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Greetings, D4 residents -
As May comes to an end, I hope you were able to spend time with family over the Memorial Day weekend. While many of us were likely able to enjoy the warm weather at BBQs and other gatherings, let it not be lost that this holiday honors those who lost their lives serving in the military.
May was a busy month! In addition to my regular community office hours at local farmers' markets (this time at Cambrian Park Plaza), I enjoyed performances by students at Music in the Valley hosted by San Jose District 9 Councilmember Pam Foley and at the Campbell Union School District's Centennial Event. My office hosted an energizer station in Campbell on Bike to Wherever Day, where we offered bicycle commuters county resources, as well as covid tests and birthday cake.
In May we celebrated contributions by the Jewish American community in recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month, and the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities for AAPI Heritage month, while looking forward with the goal of continuing to make our county a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging.
May was also Affordable Housing month, so it was fitting to celebrate the grand opening of the Calabazas Apartments in Santa Clara and the groundbreaking of the Kifer Senior Apartments - both of which were assisted with funds from Measure A. Of the 146 units of affordable housing at Calabazas, 80 are reserved as permanent supportive housing to help individuals and families with special needs. This project broke ground in 2019. Construction was completed in October 2021, and all 146 units are currently occupied. Kudos to the City of Santa Clara for moving with urgency to issue all necessary approvals to get this building ready for occupancy in record time!
Affordable Housing is also the subject of my newest Medium blog post, which you can read here. You can access a complete list of my prior posts here. If you are interested in more in-depth explanations of Board actions and my own thoughts, you can also sign up to receive an email notification when a new post is published.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if we can be of help to you in any way. In the meantime, you can find updates below on Board actions from this month.
Budget Workshops
The Board of Supervisors conducted three budget workshops, in addition to two regular Board meetings, this month. During these workshops, the Board provided feedback to administration regarding the draft budget for the new fiscal year, which begins July 1. The revised budget will be presented during Budget Hearings in June before a final version is put to the Board for vote. My priority this year is ensuring that administration meaningfully funds a response to our declared public health crises of mental illness and substance use disorders by investing in workforce pipeline development, additional service slots, and facilities to meet all levels of acuity: from locked, inpatient facilities to peer-led residential facilities and outpatient supports. Your advocacy over the next few weeks can help ensure these items appear in the final budget.
VTA Memorial
I had the solemn privilege of representing the Board of Supervisors at the memorial service which marked the one-year anniversary of the tragic day on which nine VTA employees were murdered by a gunman as they arrived at work. Santa Clara County has been aggressive in working to keep gun violence out of our community. This is a place where we invest in mental health, and where we seek to give every child the best opportunities life has to offer. But we still live in a country where the scourge of gun violence terrorizes our public spaces, our schools, our places of business, and our entertainment venues. In my opinion, there is no justification for private individuals to have access to weapons of war and I will do everything in my power to work toward a world in which that access is fully prohibited.
Click here to watch ABC7's coverage of the VTA Memorial Service.
As we return to in-person gatherings, please feel free to send an invitation to my office for me to attend your community event. I enjoy being out in the community with residents and look forward to seeing you all soon.
I am on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Nextdoor and LinkedIn. There you can find resources, news and events.
As always, if you have questions, comments, and/or concerns, email me at supervisor.ellenberg@bos.sccgov.org.
I and my team are here for you.
Be well,
Susan
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