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MINUTES OF THE
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2022
COVID-19 NOTICE
Consistent with AB 361 and City of San Jose Resolution Nos. 79485, 80237, 80266, 80290, 80323, 80343 and 80445, this meeting will not be physically open to the public and the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee Members will be teleconferencing from remote locations.
The Neighborhood Services and Education Committee of the City of San José was teleconferenced from remote locations and convened at 1:36 p.m.
Present: Councilmembers - Arenas, Carrasco (1:40), Esparza, Cohen, Jimenez.
Absent: Councilmembers - All present.
Staff: City Manager’s Office, Angel Rios Jr.; City Attorney’s Office, Karin Murabito; Mayor’s Office, Paul Pereira; City Manager’s Office, Mike Jones, and Deputy City Clerk, Ruth Krantz.
B. Review of Work Plan
C. Consent Calendar
None presented.
D. Reports to Committee
1. Coyote Creek Trail Project Quarterly Status Report
Deputy Director, Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, Neil Ruffino introduced, and Avi Yotam, Deputy Director of Parks; Parks Manager, Liz Sewell; Captain Brian Shab, SJPD; Lucia Wade, Senior Park Ranger; and Dan Greeley, Interim Park Manager offered the presentation and responded to comments.
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1. Coyote Creek Trail Project (Cont’d.)
Public Comments: Blair Beekman and Maxim Kupfer provided comments.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Maya Esparza, seconded by Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco and carried unanimously, the Committee accepted the verbal quarterly status report on the Coyote Creek Trail Project. (5-0.)
2. Tree Planting Costs Report
Rick Scott, Deputy Director and Russell Hansen, City Arborist offered the presentation and responded to questions.
Public Comment: Blair Beekman offered comments.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember David Cohen, seconded by Councilmember Sergio Jimenez and carried unanimously, the Committee accepted the report on tree planting costs associated with planting street trees along with potential measures to reduce costs. (5-0.)
3. Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Volunteer Management Programs Annual Report
Avi Yotam, Deputy Director; Torie O’Reilly, Division Manager; Leticia Espino, Program Manager; Xochitl Montes, Interim Community Services Supervisor; and Jeremy Shoffner, Recreation Superintendent offered the presentation and responded to questions.
Public Comments: Call-in User_1 and Blair Beekman offered comments.
Councilmember Sylvia Arenas suggested establishment of a formal, standard way to identify upcoming events to leverage and maximize resources.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Maya Esparza, seconded by Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco and carried unanimously, the Committee accepted the verbal report on Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services volunteer management programs, accomplishments and improvement initiatives. (5-0.)
4. Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Summer 2022 Recreation Programming Report
Maria De Leon, Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Deputy Director offered the presentation and responded to questions.
Public Comments: Blair Beekman offered comments.
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4. Recreation Programming Report (Cont’d.)
Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Division Manager, Hal Spangenberg, Deputy City Manager Angel Rios, and Deputy Director Neil Rufino offered additional comments regarding Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco’s concerns about Mayfair Community Center’s activities not being equitably aligned with other community centers.
Councilmember Sylvia Arenas requested that this equity piece be addressed in the next report out for recreation programming.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Maya Esparza, seconded by Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco and carried unanimously, the Committee accepted the verbal report on Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services summer 2022 recreation programming with direction to staff to include in their next report actions being taken to equitably align underserved areas, such as Mayfair Community Center, with community centers in more affluent areas. (5-0.)
5. Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force’s Bringing Everyone’s Strengths Together, Safe Summer Initiative Grant, and Youth Interventions Programs Annual Report Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Program Manager, Petra Riguero and Mario Maciel, Division Manager offered the presentation and responded to questions.
Public Comments: Blair Beekman and Manny Cardenas, SCC Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY) and Call-in User-1 provided comments.
Deputy City Manager Angel Rios noted staff’s work with consultant resource and development associates and continued feedback sessions with the partner engagement group in measuring outcomes within their individual best programs, how agencies are evaluating their programs, and how are they measuring outcomes. He noted they should be getting recommendations from the consultant in May/June for that project.
Motion: Accepting Deputy City Manager Angel Rios’ feedback, Councilmember Maya Esparza moved to accept the report with the inclusion of future NSE involvement as noted below in “Action”. Deputy City Manager Angel Rios offered options for placing this item on the September NSE timeline as the new workplan is developed, allowing for more discussion before returning to full council. Councilmember Sergio Jimenez seconded the motion.
Action: On a call for the question, the motion carried unanimously, the Committee accepted the 2020-2021 Annual Report on the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force’s Bringing Everyone’s Strengths Together, Safe Summer Initiative Grant, and Youth Intervention Services, with development of a partnership with all the stakeholders and a system that focuses on consistency and program delivery and a focus on the methodology piece considering the most effective providers, with this item to return to the NSE Committee in the September timeline before cross-referencing to full Council. (5-0.) -3- April 14, 2022
Open Forum
1. Blair Beekman spoke to the connectedness of recent meeting agendas, offering positive input on good efforts and engaging committee process and spoke to body camera issues and interesting reporting by the reimaging task force.
2. Call-in User_1 spoke to license plate reader issues, fires caused and a variety of societal issues, including the City’s not recognizing the representation of religious holidays.
Adjournment
Councilmember Sylvia Arenas adjourned the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee Meeting at 4:22 p.m.
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Sylvia Arenas, Chair
Neighborhood Services and Education Committee SA/rmk:NSEmin_4-14-22 Approved by Council 4/26/22