1 CITY COUNCIL ACTIVITY REPORT
Meeting: Thursday, July 6, 2023
Reporting Councilmember: Councilmember J.R. Fruen
Report Activity Dates: 6/13/23 to 6/26/23
Event Date, Title, and Description:
Event 1. 06/15/2023 – MEMORIAL PARK SPECIFIC PLAN & CARRIAGE HOUSE PROJECT STAFF BRIEFING – I attended a briefing hosted by staff to cover conceptual plan for the Memorial Park Specific Plan in advance of the study session scheduled for 6/21/2023, as well as the Carriage House project application.
Event 2. 06/16/2023 – ASSOCIATION OF BAY AREA GOVERNMENTS (ABAG) GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING – I the annual meeting of the ABAG General Assembly held in San Francisco. On our business calendar, we approved the operating budget and work program for the coming financial year. One of the challenges that ABAG faces is the cost of pension liabilities for which ABAG remains responsible prior to the merger of the agency with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The organization approved a (previously delayed) membership fee increase. The General Assembly also hosted its annual conference, featuring a keynote presentation from Tracy Hadden Loh of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Transformative Placemaking entitled “Prosperity and the Power of Place in the Bay Area.” A panel presentation and discussion then followed. Recordings are available through ABAG’s Granicus system here.
Event 3. 06/22/2023 – SAN JOSE DOWNTOWN PRIDE MONTH PARTY – I attended a gathering hosted by San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres, California Assemblymember Alex Lee, and Berryessa Union School District Board Trustee Jaria Juag to honor individuals and organizations that made a positive impact for the LGBTQ+ community in the prior year.
Event 4. 06/23/2023 – SILICON VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION BOOK DISCUSSION OF “HOMELESSNESS IS A HOUSING PROBLEM” – I attended a book discussion presented
2 by Prof. Gregg Colburn on the topic of his book “Homelessness is a Housing Problem.” The Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Destination: Home hosted the event for a wide group of members of city councils and boards of supervisors in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. The essential takeaway is that the primary structural driver of regional variation in levels of homelessness is tight housing supply in high-cost housing markets. The book is available at: https://www.amazon.com/Homelessness-Housing-Problem-Structural- Patterns/dp/0520383761
Event 5. 06/23/2023 – ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (APALI) 26th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION – Together with Mayor Wei and City Manager Wu, I presented a certificate to Dr. Michael Chang in recognition of the occasion of the 26th Anniversary of APALI. The event was exceedingly well-attended by both APALI alumni and public officials.
Event 6. 06/24/2023 – PROGRESSIVE LEADERSHIP LAB – Together with a variety of Bay Area local electeds, I attended the last session of the Progressive Leadership Lab in Hayward for a discussion of land use principles, affordable housing, and the implementation of the Regional Housing Needs Allocation in the Bay Area.