¡LEA NUESTRO BOLETÍN EN ESPAÑOL AQUI!

Fathers Day is coming up on June 19th. So on behalf of our District 5 team we wish all the fathers, father figures and grandfathers, a Happy Fathers Day! We acknowledge your dedication and hard work, and wish you happiness for the rest of this coming year. Thank you for all that you have done to help your family and your community. And may your family cherish and love you for all you have done. We are grateful to all of you everyday! We hope you have an amazing Fathers Day. I am grateful for that soul that was my father. Gracias Papá lo extrañamos muchísimo. Feliz día del Padre ay le mando su beso.

Annually, the month of June marks National Pride Month, a month of celebration by and for the LGBTQ+ community that not only commemorates the ongoing pursuit of equal rights and justice for those who identify as LGBTQ+, but also celebrates their many identities, existences, and accomplishments. As a month-long celebration, the holiday allows for a host of celebrations, festivals, and street parties, such as the San Francisco Pride Parade, held this year on Sunday, June 26th. But this is also a time for protest against continued discrimination the LGBTQ+ community still faces, whether it be harassment or hate crimes, mental health struggles, poverty and houselessness, or lack of representation. There is still so much work to be done. So while we shall all enjoy the festivities of Pride this month, it should be recognized that this month is also one of education, awareness, and advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. Happy Pride Month!

June marks National Adopt-a-Cat Month. My family and I adopted my cat Sushi and she is certifiably the best additional family member we could have ever asked for. 

Meet our D5 Team's cats! Pictured above is Sushi which is my cat, Luna my staff member Daniela's cat, Beef and Bean, Brisa's cats, Kimmi Annacy's cat, and Miel and Yugi, Bryan's cats!

It is important to adopt because it saves already existing animals in desperate need of new and loving families. 

Abiding by current COVID-19 restrictions, the San Jose City’s shelter has not been able to fully open to allow these animals to mingle with guests, so many animals are waiting longer periods before finding their forever home. To meet your future pet, head on over to the local shelter at 2750 Monterey Road Tuesday through Sunday from 9am-5pm. For more information and the itinerary of adoptable animals, follow this link.

Juneteenth commemorates and honors the emmancipation of the enslaved African Americans in 1865. It is celebrated on June 19 and is made up of the words “June” and “nineteenth.” Juneteenth recently became a federal holiday in the United States on June 16, 2021, and was signed into law by U.S. President Joe Biden the following day. Juneteenth had previously been established as a state holiday in Texas in 1980. Many people celebrate Juneteenth in many different ways, the most notable being through fun-filled events which include festivities like parades and barbeques. If you are interested in attending one of the most famous Juneteenth festivals in the Bay Area, stay on the lookout for the 41st Annual Juneteenth in the Park festival from June 12-June 18 which is taking place in Downtown San Jose! This festival will include vendors, food, and music, but most importantly will celebrate African American heritage and immerses the community at large in Black culture. 

In the United States, June marks the beginning of Immigrant Heritage Month, a month to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work of immigrants nationwide. This celebration formally began in 2014 in an effort to give immigrants the opportunity to celebrate their background and culture. As well as a time to reflect and honor the countless contributions that immigrants have made to our communities. California's immigrant population is higher than any other state. California is home to almost 11 million immigrants—about a quarter are foreign-born. In fact, 38% of San Jose's population are immigrants, reaching an all-time high. During the month of June, we invite you to celebrate all the immigrants nationwide and acknowledge all of their countless efforts and contributions to society, communities, and the economy. 

Viva Parks Neighborhood is a series of FREE events focused on health and wellness resources, physical activity, and community engagement. We do this by connecting people to people, uniting neighbors, visually transforming the park with positive programing, increasing usage, and providing resources to the neighborhoods.

Fiesta del Mariachi, presented by Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco is on July 23rd 2022! It is a community-friendly event that inspires families to gather and celebrate San José's Mexican heritage through mariachi music.

Join us as mariachi superstars Lupita Infante and Nydia Rojas, as well as local favorites, Mariachi Azteca and Mariachi Tapatio, headline a concert in La Plaza's courtyard. In addition to the performers, students who enrolled in the Fiesta del Mariachi workshop will showcase their talents with a recital.

See details HERE!

This month of May was a special one for me, as it was so great to finally be out and about in the community. It was amazing to see so many familiar and new faces in-person around the community.

We started May off with a bang with Viva Calle, a multimile ‘block party’ for San Jose residents to walk, bike, skate, and play on the streets. My team and I rode the whole route!

I also hosted the Leaders under the Stars Leadership Event to recognize the hardworking and dedicated D5 community leaders that better our community every day.

I also celebrated Mother's Day with my Seniors at Mayfair Community Center, where we danced and ate yummy food!

We also celebrated the anniversary of Alum Rock Park with a range of family friendly activities, and recognized the importance of greenspace as a place of community gathering.

As we do every month, there were a host of litter pickups, community tree planting, and dumpster days to maintain and beautify our local communities with the kind help of our D5 neighbors.

Overall, May was a fantastic month for community engagement and events and we cannot wait to see what the next few months of summer have in store! 

Make a difference in your community by providing public transportation services that keep Santa Clara County moving. This is an entry-level job that provides on the job training with strong medical benefits & a retirement program. Paid training. Mentorship & professional development. Promotional opportunities.

Apply online and join the VTA Family today.

Fed up with fireworks? Report illegal firework activity online HERE. Snap a picture and complete the report fully so the @CityofSanJose can take action to cite violators.

As we welcome the summer days of June and start loading up the grill for amazing family BBQs, we should understand the current risks that COVID-19 still poses despite our transition into an “endemic” phase. What makes the endemic phase of the COVID-19 pandemic different from the previous stages is that an endemic allows for the COVID virus to become more easily predictable for communities & health officials. In our last letter, we reported that as a county we were averaging 230 cases over seven days; now we are experiencing a slight surge of cases which puts us at a rolling seven-day average of 629 new cases. Although we are experiencing this surge, hospitalizations and deaths still remain relatively stagnant. This can likely be attributed to the county’s vaccination rate of 91% and the fact that 70% of our county has been boosted.

Together as we move forward, let us enjoy the long-awaited summer of relative normality while being mindful of the risks.

Protect yourself, your family, and those around you!

You can continue to wear masks if you are unvaccinated, immune-compromised, or if it makes you protected! It is highly recommended that you get vaccinated and if you need to schedule an appointment to receive your vaccine visit HERE . Boosters are now widely available to everyone 12 and older who has waited 5 months (2 months for J&J).

Additionally, a second booster shot is recommended for those who have waited 4 months and over 50 years old, immune-compromised, and/or got the J&J shot. Therefore, stay safe, healthy, and in-tuned with city and county information as we progress through this stage of the pandemic!

We want to learn more about you! This includes birthdays, graduations, hobbies, favorite restaurants in the East Side, and much more! The East Side is full of diverse and unique individuals, and it deserves recognition. OR you can shout out your family, friends or neighbors with goods news here in the East Side!

Send us your great news using the QR code in our flyer! Send us a photo to go with your story to our email at district5@sanjoseca.gov!