saving upgrades. These significant rebates (80-90% off!) help make the projects more affordable, and when you combine the rebates with your lower monthly energy costs, the upgrades can quickly pay for themselves.

click here to get started.

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!