Will you be the Next D9 Star?! District 9 September 2019 Newsletter
September 2019 Newsletter
A Message from the Councilmember
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- Message from the Councilmember
- Photo of the Month
- News and Announcements
- Upcoming Events
My San Jose
Report abandoned vehicles,
graffiti, illegal dumping, street light outages,
pot holes, and more.
Dear Neighbors,
Thank you to all the families, friends, and residents that came to our 14th Annual Celebrate Cambrian Festival. This event was made possible by the generosity of our sponsors, who underwrote this festival. Their support allowed us to add extra entertainment opportunities like a beer and wine garden, a first for the festival!
Those in attendance had a wonderful time. We hosted a rock climbing wall. Pearl Alley, a local band, performed. The bounce houses were a total hit with the kids. The water mister kept many of us cool on a very hot day, and the community resource fair was activated and fun. Thanks to all who participated.
While preparing for the Festival, we still worked on several meaningful public policy issues. We were particularly focused on making Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) easier for homeowners to build by aiming to make city fees less burdensome and the permitting process more seamless. ADU’s are the low hanging fruit of housing policy.
So let’s pick it. And in the process we will make life easier for seniors wanting to age in place, for millennials searching for more affordable rent, and for middle class families needing an extra income.
In terms of land use, housing often pairs well with a strong transportation system.
In August, we continued to advocate for policies that aim to improve our region's public transportation system. To do this, City of San José staff are working on a number of fronts, which includes transforming Diridon Station into the Grand Central Station of the West and doubling down on rapid transit.
In the future, trains will be whizzing up and down the Caltrain line more frequently and more quickly than they do today. That means we'll need to ensure cars and trains never share the same lane. Otherwise called a “grade separation” — meaning cars must either go under the train tracks or over the train tracks. There are many benefits to grade separations. Cars idle less. Trains become less likely to collide with cars. And in the future, a fully grade separated Caltrain line means trains could go a whole lot faster (per federal regulations) than they do today.
With Google announcing about 6.5 million square feet of office space, approximately 500,000 square feet of retail, and between 3,000 and 5,000 residential units in the Diridon Station area, we must ensure that high-quality transportation infrastructure is in place to support such a development.
These highly-focused investments in both housing and transportation will transform San José into an even more vibrant place than it is today.
Lastly, I would like to formally re-introduce the District 9 Star program created under former Vice Mayor, Judy Chirco. The program serves to highlight an individual or group from our district that has contributed to the greater benefit of our community. The goal of this program is to show gratitude to someone who deserves recognition for their outstanding work.
We hope to select our 2019 District 9 Star by the end of September and celebrate them in October. Nominations may be submitted here. The deadline for submittals is Sunday, September 22, 2019.
Sincerely,
Pam
Thank you to the generous sponsors of Celebrate Cambrian! With your support, the festival was a huge success!
We owe a special thank you to Pearl Alley Band, Joseph George Wines, Camino Brewing Company, Zanottos Willow Glen, and the South San José and Downtown San José Grocery Outlet stores for their in-kind contributions.
Thank you to everyone who attended the 14th Annual District 9 Celebrate Cambrian Festival. We had a blast with you!
D9 Stars: Honoring District 9 Leaders
The District 9 Star program is back! With this program, we aim to highlight an individual, group, or organization from our community that has an outstanding record of giving back to the greater good.
We are reaching out to you to help identify these individuals, groups or organizations. Please consider nominating a worthy recipient. It’s easy to do. The only criteria is that you may not nominate yourself. You may make a nomination by clicking here.
Simply complete the nomination form and submit it to us before midnight, Sunday, September 22. All nominations will be reviewed by District 9 staff and by Councilmember Pam Foley. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by Monday, October 1.
Should you have any questions about this process, please contact Michael Lomio at Michael.Lomio@sanjoseca.gov.
On Tuesday, August 27th, it was my pleasure to join Mayor Sam Liccardo, city staff, and several of my council colleagues to announce some updates to our ADU permitting process. ADU policy upgrades are outlined below:
- ADU Online Portal: The new online portal asks San José residents to sign up for information on how to build and permit Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and how to take advantage of ADU programs. The online portal will also allow homeowners to determine if their property qualifies for an ADU, and begin the application and permitting process. The online portal can be accessed at www.sjbackyardhomes.com.
- ADU Ally: The City of San José’s Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement department has hired a full-time “ADU Ally” who will dedicate their efforts to assisting homeowners through the now streamlined ADU permitting process.
- ADU Tuesdays: The City’s Permit Center has launched an “express lane” for ADU project submittals, where every Tuesday homeowners and developers with qualifying projects can receive a building permit in as little as 90 minutes. Additionally, all ADU projects on Tuesdays are given priority, front-of-line service.
- ADU Pre-Approved Master Plan Program: Costs for ADUs can be lowered and permitting can be expedited when a homeowner uses an ADU design that has the City’s pre-approval. The ADU Master Plan Program works with ADU designers to pre-approve their design plans, which cost less than custom designs. Homeowners who use these pre-approved designs can then have their plans reviewed through the Permit Center’s Express Service, which can result more easily in same-day building approval.
- New City of San José Website with a “Universal Checklist”: The City has redesigned its ADU landing page to ensure homeowners can access all critical information -- including a new universal checklist -- in one location.
If you have any questions about these updates, please do not hesitate to contact the Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement at 408-535-7770.
As leaders of America’s 10th largest city, it is important that we elevate high ideals. We should be holding high the notions of acceptance, tolerance, and diversity, and to always speak the truth. When this country’s founders wrote the Declaration of Independence, they said, “That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Their words around equality ring truer than ever for me. That is why I co-authored a memorandum this month requesting the city to engage in a regional Hate Crimes Task Force. The aim of which is to address hate crimes and violence incited by hate speech in our community. To read our full memorandum, please click here.
Transportation Improvements
In the month of July, Council received a number of transportation related updates. City staff analyzed the potential future for expanded Caltrain, BART, VTA, ACE, and possibly high-speed rail service that will be accessible to you, our residents. From those updates we provided direction to city staff. Our goal is to ensure that Caltrain is a high-quality, high-frequency system running on electricity up and down the peninsula; San Francisco to Gilroy. We also are working towards bringing BART through Downtown, and up into Santa Clara, creating a ring of rapid rail around the entire Bay Area for the first time. Staff has a lot of work ahead, but the future of our transportation system is bright. To learn more about the future of transportation in Santa Clara County, please continue reading here.
The City of San José contains over 2,400 miles of pavement. As you may have heard, the City is planning a historical year of street pavement maintenance. The Department of Transportation plans to pave almost 300 miles of our roadways citywide. This has been made possible by the overwhelming passage by Santa Clara County voters approving 2016’s Measure B, by the approval of 2018’s Measure T, and additional state funding. This is part of a nine-year plan to improve our network of streets; increasing the City’s overall Pavement Condition Index (PCI) from a rating of “Fair” (66) to “Good” (70). I’m sure we all know of streets which are in much worse, or failing condition! The good news is they will receive an upgrade in the upcoming years.
As with any complex construction project, there are many moving parts, and several companies involved with the completion of the work. A crew to install the ADA ramps on each of the street corners. Crews to prepare the pavement, or to remove some of the existing pavement, and of course someone to install the fresh pavement.
With all that coordination of work, there may be delays, or movement of schedules. While the contractors are working diligently to remain on schedule, any delays can be very frustrating, and have an impact on many daily tasks like grocery shopping, picking up the kids from soccer practice, or taking an elderly parent to an appointment. We appreciate your patience, and look forward to traveling on our newly paved streets.
We’ve included some links to keep you informed with the City’s paving progress:
Reminder: City Hall to close on Labor Day, Sept 2nd
Early Closure Alert: Saturday, Sept. 7
Please note that Happy Hollow will close at 2 p.m. for Happy Hollow Foundation's signature fundraiser, Rendezvous at the Zoo.
Interested in attending? Get those babysitters booked, because this exciting event is 21+. Make a donation to support education, conservation and play, and you’ll get a ticket to this unforgettable celebration filled with amazing animal encounters, “pop-up” exhibits, live entertainment, delicious bites and drinks galore.
And if you need more persuading, here are a few reasons to buy your tickets now! Wednesday, Sept. 4 is the last day to purchase.
Date: Sunday, Sept. 7th Time: 6pm - 10pm Location: Happy Hollow Zoo
(Click the image for more information)
- 09/08/19 Terrell Park Kenton Lane, 95136
- 09/15/19 Glenview Park Valley Quail Circle, 95120
- 09/22/19 Viva CalleSJ Various Locations
- 09/29/19 Meadowfair Park Corda Drive, 95122
(Click the image for more information)
Kirk Beautification Project
Join the Kirk Park Beautification Project. Volunteering at your local park is a great way to meet your neighbors and take pride in your community.
Date: Saturday, September 14th, 2019 Time: 9am - 12pm Location: Kirk Park, 1601 Foxworthy Ave, San Jose
District 10 Leadership Coalition General Meeting
General Meeting: Mental Illness and Homelessness, Will implementing Laura’s Law be a step forward?
A presentation of the history and efficacy of Laura’s Law plus a roundtable panel discussion by advocates for and against implementation in Santa Clara County. A formal Q&A session will follow the panel.
***Free donuts, bagels and coffee until supply exhausted.
Date: Saturday, September 21, 2019 Time: 9am - 12pm Location: Almaden Community Center, 6445 Camden Ave, San Jose, CA 95120
(Click the image for more information)
City of San José Important Phone Numbers
Abandoned Vehicles (408) 277-5305
Anti-Graffiti (408) 277-8900
Anti-Graffiti 24-Hour Hotline (866) 249-0543
Animal Care & Services (408) 794-7297
City Hall Customer Service (408) 535-3500
Code Enforcement (408) 535-7770
Crime Prevention (408) 277-4133
Family & Domestic Violence Center (408) 277-3700
Gang Prevention Hotline (408) 293-4264
Homeless Outreach (408) 510-7600
Police Emergency 911, (408) 277-8911 (cell phone)
Police Non-Emergency 311, (408) 277-8900 (cell phone)
Park & Trail Concerns (408) 793-5510 (voicemail only)
Park Volunteer Unit (408) 535-3588
Potholes (408) 794-1900
Streetlight Repair (408) 794-1903 (7 am - 4 pm), (408) 277-8956 (after hours)
Sewer and Signal Lights (408) 794-1900
*For digital distribution only*
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