Attachment — San Jose City Council, December 6, 2022

COVID-19 Recovery Task
Force Report NOVEMBER 2022
CITY OF SAN JOSÉ
“Eres Esencial (Grocery Workers)” by Samuel Rodriguez from the City of San José’s “Holding the Moment” Exhibition Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3
INTRODUCTION 20
CITY INITIATIVES ROADMAP:

COVID-19 RECOVERY INITIATIVES 30
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 36
FINDINGS BY COMMITTEE 47
RECOMMENDATIONS BY COMMITTEE 70
IMPLEMENTATION 91
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 94
APPENDIX 98
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
2 Library Maker Space Team
Storytelling Activity
Community Resource Fair
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
3 “Eres Esencial (Medical Workers)” by Samuel Rodriguez from the City of San José’s “Holding the Moment” Exhibition Executive Summary
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
4 Executive Summary
“SAP25” by the Draculas, facilitated by Empire
Seven Studios, SAP Center, Whitney Hallock
and SJ Walls (Formerly PWSJ)
The COVID-19 pandemic has been extraordinarily painful
and traumatic for many in the San José community;
making clear and exacerbating many existing social,
racial, and economic inequities. Moreover, the ongoing
and consecutive waves of variants have resulted in
intensifying public health, emergency response, and
economic recovery needs for the community. To address
these community and economic recovery needs, in
September 2021, the San José City Council approved 55
organizations to serve on its COVID-19 Recovery Task
Force (Recovery Task Force).

Overview of covid-19
recovery task force
The initial scope of the Recovery Task
Force focused on working with the
community to consider the future of the
city in three key areas:

The role and responsibilities of the Recovery Task
Force were to:
• Advise and monitor progress on the City’s Roadmap
Recovery initiatives;
• Develop a community engagement and
communications plan for involving the public in the
Recovery Task Force process;
• Share information to the organization’s supporters
about this work, and bring their feedback back to the
Recovery Task Force; and
• Develop new recommended actions for recovery to
be considered by the City Council
In Mayor Sam Liccardo’s March Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2022-2023, he noted that when the Task Force recommendations come forward to Council in Fall 2022, some or all will require funding to implement. The message directed the City Manager “to create a modest reserve of one-time funding to implement those recommendations that Council adopts from the Recovery Task Force.” As a result, the City Council included $2.0 million of American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act funding in the adopted Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Budget for Recovery Task Force recommendations. 2 1
3 Stabilizing and strengthening families
Supporting small businesses
Supporting workers
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
5 Executive Summary
To effectively complete their roles and responsibilities, the Recovery Task Force divided into committees to address key community issues. Committees met monthly to identify key needs and impacts related to each issue, to review relevant reports and committee-specific data from the community engagement process, and to develop recommendations to address the identified recovery outcomes. Each committee selected a chair (or co-chairs) to lead their group and serve as a point-person (or point-people) for the City staff and consultant team.

Below are the nine Recovery Task Force committees as well as the overarching goal for each committee.

Supporting Small Businesses
Support small businesses to recover from
the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic
by providing necessary assistance
tailored to San José small businesses’
specific needs.

Community Engagement
Educate and connect families on various
community resources, and conduct deep
community engagement about what is
needed for recovery.

Childcare, Early Care and Education,
and Youth Development
Expand access to affordable, equitable,
and high-quality programming in
childcare, early care and education, and
youth development.

Community Health and Wellness
Proactively foster community health,
safety, and wellness in San José by
incorporating the social determinants of
health into the City’s programming and
decision-making.

Data and Budgeting
Gather data, work with each committee
to develop impact metrics, and compile
tools to be used across all committees
for Recovery Task Force-wide
understanding and decisions.

Housing
Ensure all members of the San José
community have access to affordable
and stable housing.

Just Recovery for Airport, Hotel,
and Arts Workers
Revitalizing hospitality, travel (i.e., the
airport), and the arts for these industries
and workers.

Workers’ Health, Safety, and Rights
Promote workplace health, safety, and
justice to ensure a full and fair return
to work for San José businesses and
workers.

Steering Committee
Serve as a leadership and coordinating body by identifying and voting on agenda items for Recovery Task Force meetings and by providing feedback to the City staff and consultant team on topics related to the Recovery Task Force, including overall approach, timeline, and initial versions of the final report.

City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
6 Executive Summary
Committee
Recommendations
Over the course of nine months, committees participated in an iterative process to draft recommendations by reviewing and incorporating information from secondary data, regional recovery reports, and their subject matter expertise.

Throughout this process, City staff from across departments provided expert feedback to support committees to craft their recommendations based on existing City programs and initiatives.

To help organize committee ideas, recommendations
were categorized into strategies and actions. Strategies were envisioned as high-level areas of work and
included approaches to address inequities and to
achieve progress toward reaching each committee’s
goal. Within each strategy, committees developed
multiple actions, which were defined as the specific
tasks to help implement the strategy, tied to impact
measures where possible. Two committees – the Data
and Budgeting Committee and the Steering Committee
– did not develop their own set of recommendations as
they served in an ancillary support capacity for other
committees.

In October 2022, each committee presented their
recommendations to the Recovery Task Force for
feedback and clarifying questions. After edits and a
review by the Steering Committee, the recommendations
were approved by the Recovery Task Force at their last
meeting on November 10, 2022.

The Recovery Task Force’s final vote included the
following:

1. Accept the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report.

2. Direct staff to provide semi-annual status reports
to the Community and Economic Development
Committee on implementation of the COVID-19
Recovery Task Force Report.

3. Accept the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force
recommendation to advance implementation of the
COVID-19 Task Force Report:
• Authorize expenditure from the $2.0 million
COVID-19 Recovery Task Force appropriation in the
American Rescue Plan Fund to implement the ten
recommendations listed in Figure 4;
• Direct staff to evaluate and propose
recommendations to be considered for funding in the
Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Mid-Year Budget process and
as part of the City Initiatives Roadmap process for
the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Budget and future annual
budgets; and
• Incorporate relevant recommendations into the City’s
Children and Youth Services Master Plan process.

4. Determine that Fiscal Year 2022-2023 City Initiatives Roadmap item “COVID-19 Recovery Task Force” is
completed.

City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
7 Executive Summary
Childcare, Early Care and Education,
and Youth Development
Strategy 1: Provide equitable workforce development opportunities (including living wages) to the childcare, early care and education, and youth development workforce.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Expand and increase capacity of small business support and quality improvement services (e.g., trainings,
capacity-building, and credentialing) for childcare and early care providers.

For example, leverage existing City programs to provide support to the ongoing efforts to develop a countywide
Shared Services Alliance (SSA) for Family Child Care
Home (FCCH) providers to have access to small business, programmatic, and instructional support services.

Library 3

1.2 Increase and create stable/sustainable funding for San José Public Library Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN)
Caregiver Support Network.

Library 3

GLOSSARY
API—Administration, Policy, and Intergovernmental
Relations
CAO—City Attorney’s Office
CBO—Community-Based Organization
CMO—City Manager’s Office
DIR—Department of Industrial Relations
DOT—Department of Transportation
Impl.—Implementation
ITD—Information Technology Department
MOU—Memorandum of Understanding
OEA—Office of Equality Assurance
OEDCA—Office of Economic Development and
Cultural Affairs
OEM—Office of Emergency Management
PBCE—Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement
PRNS—Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services
PW-OEA—Department of Public Works, Office of
Equality Assurance
SCCOE—Santa Clara County Office of Education
SJCE—San José Clean Energy
TSJ—Team San Jose
The following tables include the summary of
recommendations identified by the Recovery Task Force.

Full details of each recommended action are listed in the “Recommendations by Committee” chapter.

After an initial analysis of the recommendations, City
staff have determined that many are already underway
and are part of a department work plan. Others are
policy considerations by the City Council. Lastly, some recommendations require additional evaluation and/or
may require resources. Each recommendation has been
categorized according to City staff analysis, found in the Implementation Category column in the following tables
under one of three categories:

1. Already underway and in a department work plan

2. City Council policy decision

3. Additional evaluation and/or resources required
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
8 Executive Summary
Strategy 2: Enhance facilities for childcare, early care and education, and youth development programming.

Strategy 3: Expand outreach and access to affordable, equitable, and high-quality childcare, early care and education, and youth development programming.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.1 Continue the exploration of transitioning PRNS’s early learning/childcare sites to become licensed childcare
facilities.

Additionally, assess unused City facilities to become
licensed childcare facilities.

PRNS/SCCOE 1 – part A
3 – part B

2.2 Partner to support childcare and early care and
education non-profits in acquiring commercial buildings. SCCOE 3

2.3 Expand incentives for ground-floor community-serving spaces in new mixed-use developments. Housing/PBCE 3
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

3.1 Enhance outreach to low-income families to better
connect them with childcare, before and after school
programs, and other youth development programs
through the City’s pilot Promotores program.

CMO/Library/
PRNS 1

3.2 Expand outreach to youth from equity priority
communities to secure living wage jobs, including
summer recreational leader positions with the City for
high school students.

Library/PRNS/
work2future 1

1. This action was originally developed by the Community Health and Wellness Committee, and then referred to and incorporated by the Childcare, Early Care and Education, and Youth Development Committee into their recommendations.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.3 Strengthen partnerships with community-based
organizations by leveraging existing high-quality child and youth programs and services already offered by the
City and non-profits.

Library/PRNS 1

1.4 Continue workforce development programs for youth
from equity priority communities.

Library/ PRNS/
work2future 1

1.5 Explore retention strategies for childcare and afterschool workers. Library 3

1.6 Leverage and align funding to support workforce
development opportunities for the childcare, early care and education, and youth development workforce.

Consider additional funding sources to provide ongoing
funding for childcare and youth development programs.

Library/PRNS 3

1.7 Consider a pilot project subsidizing childcare for staff of health and social services agencies as a retention
strategy.1
CBOs 3
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
9 Executive Summary
Strategy 5: Enhance mental health and wellbeing and mentorship opportunities for all children and youth.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

5.1 Expand trainings on trauma-informed and trauma-
responsive practices. Library/PRNS 3

5.2 Expand social emotional learning to address traumas related to COVID-19.

Collaborate to expand opportunities and advocate for
social emotional learning to address traumas related to COVID-19 for all children and youth.

CMO/Library/
PRNS 3

5.3 Expand trauma-informed mental and behavioral health programs for children and youth.

CMO/Library/
PRNS 3

5.4 Expand existing mentorship programs for middle and
high school-aged students hardest hit by COVID-19.

CBOs/Community
Colleges/Library/
PRNS
3 5.5
Continue to coordinate with the Santa Clara County
Office of Education and implement quality improvement
standards, on an ongoing basis, for all programs (e.g., nutrition, playtime, social emotional learning) serving children, youth, and young adults.

CMO/Library/
PRNS/SCCOE 1

5.6 Expand quality programming, employment opportunities, and leverage resources for youth and young people with
disabilities.

CMO/PRNS 3
Strategy 4: Expand slots for childcare, early care and education, and youth development programming opportunities.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

4.1 Continue to coordinate with the Santa Clara County
Office of Education to ensure that findings from the
childcare zip code report continue to inform the City’s child and youth development programming.

CMO/SCCOE 1

4.2 Identify the need for out-of-school-time programs in priority zip codes (areas hardest hit by the pandemic
within San José) and available out-of-school-time
programs in those zip codes.

Library/PRNS 1

4.3 Expand childcare, early care, and out-of-school time programs in zip codes most impacted by COVID-19.

Fund family childcare homes and youth development
programs in zip codes most impacted by COVID-19.

Library/PRNS $200,000 1
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

3.3 Improve access to childcare and preschool programs
for families who make just above the State income
guidelines and do not qualify for these programs.

Library/PRNS 3
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
10 Executive Summary
Community Engagement
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Continue and expand the COVID-19 Recovery Task
Force’s pilot Promotores program to build awareness of
recovery resources offered by the City and community-
based organizations (CBOs). Resource information to
disseminate include workforce development programs,
childcare, housing, community health clinics and to the Filipino, Vietnamese, Asian, Latino/a/x, and Black and
African-Ancestry communities. 2
CMO $100,000 1

1.2 Involve the community to simplify forms needed to
access important recovery resources related to housing, workforce development, small business, and after-
school programs. Consider starting with those related to housing resources. 3
CMO/Housing/
OEDCA/PRNS 1

1.3 Host an annual recovery resource fair and/or other
engagement activity to directly connect residents with
recovery resources. Activities should be in different
areas/neighborhoods that have been impacted the most
by the pandemic.

CMO $15,000 1

2. A similar action was developed by the following committees: Childcare, Early Care and Education, and Youth Development; Community Health and Wellness; Housing; and Supporting Small Businesses.

3. A similar action was developed by the Housing Committee and the Supporting Small Businesses Committee.

City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
11 Executive Summary
Community Health and Wellness
Strategy 1: Support health and social service providers working in the City of San José’s equity priority communities with increasing capacity for services delivery, including physical, mental, and dental health as well as services that address the social determinants of health.

Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Support career training programs for community health navigators.

1.2 Engage with the County to create a collaborative cross- sector emergency plan that facilitates efforts to include community health centers and non-profit safety net
organizations as core partners.

OEM 1

1.3 Through the City’s existing work development programs, support regional efforts to establish and expand
behavioral health career programs that train students to become certified behavioral health providers.
work2future 3

1.4 Support retention strategies for the healthcare workforce.

Partner with local philanthropic organizations and health stakeholders in developing and funding strategies to
strengthen retention within the healthcare workforce.

CMO/ PRNS 3

1.5 Increase awareness of the City’s Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to fund
needed repairs and maintenance.

Housing 1

1.6 Work with the County to involve community health
centers and CBOs in the ongoing development of the
Cross-Agency Systems Team (CAST) to strengthen the
local coordinated system of care for children, youth, and families.

County/CMO 3
Strategy 2: Educate and connect residents to culturally relevant resources and services and reduce barriers to access.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.1 Report out on the ongoing evaluation of the City’s pilot Promotores program. CMO 1

2.2 Enhance language accessibility for all City services and programs.

CMO/City
Departments 1
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
12 Executive Summary
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.3 Connect with and leverage community health centers
and CBOs to distribute educational materials about
existing public services and programs.

CMO/Library/
PRNS/ Community
Health Centers/
CBOs
1 2.4 Provide in-person support at City facilities for accessing online services during emergency events. OEM 1

2.5 Strengthen food distribution programs for low-income, food-insecure households. CMO/County 3

2.6 Provide additional funding through the City’s Senior Health and Wellness Grant Program to support an
increase of chronic disease education, especially
diabetes management and prevention.

PRNS $200,000 1
Strategy 3: Leverage the City’s land use authority to advance health and increase community resilience against future emergency events.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

3.1 Consider changes to the City’s zoning code to allow small-scale urban agriculture as the primary land use in most zones and accessory uses such as temporary on-
site urban agriculture stands.

PBCE 2,3

3.2 Continue the City’s Community Forest Management
plans to reverse declining canopy cover and expand tree planting guided by an equity lens and in Equity Priority communities to combat the urban heat island effect.

DOT 1

3.3 Work with energy providers to determine residents who require energy for chronic disease management (e.g.,
insulin needs to be kept cool, and dialysis machines) and explore the feasibility of exempting those individuals
from power cut off or provide battery back-up cooling to those individuals.

SJCE 3

3.4 Explore a policy/ordinance or policy/ordinance
amendments to simplify the permitting and MOU
processes for partnerships with non-profit organizations and health and social service providers to more quickly provide services to high-need populations.

CMO/PBCE 2,3
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
13 Executive Summary
Housing
Strategy 1: Sustaining rental assistance efforts.

Strategy 2: Accelerating affordable housing production.

Strategy 3: Creating pathways to homeownership.

Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Increase rental assistance and homeless prevention
efforts to low-income residents and in neighborhoods
most impacted by the pandemic.

CMO/Housing 1

1.2 Integrate and coordinate additional efforts to support vulnerable renters and communities to access additional resources, such as employment and education
assistance, legal support, mental health support, and
other social services.

Housing 1

1.3 Sponsor or support State legislation to mandate that local courts publish eviction data.

City Council/

CMO-API/
Housing
2 1.4 Continue development of an Eviction Diversion/Housing collaborative court. Housing 1
Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.1 Include low-income youth, young adults, and families who reside or work in San José in priority groups for
affordable housing opportunities.

Housing 3

2.2 Advocate for stronger State affordable housing
legislation.

City Council/

CMO-API/
Housing
2 2.3
Proactively work to achieve 100% of the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) allocation of
affordable housing for the 2023-2031 housing period.

Housing/PBCE/
OEDCA 1

2.4 Develop an acquisition/rehabilitation program for rental properties. Housing 3
Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

3.1 Develop approaches to homeownership that create
opportunities for stability, and for individuals and families to stay and control their own housing.

Housing 2,3

3.2 Develop approaches to homeownership that create
generational wealth and funding mechanisms to support
homeownership.

Housing 3
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
14 Executive Summary
Strategy 4: Expanding housing outreach and engagement efforts.

Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

4.1 Fund local CBOs to conduct outreach on renters’ rights and existing housing programs and services. Housing $130,000 1

4.2 Develop a multi-platform online Tenant Resource Center. Housing $130,000 1

4.3 Fund non-profit organizations to educate communities on how to become homeowners and explore different ways
on home purchase and provide information on default
and mortgage assistance.

Housing 3

4.4 Conduct an evaluation of the City’s housing programs and services. Housing 3

4.5 Reduce barriers, especially required forms and
certifications, to accessing City housing programs and
services.

Housing 3
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
15 Executive Summary
Just Recovery for Airport, Hotel,
and Arts Workers
Strategy 1: The hospitality and entertainment sectors have not returned to full employment Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Consider changes to the City’s Opportunity to Work
Ordinance to lower the employer threshold of 36
employees to 25 employees and to ensure as many
full-time employment positions are offered to part-time employees as possible.

City Council/
CAO/PW 2

1.2 Explore creating a collective impact employment
program for upskilling of low-wage workers.

As example, partner with San José State University to
expand their Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Management program to provide training certificates and upskilling opportunities for low-income hospitality workers.

OEDCA 3
Strategy 2: Energize travel demand and ensure the short and long-term sustainability of arts funding in San José
Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.1 Explore dedicating Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT)
resources for the long-term recovery and growth of the
arts and visitor industry.

CMO-Budget/
OEDCA 1,2,3

2.2 Encourage the City to develop alternate funding
scenarios for addressing the long-term stability and
sustainability of the arts and visitor industry.

CMO-Budget/
OEDCA 1,2,3

2.3 Further prioritize small- and mid-sized arts groups in all Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) grant-funding decision making.

OEDCA 1

2.4 Prioritize small- and mid-sized arts groups, provide subsidies for rentals at City-owned venues. OEDCA $100,000 1

2.5 Promote arts-based events at City-owned facilities. OEDCA/TSJ 1,3

2.6 Convene a working group of arts and visitor industry stakeholders to develop targeted strategies to bring in arts-based business activity to the City of San José.

TSJ/arts
stakeholders 3

2.7 Review of City costs associated with cultural
programming in City-owned facilities, parks, and street closures.

OEDCA 3
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
16 Executive Summary
Supporting Small Businesses
Strategy 1: Increase access to capital and direct financial assistance for small businesses most impacted by the pandemic.

Strategy 2: Strengthen long-term solutions to support small businesses.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Continue to prioritize and increase financial assistance and support for very small businesses (fewer than 10
employees).

OEDCA
$600,000
($300,000 for rent
relief program;
$300,000 for
Storefront Grant
program)
1 1.2
Connect with and leverage existing City outreach
programs like the City’s pilot Promotores program and
partnerships with community-based organizations and
business chambers. As part of this outreach, continue
to provide information on these resources in multiple
languages, ensure screen readers accessibility, and clear understandable text is used in materials.

CMO/Library/
OEDCA/CBOs/
Business
Associations and
Chambers
1 Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.1 Continue to partner with and provide funding to
organizations who provide training to small business
owners on managing books, filing taxes, building credit, securing funding, computer literacy, and other financial tools for long term success.

OEDCA $150,000 1

2.2 Leverage the partnerships and resources in the
newly-launched Latino Business Foundation’s Small
Business Resource Center at Quetzal Gardens, as
well as the online website Business Owner Space
(businessownerspace.com) to serve as a one-stop shop
of resources for small business owners. Explore how
SJ311 or other text-based forms of communicating with
the City can also be an additional resource for accessing information.

OEDCA/Latino
Business
Foundation’s
Small Business
Resource Center
1 2.3
Through the City’s ongoing procurement disparity
study, support efforts to identify barriers in the City’s contracting process for Black, Latinx, Asian, people
with disabilities and woman-owned businesses
and encourage participation, policy and procedure
recommendations and refinements that the City may take
to increase participation.

Finance 1
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
17 Executive Summary
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.4 Develop grants to cover construction costs to support small business owners to meet Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.

PBCE/OEDCA 3

2.5 Explore the idea of partnership with philanthropic
organizations/other funding sources to offer a universal basic income program for sole proprietors, including
those working in the arts, childcare, food services, and community health.

CBOs and other
partners 3
Strategy 3: Take steps to proactively bridge the digital divide for small business owners.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

CMO 1

ITD/Library 3

3.3 Leverage future federal infrastructure funding that can support Family Child Care Home (FCCH) providers’
childcare facilities with upgrading their facilities to include high-speed broadband internet and other
modern digital infrastructure, in case of another
COVID-19 surge or emergency. 4
Library 3

3.4 Address technology inequities by expanding digital
education, digital literacy, and access to high-speed
broadband internet for undocumented, women, Black,
Latinx, Asian, people with a disabilities, older adults, non- English speaking, and LGBTQ+ small business owners.

ITD/Library 1

4. This action was originally developed by the Childcare, Early Care and Education, and Youth Development Committee, and then referred to and incorporated by the Supporting Small Businesses Committee into their recommendations.

City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
18 Executive Summary
Workers’ Health, Safety, and Rights
Strategy 1: Workplace rights outreach, education, and enforcement: a) expand the City’s role, and b) connect with other agencies and community organizations to leverage existing capacity.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Increase staff and resources in the Office of Equality Assurance (OEA). Specifically:
• Resources to conduct inspections of worksites,
interviewing workers to ensure that payroll records are accurate, and identifying if apprentice ratios are being met
• Identify concentrations of offenses or repeat offenders • Ensure language capacity to quickly respond to worker calls/ complaints in languages other than English
• Continue to evaluate staffing needs relative to number and needs of workers falling under City minimum
wage, prevailing wage, or other OEA enforcement
responsibilities
PW-OEA 1

1.2 Increase engagement with the County’s Fair Workplace Collaborative to conduct outreach and education,
especially around City minimum wage and wage and
hour issues. Additionally, explore integrating community- based workers’ rights outreach and education into
existing City programs that touch working community
members or jobseekers.

PW-OEA $375,000 1

1.3 Connect with union labor compliance programs.

Specifically:
• Increase OEA’s ability to respond timely to certified payroll requests
• Collaborate on enforcing prevailing rates including
benefit packages, State apprenticeship ratios, and
related training requirements
• Follow Department of Industrial Relations (DIR)
procedures by giving the highest wage/benefit
package to workers when there are overlapping
classifications on public works projects
• Consider establishing a monthly roundtable meeting
on construction labor/workforce issues (both public
and private) with labor compliance officers and other
stakeholders (similar to the Developers Roundtable
meeting).

PW-OEA 1
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
19 Executive Summary
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.4 Improve awareness of and compliance with local
minimum wage protections. (Relates to Action 1.2)
• Ensure businesses are aware of local minimum wage
differences and annual increases, their responsibilities, and how to access resources and help if needed
• Ensure workers are aware of local minimum wages and
how to access their rights
PW-OEA 3

1.5 Explore raising San José’s minimum wage to equal that of Sunnyvale and Mountain View. In parallel, encourage other cities in Santa Clara County to adopt that as
regional standard minimum wage.

PW-OEA 2
Strategy 2: Strengthen workers’ rights and safety enforcement tools in City of San José.

Strategy 3: Paid sick leave: a) extend COVID-19 paid sick leave to provide stability and predictability, b) enact permanent local paid sick leave law – more robust than 3 days offered by State. Follow models of Oakland, San Francisco, and other California cities.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.1 In developing the Responsible Construction Ordinance (RCO), review the new model enacted in Sunnyvale and
the work underway in Mountain View. Ensure RCO is
enacted in San José.

PW-OEA 1

2.2 Remove exclusion of Public Works from Wage Theft
Policy for City contracts. PW-OEA 1

2.3 Direct the City Attorney Office to file suit in egregious wage theft enforcement cases, for misclassification under AB5 where appropriate (including joining other cities in lawsuits), and egregious cases before the OEA.

City Council 2

2.4 Ensure no actions are taken to undermine or lower the living wage or prevailing wage, whichever is applicable and, if both apply, the higher of the two is used.

PW-OEA 2
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

3.1 Renew the City law for COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave, continue coverage (recognizing that COVID-19 is
now likely to become endemic), covering all workers in
San José, regardless of the number of employees in a
company. Advocate for State to extend tax credits for
small businesses that provide COVID-19 sick pay per City or State law.

City Council/CAO 2

3.2 Ensure that workers are educated about their rights to 3-day paid sick leave, COVID-19 supplemental paid sick
leave, and job-protected leave.

PW-OEA 1

3.3 Enact permanent local paid sick leave law – more robust than 3 days offered by State. City Council 2
20 Introduction
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Introduction
21 Introduction
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Organization of Report
This report captures the work of the Recovery Task
Force that occurred between November 2021 and
November 2022. The report is organized by the
following main sections:
› Introduction
Explains the background and purpose of the Recovery
Task Force and it details the Recovery Task Force
process.
› City Initiatives Roadmap:

COVID-19 Recovery Initiatives
› Provides information on the City’s existing community and economic recovery initiatives.
› Community Engagement
Describes the Recovery Task Force’s community
engagement process and the high-level results from
the community engagement efforts.
› Findings by Committee
Captures the work of the committee process, including
the selected secondary data and key committee-
specific data from the community engagement process
reviewed.
› Recommendations by Committee
Lists the full details of the Recovery Task Force’s
recommendations to address community and
economic recovery needs.
› Implementation
Outlines next steps for implementation of the Recovery
Task Force’s recommendations.
› Appendix
Presents the full and detailed report of the community
engagement process and findings.

Together, this input reflects the values, goals, and
concerns of Recovery Task Force stakeholders and the
community with respect to recovering from the COVID-19
pandemic. The focus audiences for this report include:
the City Council, City Administration, the general public, partner organizations, and the Recovery Task Force.

Commemoration Of The Founding Of The Pueblo San Jose De Guadalupe (Parque De Los Pobladores)
Nov 2021 Recovery Task Force Meeting
22 Introduction
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Background and Purpose of
the Recovery Task Force
Impact of COVID-19 in San José
The COVID-19 pandemic has been extraordinarily painful
and traumatic for many in the San José community;
making clear and exacerbating many existing social,
racial, and economic inequities5. For example, according to the Bay Area Equity Atlas, the proportion of low-
income Bay Area residents who have experienced
difficulty covering usual expenses (such as food, housing, utilities) has steadily increased throughout the pandemic to now more than 53% of all low-income residents6.

On March 16, 2020, the Santa Clara County Department
of Public Health, along with five other Bay Area counties and the City of Berkeley, issued its order to shelter
in place, reporting 258 confirmed cases and four
deaths within the seven jurisdictions7. Cases increased throughout the County, and by July 2020, the City of San José reported 3,187 new cases in the three-week period
of July 19, 2020 to August 8, 2020. Another surge during the winter 2020 holiday season led to 44,332 new cases
in San José reported during the period of November 22,
2020 to January 2, 2021; with a positivity rate of 9.9%.

In January 2021, Santa Clara County Public Health data
indicated that the Latino/a/x community accounted for
51% of COVID-19 cases and close to 30% of the deaths,
despite making up only 26% of the population. When
data for the Asian population was disaggregated,
Vietnamese and Filipino communities were found to be
disproportionally impacted by infections and deaths in
comparison to other Asian groups. Black and African-
Ancestry residents had a higher death rate from the
disease. The Black and African-Ancestry community
makes up 2.4% of San José’s population and accounted
for 1.8% of the cases, with 2.9% of the deaths8.

COVID-19 case rates in Santa Clara County increased
again in July 2021, primarily due to widespread
infections caused by SARS CoV-2 Delta Variant, a
more easily transmissible version of the SARS-CoV-2
virus. The Omicron subvariant, BA.2, which was most
prevalent between October 2021 and March 2022, was
responsible for the biggest surge in COVID-19 cases
throughout the country. In Santa Clara County, the
surge peaked on January 5, 2022, when 6,545 new
cases were reported. Following the surge, reports from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

5. PolicyLink. April 2021. Indicators of Equitable Recovery in the Bay Area. Retrieved from: https://sff.org/what-we-do/grantmaking-to-advance-racial-equity/ policy-innovation/equitable-recovery-in-the-bay-area/.

6. PolicyLink. August 2022. Bay Area Recovery Tracker. Retrieved from: https://bayareaequityatlas.org/recovery-tracker.

7. Santa Clara County Department of Public Health. March 16, 2020. Seven Bay Area Jurisdictions Order Residents to Stay Home. Retrieved from: https:// publichealth.sccgov.org/news/news-release/seven-bay-area-jurisdictions-order-residents-stay-home.

City COVID-19 Social Media Updates
23 Introduction
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
indicated that Omicron subvariants, including the BA.5
Variant, were responsible for an increase in COVID-19
cases around the United States during the summer of
2022, accounting for nearly all new coronavirus cases.

According to the Santa Clara County Department of
Public Health9, as of October 2022, there have been an
estimated 261,292 reported COVID-19 cases among San
José residents. This amount is likely an underestimate of the total case count, however, because of the barriers to accessing COVID-19 tests early on in the pandemic and
the more recent proliferation of at-home tests that do
not feed into public health databases. For a full picture of COVID-19 cases in Santa Clara County over time, see
Figure 1.

Additionally, as of October 14, 2022, there have been a total of 2,498 deaths attributed to COVID-19 across the county (for privacy reasons, data on COVID-19 deaths
is unavailable at the city or zip code level). COVID-19 deaths are defined as deaths of Santa Clara County
residents who were confirmed COVID-19 cases and that
had COVID-19 listed as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death on their death certificate.

This immense loss of life has had ripple effects through San José, and has impacted the community’s social
cohesion and economic vitality. For a full picture of
COVID-19 deaths in Santa Clara County over time, see
Figure 2.

FIGURE 1—Santa Clara County COVID-19 Cases Over Time

8. Santa Clara County Department of Public Health. January 2021. COVID-19 Data and Reports. Retrieved from: https://covid19.sccgov.org/dashboard- demographics-of-cases-and-deaths.

9. Santa Clara County Department of Public Health. October 2022. COVID-19 Data and Reports. Retrieved from: https://covid19.sccgov.org/dashboards. 24 Introduction
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Zip Code Total Population Total Cases Case rate per
100,000 people
95111 62,392 20,430 32,745
95112 61,060 15,845 25,950
95116 56,481 17,150 30,364
95122 57,780 19,951 33,837
95127 65,686 19,816 30,168
FIGURE 2—Santa Clara County COVID-19 Deaths Over Time
FIGURE 3—COVID-19 Case Rates in San José’s Most Impacted Zip Codes Although San José’s case rate of 24,604 per 100,000 residents is slightly lower than the statewide average of 25,900 cases per 100,000 residents10, certain San José zip codes have experienced a much heavier burden from the pandemic. Zip codes primarily in East San José, such as 95122 and 95111, have been the most impacted by COVID-19 (see Figure 3)11.

Residents of these neighborhoods are more likely to be essential workers, such as those in food and janitorial services, and are more likely to live in overcrowded housing and rely on public transportation. These socioeconomic factors combine to place these residents at increased risk of exposure to COVID-19. As a result, the pandemic exacerbated existing health inequities with Latino/a/x and Black and African-Ancestry populations in California experiencing disproportionately higher decreases in life expectancy12.

10. California Department of Public Health. October 2022. Tracking COVID-19 in California. Retrieved from: https://covid19.ca.gov/state-dashboard/.

11. Santa Clara County Department of Public Health. October 2022. COVID-19 Case by Zip Code and City. Retrieved from: https://covid19.sccgov.org/dashboard- cases-by-zip-code-and-city.

12. Schwandt H, Currie J, von Wachter T, Kowarski J, Chapman D, Woolf SH. Changes in the Relationship Between Income and Life Expectancy Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic, California, 2015-2021. JAMA. 2022;328(4):360–366. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.10952. 25 Introduction
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Establishment of the Recovery Task Force
On March 16, 2021, the City Council approved the City Roadmap (Roadmap) for Fiscal Year 2021-2022. The Roadmap included 41 initiatives—18 of which are Recovery-related—with over 48 workstreams that are organized by Enterprise Priority. “COVID-19 Pandemic: Community & Economic Recovery” is one of the eight Enterprise Priorities. The Recovery Task Force is a specific initiative of the Enterprise Priority.

The City Council also provided direction on
the creation of the Task Force by approving a
memorandum from Councilmember Peralez on
March 16, 2021:

Utilizing the Greater Downtown San
José Economic Recovery Task Force
and the Health & Racial Equity Task
Force as models, create and staff a
citywide, cross-sector, community-
based Task Force that would provide
recommendations to the City Council
on matters of COVID-19 economic and
social recovery. The Task Force should
be convened for no more than a year.

Based on the City’s past experiences with advisory and
public engagement processes, including the Station
Area Advisory Group and the Greater Downtown
San José Recovery Task Force, City staff developed
a recommendation for City Council on the size and
membership of the Recovery Task Force. The Recovery
Task Force was intended to work cohesively and nimbly
yet be inclusive of a wide array of community and
content area interests. In determining organizations
to recommend for the Recovery Task Force, staff
considered expertise and/or experience in a subject
matter, topic or industry, including health, affordable housing and homeless services, workforce training/
development, small business support, education
and childcare/family support, digital inclusion,
equity and cultural competence, social services, and
arts and culture. Additionally, staff considered the
organization’s existing reach and engagement in
serving neighborhoods and residents most impacted
by the pandemic. On September 21, 2021, the San José
City Council approved 55 organizations to serve on
the Recovery Task Force. The full list of organizations and representatives is found in the Acknowledgments
section at the end of the report.

PPE/Front Line Workers” by Vicki Thompson from the City of San José’s “Holding the Moment” Exhibition
Nov 2021 Recovery Task Force Meeting
26 Introduction
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
The scope of the Recovery Task
focused on working with the
community to consider the future of the
city in three key areas:

Adult and Infant at the Community Resource Fair
“Eres Esencial (Grocery Workers)” by Samuel Rodriguez from the City of San José’s “Holding the Moment” Exhibition Attendee Receiving Food from Fair Participant
27 Introduction
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Recovery Task Force Process
Beginning in November 2021, the Recovery Task Force met monthly on the second Thursday of the month (see Figure 4). Since the Recovery Task Force was subject to California’s Brown Act, meetings were open to the public and individuals were provided an opportunity for public comment. To ensure equity and accessibility, meetings were held in the evenings and live simultaneous interpretation was available in Spanish and Vietnamese. All Task Force and committee meetings were held virtually via Zoom.

FIGURE 4—Recovery Task Force Meeting Schedule
Meeting Date Meeting Purpose
November 4, 2021 Kick-off and orientation
December 9, 2021 Presentation on City Roadmap COVID-19 Community and Economic Recovery Initiatives
January 13, 2022 Ideas for Task Force Committees
February 10, 2022 Survey results on Committees; Committee Framework and Approach March 10, 2022 Task Force Committee process; Breakouts for first Committee meetings April 14, 2022 Community Engagement Plan update
May 12, 2022 County of Santa Clara and City of San José Emergency Operation Centers panel discussion; approval of Community Engagement Plan
June 9, 2022 Approval of Community Survey and Engagement Toolkit; Presentations on Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s Lighthouse Initiative, and Diabetes, COVID-19, and Community Well-Being
August 11, 2022 Community Engagement activities update; Workers Health, Safety and Rights Panel discussion
September 15, 2022 Presentation of Community Engagement Report October 13, 2022 Presentation and review of draft recommendations and budget allocations November 10, 2022 Accept final set of recommendations and budget allocations; review potential outcome metrics and approach for implementation.
28 Introduction
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Establishment of Committees
At the beginning of the process, the Recovery Task
Force discussed approaches on how to effectively
complete their roles and responsibilities. Given the
large size of the group, Recovery Task Force members
elevated concerns of whether they would be able
to have in-depth discussions on developing “new
recommended actions for recovery to be considered by
the City Council.” Therefore, the Recovery Task Force
decided to develop a structure consisting of several
topic-specific committees. Based on their individual
subject matter expertise, Recovery Task Force
members submitted ideas for topic-specific committees
to City staff, who then aggregated and synthesized
similar ideas with one another. Ultimately, on February 10, 2021, the Recovery Task Force voted to develop
nine committees (see Figure 5).

FIGURE 5—Recovery Task Force Committees
Committee Name Committee Goal
Childcare, Early Care and Education,
and Youth Development
Expand access to affordable, equitable, and high-quality programming in childcare, early care and education, and youth development.

Community Engagement Educate and connect families on various community resources, and conduct deep community engagement about what is needed for recovery.

Community Health and Wellness Proactively foster community health, safety, and wellness in San José by incorporating the social determinants of health into the City’s programming and decision-making.

Data and Budgeting Gather data, work with each committee to develop impact metrics, and compile tools to be used across all committees for Recovery Task Force-wide understanding and decisions.

Housing Ensure all members of the San José community have access to affordable and stable housing.

Just Recovery for Airport, Hotel, and
Arts Workers
Revitalizing hospitality, travel (i.e., the airport), and the arts for these industries and workers.

Steering Committee Serve as a leadership and coordinating body by identifying and voting on agenda items for Recovery Task Force meetings and by providing feedback to the City staff and consultant team on topics related to the Recovery Task Force, including overall approach, timeline, and initial versions of the final report. Comprised of chairs/co-chairs from the other eight committees.

Supporting Small Businesses Support small businesses to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing necessary assistance tailored to San José small businesses’ specific needs.

Workers’ Health, Safety, and Rights Promote workplace health, safety, and justice to ensure a full and fair return to work for San José businesses and workers.

Committees ranged in size from six to twelve members, and typically met during the workday and times that worked best for each set of committee members. Recovery Task Force members were encouraged to invite non-Task Force meetings to join committees to include more community voices, lived experiences, and expertise. The Recovery Task Force decided to establish a Steering Committee for governance structure develop meeting agendas, and ensure collaboration among other committees. Committee chairs and/or co-chairs comprised the Steering Committee. 29 Introduction
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Early Committee Process
At the beginning of the committee process, committees
developed an overarching goal and identified key
community needs related to their specific topic. Each
committee selected a chair or co-chairs to lead their
group and serve as a point-person/people for the
City staff and consultant team. Committee members
identified and requested a range of data to explore
related to their committee topic. The City staff and
consultant team supported committees by reviewing
relevant recovery reports including the Silicon Valley
Recovery Roundtable, Greater Downtown San José
Recovery Task Force and the Health and Racial Equity
Task Force, and gathering secondary data from publicly
available datasets, such as the United States Census
Bureau and Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies.

Committees were also presented with data from City
databases, such as business permit data, and information on existing City recovery programs as of Spring 2022. As experts in their field, many committee members shared
and presented highlights from relevant research and
recovery recommendations developed by their individual
organizations.

Development of Recommendations
Over the course of nine months, committees identified
and refined their ideas for community and economic
recovery. Committees participated in an iterative
process by reviewing and incorporating information from secondary data, regional recovery reports, and their
combined expertise in their respective fields. Throughout this iterative process, City staff from across departments provided feedback to support committees to craft their
recommendations based on existing City programs and
initiatives. Two committees – the Data and Budgeting
Committee and the Steering Committee – did not develop
their own set of recommendations as they served in an
ancillary support capacity for other committees.

To help organize committee ideas, a framework was
created to assist each committee develop a goal,
strategies, and actions. Strategies were defined as the approaches to address inequities and to achieve progress toward reaching the committee’s goal. Within each
strategy, committees developed multiple actions, which
included specific tasks to help implement the strategy.

After the results from the Recovery Task Force
community engagement process were available in
September 2022, committees incorporated community
feedback into their draft recommendations. Thereafter,
through a consensus-based process, each committee
finalized their recommendations and identified a
small subset of recommended actions as candidates
for funding from the Fiscal Year 2022-23 $2.0 million
allocation. At the end of the committee process in
October 2022, each committee presented their
recommendations to the full Recovery Task Force for
feedback and clarifying questions. After editing and a
thorough review by the Steering Committee, the final
recommendations were approved by the Recovery Task
Force at their last meeting on November 10, 2022.

Role of City and Consultant Team
Throughout the process, City staff and the consultant
team served as a resource for the Recovery Task Force
in multiple capacities—preparing materials, facilitating meetings, and presenting data from City databases and
information on existing City recovery programs. City staff and the consultant team also implemented follow-up
action items from meetings, such as reviewing relevant
recovery reports and gathering secondary data from
publicly available datasets. Additionally, City staff and the consultant team served as coordinators for the Recovery Task Force’s community engagement process (see
chapter on Community Engagement and the Appendix).
30 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report City Initiatives
Roadmap: COVID-19
Recovery Initiatives
31 City Initiatives Roadmap: COVID-19 Recovery Initiatives City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
In 2021, the City transitioned from an Emergency Response environment with a fully activated Emergency Operations Center (EOC), to its Community and Economic Recovery structure. Integrating community-wide recovery efforts into City priorities entailed demobilizing the EOC while continuing response to COVID-19 surges, as well as transitioning community and recovery functions into appropriate City departments. On March 16, 2021, the City Council approved the Roadmap for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-2022. The Roadmap is a tool and process for prioritizing and implementing strategic and complex change initiatives. It is organized by eight Enterprise Priorities, including the “COVID-19 Pandemic: Community & Economic Recovery” Enterprise Priority. This transition was a large and complicated re-alignment of City services – spanning eighteen San José City Roadmap initiatives (Figure 6) with fifty-three projects that touched every City department.

FIGURE 6—City Roadmap FY 2021-2022
San José City Roadmap | FY 2021-2022
Enterprise Priority Project Strategy Policy
COVID-19 Pandemic: Re-Employment + Food + Build Back Better Housing Small Business Workforce Necessities Digital Equity Child CareCommunity + Economic + Recovery Task Stabilization Recovery Development Distribution Force Soft-Story
Recovery
Emergency Management + Vaccination Task Building
Preparedness Force Earthquake
Retrofit Policy
Emergency Sheltering + Encampment
Creating Housing + Housing Enhanced North San José Management + Preventing Homelessness Construction + Encampment Strategy Safe Relocation Operation Services Policy
EncampmentSafe, Vibrant, + Inclusive Neighborhood Police Reforms San José 311 + Waste Vision Zero Equity Strategy Services Access Neighborhoods + Work Plan Service Delivery Pick-Up Traffic Safety Development StrategyPublic Life BeautifySJ Building the San José of Development Major Real Estate BART + High-Align Zoning with Google Services Development Speed Rail Tomorrow with a Downtown General Plan Development Transformation Projects Strategy Pavement, Fire,
for Everyone
Regional Climate Smart Lowering PG&E Smart, Sustainable, + Electrical Service EOC, Transit Wastewater American Cities Above Market for Major Reliable City: 21st Century Capital Facility Capital Climate Costs for Clean Development Infrastructure Improvements Improvements Challenge Energy Strategy Policy Project
City Roadmap Federal + State PensionSecure City Procurement Budgeting for Budgeting, Recovery Obligation Bond Cybersecurity Improvement Equity Accountability, + Advocacy Analysis Performance Employee City Workforce Continuity of City Safe Workplace Health Drive to Digital Effective Teams Diversity + Skill Services + Wellness Building Enterprise Priority
Foundational
Strategic Fiscal Positioning +
Resource Deployment
Powered by People
Approved by Council on March 16, 2021
The objectives for FY 2021-2022 for the COVID-19
Pandemic: Community & Economic Recovery Enterprise
Priority included:
• Invest in our most vulnerable residents, families, small businesses, and non-profits;
• Empower our community with resources that build
resiliency; and
• Stabilize and improve equitable outcomes for all.

The FY 2021-2022 initiatives driving this Enterprise
Priority were:
• Housing Stabilization;
• Re-Employment and Workforce Development;
• Small Business Recovery;
• Food and Necessities Distribution;
• Digital Equity;
• Child Care; and
• Build Back Better and Recovery Task Force.
32 City Initiatives Roadmap: COVID-19 Recovery Initiatives City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Significant accomplishments in the COVID-19 Recovery
Enterprise Priority outlined in the City’s Initiatives
Roadmap for FY 2021-2022 include13:
• Invested over $98 million to achieve a more equitable COVID-19 community and economic recovery for
housing stabilization, re-employment and workforce
development, small business recovery, food and
necessities distribution, digital equity, childcare, and the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force;
• Committed $83 million of emergency rental
assistance funds to 6,700 extremely low-income
households county-wide alongside opening and
operating two Rental Relief and Eviction Prevention
Help Centers;
• Facilitated the distribution of 52 million meals to food insecure individuals;
• Distributed over 9,100 hotspots and devices to
students and families for school and education digital
access in circulation at the San José Public Library
branches;
• Launched 47 childcare and preschool programs for
over 1,500 students grade K-8 and children ages
three to five years at City youth centers, community
centers, schools, and parks;
• Enrolled 185 Resilience Corps clients into Learning,
Environmental, and Small Business pathways to
increase workforce development and job training in
high-growth, high-wage sectors including the grand
opening of the work2future jobs center in East
San José;
• Distributed 109 art and culture grants to support arts programming, festivals, and special events to activate
vibrant spaces citywide;
• Established a COVID-19 Recovery Task Force to
engage 55 community-based organizations and a
Lived Experience Group in the City’s community and
economic recovery from the pandemic; and
• Partnered with three non-profits to launch
a Promotores program to scale community
engagement in COVID-19 community and economic
recovery efforts.

Some of the FY 2021-2022 Roadmap initiatives are
considered to be “graduated” – either complete,
progressed to the point they will be integrated into the delivery of the City’s Core Services, or incorporated into the new initiatives for further work. Within the “COVID-19 Pandemic: Community & Economic Recovery” Enterprise
Priority three initiatives, the Food and Necessities
Distribution initiative was transitioned to the Department of Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services, and
the Digital Equity and Child Care initiatives were both transitioned to the “Clean, Vibrant, and Inclusive
Neighborhoods and Public Life” Enterprise Priority for
the FY 2022-2023 Roadmap.

The Fiscal Year 2022-2023 (Figure 7) objectives for the “COVID-19 Pandemic: Community & Economic Recovery”
Enterprise Priority retained the same descriptions as
those on the FY 2021-2022 Roadmap.

13. City of San José. 2022. American Rescue Plan Fund Allocations – 2021-2022 Modified and 2022-2023 Proposed. Retrieved from: https://www.sanjoseca.gov/ home/showpublisheddocument/85302/637872595016630000.

BoostBizSJ! Outreach and Business Walks as Part of the City’s Small Business Recovery Program
33 City Initiatives Roadmap: COVID-19 Recovery Initiatives City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
FIGURE 7—FY 2022-2023 City Initiatives Roadmap
Initiatives
Emergency Fiscal
Recovery +
Planning
Outcomes, Equity
Indicators, +
Performance
Management
Disparity Study
Advancing Equity
through Culture +
Practice
Procurement
Improvement
Workforce
Diversity + Talent
Pipeline
Citywide Hiring
Employee
Wellbeing,
Growth, +
Retention
Digital Workforce
Customer Service
Vision +
Standards
Enterprise Priority
COVID-19 Pandemic Community
and Economic Recovery
Resilient and Sustainable City
Infrastructure and Emergency
Preparedness
Ending Homelessness
Safer San José
Clean, Vibrant, and Inclusive
Neighborhoods and Public Life
Building the San José of
Tomorrow with a Downtown for
Everyone
2022-2023 City Initiatives Roadmap
Initiatives
Housing
Stabilization
Re-Employment +
Workforce
Development
Small Business
Recovery +
Resilience
COVID-19
Recovery Task
Force
Disaster Ready +
Climate Smart
Reliable
Infrastructure
Resilience
Clean Energy
Resilience
Water Supply
Resilience
Natural
Environment
Restoration
Soft-Story
Building
Earthquake
Retrofit Policy
Emergency
Housing System
Expansion
Encampment
Services,
Outreach,
Assistance, +
Resources
Encampment
Management +
Safe Relocation
Emergency
Housing
Financial
Sustainability
Safety Net
Services County
Coordination
Police Reforms Vision Zero
Traffic Safety
City Services
Continuity of
Operations
Children + Youth
Services Master
Plan
Education, Digital
Equity, + Digital
Literacy
BeautifySJ
Encampment
Trash Services
BeautifySJ
Vehicle Blight
Child Care Siting
Policy Update
Align Zoning with
General Plan
Development
Services Process
Improvements
Google
Downtown West
Development
BART Silicon
Valley Extension
Airport
Connector +
Diridon Station
North San José High-Speed Rail
Wage Theft
Prevention Policy
+ Responsible
Contractor
Ordinance
Affordable
Housing on
Assembly Use
Sites Policy
(YIGBY)
Enterprise Priority Foundational
Strategic Fiscal Positioning and
Resource Deployment
Powered by People
Approved by Council on May 16, 2022
The FY 2022-2023 initiatives driving this Enterprise
Priority are14:
• Housing Stabilization;
• Re-Employment and Workforce Development;
• Small Business Recovery and Resilience; and
• Build Back Better and Recovery Task Force.

The City also has defined the FY 2022-2023 Planned
Annual Key Results for each initiative (annual definition of “done”) to better communicate, manage, and measure
success and impact over a given fiscal year and to allow staff to begin each year with goals or “the end in mind.”

14. City of San José. 2022. American Rescue Plan Fund Allocations – 2021-2022 Modified and 2022-2023 Proposed. Retrieved from: https://www.sanjoseca. gov/home/showpublisheddocument/85302/637872595016630000.

Flyer Promoting City’s Small Business Rent Relief Program 34 City Initiatives Roadmap: COVID-19 Recovery Initiatives City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
• 90% of funded cultural organizations rating the arts grant program “good” to “excellent” based on responsiveness
• Assist up to 300 small businesses with rental relief grants • Engage business technical services providers to assist 375 San José small businesses in business recovery, operations, and sustainability • Execute ground floor activation grants that will help up to 60 small businesses activate vacant storefronts, extend their outdoor operations, and enhance the street level experience
• Complete COVID-19 Recovery Task Force activities and deliver Recovery recommendations for allocation of $2M recovery fund to City Council • Increase access to recovery resources for >10,000 residents, families, small businesses, and non-profits
• Train >21 promotores to assist with community outreach for COVID-19 Recovery resources
• Identify and pilot tracking indicators for long-term Recovery monitoring Small Business Recovery
+ Resilience
COVID-19 Recovery
Task Force
The FY 2022-2023 Planned Annual Key Results for this Enterprise Priority are:
• Assist 200 households in the Eviction Diversion and Settlement Program • Assist 440 households with Emergency Rental Assistance funds • Transition Eviction Diversion and Settlement Program and the weekly Eviction Prevention Clinic to the Housing Department’s Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protection Program
• Engage 200 Resilience Corps Phase 2 program participants in work experience with 80% BIPOC and 80% or more with two or more barriers to employment • Conduct four large job fairs with over 125 unique employers and resource agencies to support area residents
• Serve 650 youth and adult clients from COVID-19 equity zip codes and census tracts with job counseling, training, and/or employment services Housing Stabilization
Re-Employment +
Workforce Development
35 City Initiatives Roadmap: COVID-19 Recovery Initiatives City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report

SPENDUSES
Housing and Homelessness $62.6M
$22.6M
$20.3M
$19.8M
$14.3M
$9.4M
$2.0M
$61.3M
Food + Necessities
Children + Youth Services
Workforce Development
Small Business Recovery
Pandemic Response Staﬃng and Facilities
COVID-19 Recovery Taskforce
City Revenue Recovery (e.g., arts and cultural
aﬀairs, 911 emergency response)
$212.3 MILLION FOR

DISCRETIONARY USE
(American Rescue Plan)
Distribution of Coronavirus State and Local
Fiscal Recovery Funds (“CSLFRF”)
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) included $212.3
million in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery
Funds (“CSLFRF”) in direct local recovery assistance
for the City, of which $106.1 million was received in May 2021; the remainder was received in June 2022. Through
actions approved by the City Council with the FY 2021-
2022 Adopted Budget and the FY 2022-2023 Adopted
Budget, the full $212.3 million of CSLFRF resources has been allocated to meet Roadmap objectives, including
the $2.0 million set aside for Recovery Task Force
recommendations. The CSLFRF funds, when combined
with other City funds, are being used to strategically
deliver the respective projects within City Roadmap
initiatives to help the City fully recover and return to a “Better Normal”.

The Recovery Task Force was built from and leveraged
the City’s Recovery efforts as well as other regional
recovery initiatives, including the Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable, Greater Downtown San José Economic
Recovery Task Force, and Health and Equity Task Force.

The Recovery Task Force embraced best practices
and principles in equitable recovery, such as those
reflected in work products of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, Racial Equity Action Leadership (REAL)
Coalition, and PolicyLink. Additionally, City staff have participated in and stayed connected to other regional
recovery efforts including Lighthouse Building Back
Better’s Regional Recovery Coordination Group, the
Santa Clara County Emergency Operational Area
Council, and the County of Santa Clara’s COVID-19
Economic Recovery Support Function.
36 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report Community
Engagement
37 Community Engagement
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Community
Engagement Process
One of the main roles of the Recovery Task Force
included developing a community engagement and
communications plan that involved the public in the
Recovery Task Force process. Meaningful, equitable
community engagement was the cornerstone of the
Recovery Task Force process. Engaging residents and
small businesses was an important purpose of the
Recovery Task Force process as the feedback obtained
informed recommendations developed by the Recovery
Task Force.

In May 2022, the Community Engagement Committee, along with the rest of the Recovery Task Force and supported by City staff and consultants, developed a Community Engagement Plan15 (Plan) that focused on connecting with and gathering input from the individuals, families, workers, and business owners in San José who have been the most impacted by the pandemic. The Plan included five components (see Figure 8): Community Survey, COVID-19 Recovery Report and Survey Consolidation, Storytelling Project, Engagement Toolkit, and a Lived Experience Group (LEG).

15. City of San José. May 2022. Community Engagement Plan. Retrieved from: https://www.sanjoseca.gov/ home/showpublisheddocument/85627/637877036355930000
COVID-19 Recovery Task Force
Community Engagement Report
November 2022
Prepared by Winter Consulting Group
Participants at a Housing Focus Group Event
38 Community Engagement
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
FIGURE 8—FY 2022-2023 City Initiatives Roadmap
The engagement plan’s approach and strategies considered the diversity and richness of San José’s communities, paying careful attention to cultural sensitivity, disability accommodations, language access, childcare, technology skills, and other accessibility concerns. Engagement adhered to a comprehensive set of co-created principles in an attempt to hear from those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (see Appendix).

The Recovery Task Force and the LEG implemented a variety of engagement strategies to connect with and gather input from impacted individuals, families, workers, and business owners in a more effective and culturally appropriate manner. The process reflected a truly collaborative effort that incorporated co-creation of the engagement plan, community survey, and a myriad of engagement activities. The sections below provide details of each of these engagement strategies and activities.

Lived Experience Group
Through a robust recruitment and selection process
that involved key insights and references from Recovery Task Force members and community leaders, nine
dedicated community leaders with lived experience
related to the COVID-19 pandemic were assembled
to assist in conducting deep engagement with their
communities. Each member of the LEG was expected to
plan and carry out up to three community engagement
activities between June and August of 2022. These
events included focus groups with neighbors, community
workshops, and other community engagement events.

LEG members were also expected to attend four meetings
for planning and support. Through a grant from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to the consultant, funds
were used to pay for food and incentives to encourage
resident participation in LEG events and stipends were
provided to LEG members upon completing their three
community engagement activities.

Lived Experience Group (LEG)
39 Community Engagement
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Engagement Toolkit
All Recovery Task Force committees also contributed to
the Engagement Plan in creating the Engagement Toolkit
by providing specific questions to both the community
survey and focus group questions. This process ensured
committees would be provided with input and data that
could directly relate to the subject matter for which they would be providing recommendations. The Engagement
Toolkit, which served as a guide for both LEG and
Recovery Task Force members to conduct a variety of
engagement activities with corresponding questions,
was adopted by the Recovery Task Force during their
June 2022 meeting.

Community Survey
After gathering input from each of the Recovery Task
Force committees, the Community Engagement
Committee and an ad hoc group of Recovery Task Force
members, supported by City staff and the consultant
team, developed a comprehensive community survey.

The Community Survey was distributed via email to
Recovery Task Force members on June 27, 2022.

Members were asked to share among their networks
via email newsletters, social media, and other platforms.

Flyers with links and QR codes were created to
also share the survey at various in-person pop-up
engagements. The Community Survey was digitally
created using the Survey Monkey platform in English,
and translated into Spanish and Vietnamese, with a
print-friendly version in the same languages, in addition to Tagalog.

Community members were encouraged to complete the
survey at many of the engagement activities organized
by Recovery Task Force members and the LEG. Some of
the in-person engagement events provided incentives
such as gift cards to encourage and increase public
participation. A rigorous scrubbing methodology was
implemented to remove bot activity and other responses
that were clearly invalid. For example, responses from
outside the Bay Area or redundant responses from the
same IP address and/or at the same time signature were
considered invalid. This data scrubbing process left only valid responses. Incentives continued to be utilized at in-person pop-ups where participation could be verified.

The survey was closed on August 20, 2022.

City of San José
COVID-19 Recovery Community Survey
The City of San José provides many resources to support those impacted by COVID-19. As we transition to providing recovery resources, we recognize the importance of doing this together with the community. What are your hopes for the future as we build a stronger San José? Take this survey from the City of San José’s Recovery Task Force and help inform future programs and services that will support families, workers, and businesses most impacted by the pandemic.

Please note: This survey is only for San Jose residents and stakeholders.

Zip Code (REQUIRED): Email Address (OPTIONAL):

1. What have been some of the biggest challenges for you during the COVID-19 pandemic? (Check all that apply.) Unable to see a doctor or dentist or get the
medical help I need for myself or my family
Finding stable and safe housing
Paying bills
Finding a well-paying job
Finding childcare
Loss of a loved one
Feeling lonely, helpless or depressed
Having COVID-19
Caring for loved ones who had COVID-19
Not having (reliable) internet or having to share
computers
Continuing my business or practice
Staying safe and healthy while having to work
Living as a disabled person in a remote and digital world Not eligible for unemployment benefits or other
financial assistance programs
Other:

Feel free to share more about your challenges:

2. What kinds of support would you like to see provided as the City recovers from COVID-19? (Select all that apply):

Rental assistance and housing support for
residents
Better working conditions, safety standards and
support for workers
Employment and internship opportunities for
youth and adults impacted by COVID-19
Financial support for small businesses
Training and workshops to help my small business
grow and thrive
Access to affordable, equitable, and high-quality
childcare, early care and youth programs
Childcare subsidies to help residents enrolled in
workforce trainings and development programs
Free hotspots to check out at libraries to access the
internet at home or in your business
Programs to help families and businesses become
comfortable navigating the internet
Culturally relevant health services and resources
(including mental health)
Scholarships for youth to attend summer and
afterschool programs
Programs and support for arts and cultural workers
Simple and clear information to understand in my
language
Free or lending programs for computers
Other (Write in):

Page 1 ends

40 Community Engagement
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Storytelling
Stories are powerful. Listening to an individual’s
experience provides a deeper and more nuanced
understanding of the various issues affecting
communities and identifies cross-cutting findings. The
Recovery Task Force recommended incorporating
storytelling into the engagement process to provide a
qualitative element. Throughout various engagement
activities, including pop-ups and large workshops,
staff and volunteers conducted quick interviews with
community members. This created a more vivid picture
of the reality of COVID-19 impacts. Community members
were asked the following three questions:
• How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted you and
your family?
• What support do you need now? What do you need to
be resilient?
• How have you built resiliency? How have you grown
during the pandemic?
Community members’ responses were documented
on nearby poster boards; however, they could stay
anonymous if preferred. Stories were also gathered during the Community Resource Fair on August 20, 2022.

Person Participating in Storytelling Event
Person Participating in Backyard Pop-Up Storytelling Event Backyard Pop-Up Storytelling Event
Pop-up Event at Viva Calle
41 Community Engagement
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Report Review
A number of South Bay and San José-based organizations have conducted engagement processes and analyses of impacts and needs of community members since the start of the pandemic. As part of the community engagement process, City staff and the consultant team alongside Recovery Task Force members reviewed and incorporated main findings from a variety of reports that assessed COVID-19’s impact on the community. Such review and analyses were interwoven within the committee discussions and helped to inform the main findings of this report in addition to the formation of recommendations by each committee. Examples of the main reports consulted during this process include but are not limited to the reports indicated below. Main findings that were gathered and discussed from each report are also indicated below.

SILICON VALLEY RECOVERY ROUNDTABLE
The Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable, composed
of 59 leaders from the business, education, labor
and non-profit sectors from across the local region,
published in August 2020, “Building a Better Normal,”
a comprehensive report that details key steps the
entire community of Silicon Valley can take to make
the community better coming out of the pandemic
than when it started. Key recommendations included
driving job creation with a focus on supporting the
workers displaced by the pandemic, supporting small
and medium-sized businesses to not only survive but
thrive, expanding digital inclusion for the community,
and galvanizing housing preservation, protection, and
production. The Roundtable intends to continue its work through an open source approach that takes advantage
of the marketplace of ideas offered in the report.

Members will continue cross-sector collaboration and
track progress on key recommendations.16
GREATER DOWNTOWN SAN JOSÉ

ECONOMIC RECOVERY TASK FORCE
The Greater Downtown San José Economic Recovery
Task Force was brought together in May 2020 at the
height of the COVID-19 pandemic with support from
the Office of Councilmember Peralez. Composed of
Downtown businesses and community groups, the
60-member Task Force met virtually 65 times over nearly two years, ultimately delivering a comprehensive slate of recommendations to the City, County, and State, many of which have helped inform COVID-19 recovery efforts.17

HEALTH AND RACIAL EQUITY TASK FORCE
In May 2020, leaders in Santa Clara County created a
task force to address health disparities generated and
exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Health
and Racial Equity Task Force, currently led by City of San Jose Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco and Santa
Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, convenes over
a dozen community members, nonprofit health care
leaders, labor representatives and elected officials to advance strategies that promote health and racial equity through the local COVID-19 response. In August 2020
the Task Force shared with the San José City Council
a set of policy recommendations and implementation
strategies to promote health and racial equity locally.18

16. Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable. August 2020. Building a Better Normal.

Retrieved from: https://siliconvalleystrong.org/wp-content/uploads/Silicon- Valley_Full-Report_8_31_Final-2.pdf.

17. San José District 3. 2022. Greater Downtown San José Economic Recovery Task Force. Retrieved from: https://sjd3.com/dtsjrecovery/.

18. City of San José. August 2020. Health and Racial Equity Task Force.

Retrieved from: https://sanjose.legistar.com/LegislationDetail. aspx?ID=4620623&GUID=5A335C11-956F-4CD2-AA94-
FF764EC77261&Options=&Search=.
42 Community Engagement
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Key Engagement Activities
The Recovery Task Force and LEG conducted a total of
31 community engagement activities engaging 1,500
people. Specific activities are detailed below.

Pop-Ups
Thirteen community engagement activities were set up
in a pop-up format, where LEG members interacted with
their community to gather feedback on issue areas the
City should prioritize to improve and to spread the word on City programs that already exist. Pop-ups gathered
input on COVID-19 recovery via short interviews, dot
exercises, and survey collection. They also served as
a resource hub for engagement where staff/volunteers
were able to share information about COVID-19 recovery.

Over 500 community members engaged with LEG
members through various pop ups.

Focus Groups
Sixteen activities planned by LEG members were carried
out in a focus group format. These focus groups were
attended by an average of 18 individuals, were facilitated by LEG members. City staff provided support when
the LEG member identified a need for it. LEG members
usually chose which questions to ask and guided the
conversation in their own style. If City staff were in
attendance, they supported the LEG member with record-
keeping and managing logistics. Over 180 community
members participated in the sixteen focus groups.

Focus Group with Renters in East San José
Pop-Up at Summer Community Event
People at the Community Resource Fair
43 Community Engagement
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Community Resource Fair
The Recovery Task Force engagement efforts culminated in a large Community Resource Fair organized by the Community Engagement Committee with support from the LEG, City staff, and consultant team. The fair was held at the Seven Trees Community Center on August 20, 2022;approximately 500 attended.

Twenty-eight resource tables provided a variety
of resources, including COVID-19 testing kits,
personal hygiene products, bicycle helmets,
and collateral on public health and public
safety. Free backpacks and notebooks were
also distributed to coincide with the start of
the school year, alongside complimentary food
and beverages. With the support of More Más
Marami, a local theatrical group, over 20 stories
from participants were collected, in addition to
over 60 surveys, primarily from Latinx families
and older Vietnamese adults. The event
provided a space for people to engage with
each other and with organizations that work
in the San José community, many of which are
represented on the Recovery Task Force.

Community Forums
Two community engagement activities were carried out
in a community forum format. These were much larger
conversations focusing on priority communities including a labor union and Latinx business owners in San José.

A combined 105 individuals attended the community
engagement forums.

FAIR STATISTICS
• Approximately 500
attendees
• 28 Resource tables
providing a variety of
resources including:
› COVID-19 testing kits
› Personal hygiene products
› Bicycle helmets
› Public health and safety
collateral
› Backpacks and notebooks
› Food and beverages
• 20+ Stories collected
• 60+ Surveys collected
Stories and surveys collected
were primarily from Latinx
families and older Vietnamese
adults. Story and survey
collection was done with
support of More Más Marami,
a local theatrical group.

Attendees at the SEIU Local 521 Community Forum
Families Receiving Resources at the Community Resource Fair People Interacting at the Santa Clara County Public Heath Department Booth at the Community Resource Fair
44 Community Engagement
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Community
Engagement Findings
The findings in this report are categorized by subject area to mirror themes explored by the Recovery Task Force committees. These subject areas include: childcare, early education, and youth development; community health and wellness; housing; airport, hotel, and arts workers; small businesses; workers’ rights, health and safety; and community engagement.

Who We Engaged
Collectively, a total of 31 community engagement
activities were conducted by LEG and Recovery Task
Force members, engaging a total of 1,500 people
through a comprehensive engagement strategy centered
on equity. Activities included 16 focus groups, 12 pop-ups at third-party community events, two community forums,
and a community resource fair. Additionally, 771 people completed the community survey. For more information
on the engagement process and list of all the activities, see the Appendix.

The engagement approach was deliberate in reaching
marginalized community members who have been the
most deeply impacted by the negative consequences
of COVID-19. A majority of survey respondents were
considered very low-income, with four of every five
respondents (80%) reporting a household income of
$85,000 or less per year. There was also a significant
response rate among people of color with 50% of
respondents indicating that they identified as Mexican, Chicana/o, Hispanic, Latinx, Afro-Latino, or Spanish origin and another 23% identifying as Asian.

The Community Survey reached a broad base of
respondents, with representation from every zip code in the city limits. Survey results were also considered valid if respondents identified a zip code outside of San José city limits and within commute distance from San José,
recognizing that many community members live outside
of city limits while doing work within city limits. A majority of respondents came from lower-income, majority people
of color zip codes of 95112, 95116, 95122, and 95111.

These zip codes were prioritized by the City for outreach as they have low vaccination rates and high COVID-19
case rates.
45 Community Engagement
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
12 POP-UPS 16 FOCUS
GROUPS
4 OF EVERY 5 SURVEY RESPONDENTS

REPORTED A HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF
LESS THAN $85K PER YEAR

SURVEY RESPONDENTS BY

RACE/ETHNICITY

WERE TAKEN IN A LANGUAGE

OTHER THAN ENGLISH
38% OF SURVEYSHOLA XIN CHÀO

KAMUSTA
2 COMMUNITY
FORUMS
1500 TOTAL
PEOPLE ENGAGED500 RESOURCE

FAIR ATTENDEES
0 10 20 30 40 50
Mexican, Chicana/o, Latino— 50%
Asian— 23%
White— 15%
Black, African American,
or of African Ancestry— 6%
American Indian or Alaska Native— 4% <$25k
$25k–$50k
$50k–$85k
$85k–$130k
$130k–$200k
>$200k
Middle Eastern or North African— 1%
Breakdown of annual household incom e based on 511 survey respondents. 32%
29%
19%
13%
5%
2%
Community Survey
Overall Engagement
47% OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS THE 5 ZIP CODES WERE:CAME FROM THE 5 ZIP CODES MOST IMPACTED BY COVID/hyphen.case19
771 SURVEY RESPONDENTS IN TOTAL
95111 95112 95116
95122 95127
Engagement at a Glance
46 Community Engagement
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Community Feedback: Main Themes

ECONOMIC SECURITY
Renters continue to struggle with paying still-rising
rents alongside back-rent accrued during the height
of pandemic. Many individuals have seen their
savings dwindle while some have borrowed from third
parties to pay their landlords. Community members
who participated in engagement events called for
continuation and easier access of rental assistance
programs, with nearly half of survey respondents
indicating rental assistance among the top three kinds
of support they would like to see the City provide. Food insecurity was also a prevalent issue, with many citing food distributions as indispensable to their families in times of economic need throughout the pandemic.

MENTAL HEALTH
A lack of access to affordable recreation and other
services aimed at preserving mental health in
the community was a common theme during the
engagement process. Across the board, respondents
were most concerned about how the pandemic affected
the mental health of children and youth. Parents talked about previously active children prior to the pandemic
who are now lethargic and disengaged. High school
students talked about ubiquitous and persistent
depression and anxiety paired with inadequate therapy
and recreation program availability.

CHILDCARE
The unaffordability and shortage of childcare options
was also a common point of discussion in community
conversations. Parents of children with disabilities
were particularly impacted by pandemic-related cuts in
services that are still ongoing. Many talked about their inability to join the workforce due to childcare necessities which could not be provided for elsewhere, with one in
two respondents indicating that childcare was the main
challenge preventing them from returning to work.

WORKERS AND SMALL BUSINESSES
Many are still struggling to recover from the economic
impacts of the pandemic, whether it is seeking a new
job, finding assistance to restart a micro business, or coping with the stresses of being an essential worker,
with two in five respondents indicating that they were not currently working. People talked about the need for more programs to help identify jobs and the need to keep and strengthen existing COVID-19 related worker protections, particularly as COVID-19 surges are anticipated to
continue. Additionally, community members indicated
the need for improved health and safety conditions in the workplace, with two in five survey respondents indicating that this was among the biggest challenges they faced
during the pandemic; the top selected choice.

OUTREACH AND AWARENESS
Community members were often surprised when they
were told about existing support programs. By practicing deep engagement, leveraging the strength of existing
community networks, and meeting community members
where they are, and in languages and spaces most
accessible to them, the City and community partners
could amplify the reach of their messages in a manner
that is more efficient and cost-effective than traditional outreach approaches. This is especially true when
the target audience consists of communities such as
undocumented families, people with disabilities, the
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and more
(LGBTQ+) community, the unhoused, artists, and others.

Please see the Appendix for the full and detailed report of the community engagement findings.
47 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report47 Findings by Committee
This chapter provides a detailed summary of the information reviewed by committees. The sections below include each committee’s goal and key community needs. Additionally, the sections below outline data and best practices reviewed by each committee, such as regional recovery reports and key committee-specific data from the community engagement process. The committees include:
› Childcare, Early Care and Education, and Youth Development › Community Engagement
› Community Health and Wellness
› Housing
› Just Recovery for Airport, Hotel, and Arts Workers
› Supporting Small Businesses
› Workers’ Health, Safety, and Rights
“Zona Rosa” by Aaron de La Cruz, for SJ Walls (Formerly PWSJ) produced by Empire Seven Studios, photo credit: Lan Nguyen 48 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force ReportFindings by Committee Childcare, Early Care
and Education, and
Youth Development
Goal Expand access to affordable, equitable, and high-quality programming in childcare, early care and education, and youth development.

From Left to Right: Young Child at Community Resource Fair; Children on Swings at Community Resource Fair; LGBTQIA+ Youth Focus Group 49 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Key Community Needs
Because childcare, early care and education, and youth development are such broad topics, this committee identified unique needs by age cohorts. These age cohorts were identified based on the definitions established in the Santa Clara County 2018 Child Care Needs Assessment, which was developed by the Santa Clara County Office of Education and the Local Early Education Planning Council of Santa Clara County. • For infants, toddlers, and preschool aged children, the main need is that there are fewer public resources available for the 0-5 age range than in the traditional K-12 system. • For school-aged children (5-12 years old), there is a regional need for additional childcare slots and opportunities.

Additionally, there are few mental health supports and mentoring available for this age group. • For youth (13-17 years old), there is a need to develop a pipeline for local youth to secure youth leadership positions, and to have access to careers in their local communities. • For young adults (18+ years), there is a need to ensure they have an opportunity to apply to jobs with the City, so that City staff are reflective of the diversity of residents utilizing City services.

Other key needs identified by this committee that cut across age groups include:
• Expanding affordable childcare options.
• Educating and connecting families to existing childcare, before and after school programs, and other youth development programs.
• Supporting the childcare, early care and education, and youth workforce. • Expanding social emotional learning.
• Improving partnerships between the City and community organizations who are already providing high-quality child and youth programming.
• Providing training and capacity-building for childcare providers, yet in a way that does not create barriers. • Providing professional development opportunities and living wages for people that work in these fields.

Screenshot from April Childcare, Early Care and Education, and Youth Development Committee Virtual Meeting

50 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Selected Data Reviewed
During the early phase of the committee process,
the Childcare, Early Care and Education, and Youth
Development Committee identified and reviewed the
following reports and memos that helped to inform their recommendation generation process:
• Santa Clara County Office of Education and the Local
Early Education Planning Council of Santa Clara
County, 2018 Child Care Needs Assessment (June
2018)
• Santa Clara County Office of Education, Addressing
Chronic Absenteeism and Increasing Access to
Mental Health and Wellness Services in Santa Clara
County (August 2021)
• Goodwill of Silicon Valley: Child Care Backgrounder
(2021)
• Joint Special Meeting on Child Well-Being meeting
materials (March 25, 2022)
• City of San José: American Rescue Plan Act Childcare
Spending Plan (April 2022)
• State of California, Master Plan for Early Learning and Care: Making California For All Kids (December 2020)
• County Office of Education and First 5: Quality
Matters Initiative (2022)
• Santa Clara County: Early Learning Master Plan (2022) • Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Aligned
Priorities in Bay Area Task Force Reports (April 2021)
• Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable: Building a Better Normal (August 2020).

Moreover, in May 2022, one of the committee members
invited the City and consultant team to the quarterly
meeting of the Quality Matters Initiative, which is a
regional initiative led by First 5 Santa Clara County and the Santa Clara County Office of Education to improve
the quality of early learning programs. During their
May 2022 meeting, Quality Matters hosted an in-depth
discussion on refining the regional focus areas for
childcare and early care education, which then informed the Recovery Task Force’s recommendations.

Finally, the Childcare, Early Care and Education, and
Youth Development Committee reviewed data from the
Santa Clara County Office of Education on the change
in licensed childcare supply during the COVID-19
pandemic. This information helped to inform their
recommendation generation process.

Committee-Specific Data from the
Community Engagement Process
General themes that surfaced from engagement include:
childcare for young children, delays in learning and
socialization among children, and the wellbeing of
teenagers/older children who are struggling to adjust
to the realities of the pandemic. Parents expressed
the need for reliable, quality childcare and enrichment opportunities for their children, and young people in
San José expressed a similar need for new sources of
motivation and community.

Major findings from the community survey related to
childcare, early care, and youth development include:
• Two in five respondents (42%) who were seeking
work indicated that childcare was among their top
challenges preventing them from returning to work.
• Thirty percent of respondents identified access to
affordable, equitable, and high-quality childcare,
early care, and youth programs as among the top
three kinds of support they would like to see the City
provide.
51 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Main highlights from the LEG events related to childcare, early care, and youth development include:
• Parents expressed the need for reliable, quality
childcare and enrichment opportunities for their
children. Many parents noted the strain that the
pandemic had on their children, particularly mental
health issues, shortened attention spans, and physical
issues from having a significantly less active lifestyle. • Parents voiced a need for more funding towards
programs that can provide resources such as diapers,
formula, and daycare.
• The transition back to school has been difficult for
both children and their parents. Many students feel
the process of coming back was overwhelming
academically and socially without having time in
between to process the collective and individual
traumas experienced. Students feel overwhelmed
and young people in San José expressed a need for
new sources of motivation and community.
• Many young people talked about their loss of
motivation generally, but also how they have lost
interest in things they used to really care about
(activities, school, college, etc.).

Youth Receiving Backpacks for the School Year at the Community Resource Fair 52 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force ReportFindings by Committee Community
Engagement
Goal Educate and connect families on various community resources, and conduct deep community engagement about what is needed for recovery.

Person Receiving Information from City Staff at the Community Resource Fair 53 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Committee-Specific Data from the
Community Engagement Process
One of the key themes that emerged from the Community Engagement process highlighted that many San Jose residents do not know about many of the City’s resources related to COVID-19. Furthermore, if they did know about the services, they pointed out that they did not know how to access the resources. Increased outreach to communities hardest hit by the pandemic and working closely with networks where there are already strong relationships could help address this issue.

Major findings from the community survey related to community engagement include:
• Seventy-five percent of survey respondents indicated that they did not access City of San José COVID-19 support services.
• Sixty-one percent of survey respondents indicated that not knowing about the services or who to contact was their most difficult challenge in accessing important services. • Among respondents who did access City services, 39% learned about the City’s COVID-19 services from neighbors or family, 33% from online and social media, and 32% from local community organizations.

Main highlights from the LEG events related to community engagement include:
• Participants highlighted that most of their resources (such as financial support) or information about resources (such as information about accessing therapy) have come almost entirely from their fellow community members.

They noted the strength of their networks as a crucial part of making it through the pandemic. • Many know that there’s help available, but they aren’t part of the networks to access them. Many believe they are usually left unaware or are last to receive notice of resources and by that time it is too late. • Many do not know where to start or where to access existing resources and support.

Screenshot from July 2022 Community Engagement Committee Virtual Meeting 54 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force ReportFindings by Committee Community Health
and Wellness
Goal Proactively foster community health, safety and wellness in San José by incorporating the social determinants of health into the City’s programming and decision-making.

Gardner Health Services Booth at Community Resource Fair 55 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Key Community Needs
During the early phase of the committee process, this committee identified the following key community needs and gaps related to community health and wellness.

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
• Overarching need to better integrate a health
framework into City programming and decision-
making, especially in land-use decisions.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
• Issues of trust. Many residents fear government
systems.
• Community based organizations help build trust and
work with families to navigate systems.
• There is a need to better connect residents to
culturally relevant resources and services.

MENTAL HEALTH
• Many service providers have shared that, because of
the pandemic, many of their families now need mental
health services as they have seen an increase in
anxiety and mental health symptoms.
• Shortage of mental health providers.
• Need for ongoing education to normalize mental
health services.
• Leverage efforts to integrate with California
Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM).

HEALTH WORKFORCE AND

INFRASTRUCTURE
• Develop health workforce pathways, especially with
mental health providers.
• Community health centers and health providers are
struggling to retain staff.
• COVID-19 response has placed a strain on staff
capacity.
• Provide capital improvement funding for non-profits
and social service providers to stay and anchor a
neighborhood.
• Leverage state funding coming down the pipeline.

Screenshot from February 2022 Community Health and Wellness Committee Virtual Meeting 56 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Selected Data Reviewed
During the early phase of the committee process, the
Community Health and Wellness Committee identified and
reviewed the following reports and memos that helped to inform their recommendation generation process:
• Santa Clara County Asian and Pacific Islander
Health Assessment (2017): Community Priorities and
Recommendations
• Health & Racial Equity Task Force City Council
Recommendations Letter (August 2020):

Resident Health and Well-being Subcommittee
Recommendations
• California State Association of Counties: Governor’s
January Budget Proposal for 2022-2023
• Home & Community Based Services Santa Clara
County Workgroup’s Recommendations (March 2022)
• City of San José’s Budgeting for Equity Tool
• Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits’ Principles for an Investment Agenda for Recovery (May 2021)
• Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits’ Racial Equity
Action Leadership (REAL) Coalition Letter to City
Council (October 2021)
• Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable: Building a Better Normal (August 2020).

Moreover, this committee hosted listening sessions
with the below organizations to gain a more nuanced
understanding of how the pandemic has impacted their
organization’s work. The Committee also discussed the
topic of community resilience and what role the City
could play in supporting their work.
• ¡Sí Se Puede! Collective
• Ujima Adult and Family Services
• Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence
Finally, the Community Health and Wellness Committee
reviewed the below secondary data sources that helped
to inform their recommendation generation process:
• City of San José’s Equity Atlas [Beta]
• California Healthy Places Index
• Santa Clara County’s Healthy Cities Dashboard.

Committee-Specific Data from the
Community Engagement Process
General themes that surfaced from engagement
include: a need for clearer communication from the City regarding best practices related to health, intentional outreach to communities that have felt ignored
throughout the pandemic, and filling gaps in services
like mental health and access to safe outdoor spaces.

Mental health services were continuously brought up as
an urgent need for groups of all ages, races, and other demographics, including high school students, parents,
and health care workers.

Major findings from the community survey related to
community health and wellness include:
• One in three respondents (34%) identified culturally
relevant health services and resources (including
mental health) among the top three kinds of
support that they would like to see provided for the
community to support the City in recovering from
COVID-19.
• Of the respondents who identified challenges that
made it difficult for them to access important services, three of five (61%) said they did not know about the
services or who to contact.
57 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Main highlights from the LEG events related to
community health and wellness include:
• Across the board, community members emphasized
the need for clearer communication regarding
vaccines and best practices regarding masking.

Conflicting messaging has left community members
unsure of what to do or disinterested in taking
measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• Mental health resources were consistently brought
up as a gap in services. The loss of housing, job
instability, grief, and other traumas that the community has experienced has made mental health services
more crucial than ever.
• Community members felt it was important to prepare
for the next disaster before it happens. An example
would be stockpiling personal protective equipment
(PPE), or developing City protocols that will help
people respond quickly and appropriately.
• Food pantries and distribution programs were
indispensable to families during the pandemic as
the most popular kind of support access by the
community, serving as a lifeline for families who had
limited discretionary income.
• There is limited support and care for healthcare
professionals, which yields fewer services or lower
quality of care for the public.

People Queing for the Community Health Partnership Booth at the Community Resource Fair
58 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force ReportFindings by Committee Eviction Help Center Table; Source: San José Spotlight
Housing
Goal Ensure all members of the San José community have access to affordable and stable housing.
59 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Key Community Needs
During the early phase of the committee process, this committee identified the following key community needs and gaps related to housing:
• Better inform residents of their rights by strengthening education and awareness of renter rights, so that renters can advocate for themselves.
• Housing programs are complicated and not enough navigation support is provided, especially for community members who are most impacted.
• Issue of immigration status and fear of government.
• Do a better job of ensuring that people continue to be engaged and share renter resources within their communities.
• Need to focus on youth and young adults. Many who grew up here may not have a future in San José to pursue a life that is attainable for them due to the high cost of living.

Selected Data Reviewed
During the early phase of the committee process, the Housing Committee reviewed the housing-related recommendations from the Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable: Building a Better Normal report (August 2020), which helped to inform their recommendation process.

Screenshot from April 2022 Housing Committee Virtual Meeting 60 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Committee-Specific Data from the
Community Engagement Process
General themes that surfaced from engagement include
an overwhelming need for additional rental assistance
and a focus on simplifying the rental assistance
application process to make it more accessible for all, including those who are not as confident navigating
the internet and those whose primary language is not
English. Rental assistance was a top theme throughout
the focus groups, and “rental assistance and housing
support for residents” was the top priority for participants at pop-up events.

Major findings from the community survey related to
housing include:
• Nine in 10 dot exercise participants during the
in-person pop up events (93%) identified “rental
assistance and housing support for residents” as one
of the top three types of support they would like to
see from the City.
• Nearly one in two survey respondents (48%) identified “rental assistance and housing support for residents”
as one of the top three types of support they would
like to see from the City.

Main highlights from the LEG events related to housing
include:
• Rental assistance was consistently the top priority for focus group participants.
• Many participants’ top priorities were minimizing the steps it takes to apply, providing clear guidance in
multiple languages on the process, and sufficiently
staffing accessible hotlines to receive rental
assistance.
• People whose primary language is not English had
a particularly hard time navigating these application
processes. Many were only able to apply because
they knew an English speaker who had the time to
help them.
• Participants felt that the City of San José should
continue to support its renters by instating an eviction moratorium or enforcing a limit on rent increases.
• During the eviction moratorium, multiple participants received eviction notices from their landlords hoping
to scare them into moving out. They were lucky to
know their rights, but many people fell for these
tactics.
• Surveys were distributed at a meal distribution site
for the unhoused community. Many indicated that
the main challenges they faced during the pandemic
were finding stable and safe housing, the inability
to see a doctor, paying bills, and feeling hopeless,
lonely, and depressed.
61 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force ReportFindings by Committee Just Recovery for
Airport, Hotel,
and Arts Workers
Goal Revitalizing hospitality, travel (i.e., the airport), and the arts for these industries and workers.

From Left to Right: SEIU Community Forum; “Labor of Our Love” by Galen Oback 62 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Key Community Needs
During the early phase of the committee process, this committee identified the following key community needs and gaps related to airport, hotel, and arts workers:
• Many airport and hotel workers have not been reemployed to pre-pandemic levels. They were not brought back or were only given part-time opportunities.
• Some small and mid-sized arts organizations have closed doors. There are concerns that many artists, especially artists of color, have moved on. Can we bring those residents back as working artists? • Need to develop trainings and career pathways for airport, hotel, and other hospitality workers who are disproportionately immigrant and monolingual.
• Support workers with childcare needs.
• Build back better by improving wages from pre-pandemic levels. • Need to energize travel demand to San José.
• Securing the ability for TOT to generate grants for arts programs is a key to stabilize San José’s cultural product for tourism, which in turn increases employment opportunities for airport and hotel workers.

Selected Data Reviewed
During the early phase of the committee process, the Just Recovery for Airport, Hotel, and Arts Workers Committee reviewed the worker-related recommendations from the Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable: Building a Better Normal report (August 2020), which helped to inform their recommendation generation process. Moreover, this committee identified and reviewed labor market data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for a variety of leisure and hospitality sub-industries (including airport, hotel, and arts workers) to assess the degree to which these industries have rebounded since the start of the pandemic. Finally, the committee reviewed data from Visit California and the City’s TOT Collections to evaluate the long-term travel demand outlook for San José.

Screenshot from March 2022 Just Recovery for Airport, Hotel, and Arts Workers Committee Virtual Meeting 63 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Committee-Specific Data from the
Community Engagement Process
The community engagement process resulted in
identifying that many arts and cultural workers are
concerned about the termination of current pandemic-
related funding programs and call for an extension of
such programs. Compared to other priorities, many arts
and cultural workers also indicated that they often felt left as a low-priority when it comes to COVID-19 recovery programs. Additionally, participants described that
more needs to be done to support the community and
ecosystem, particularly among schools and volunteer-
operated groups.

Major findings from the community survey related to
airport, hotel, and arts workers include:
• Thirty-four percent of respondents who selected
better working conditions, safety standards and
support for workers among their top kinds of support
they would like to see.
• Ninety-six respondents identified programs and
support for arts and cultural workers as one of the top three types of support they would like to see from the
City.
• Two in five respondents (40%) indicated that they
were not working at the time of completion of the
survey. Among respondents who were not working,
41% selected “childcare” as a major challenge
preventing them from returning to work, 35% selected
“jobs don’t pay well”, and 32% selected “concerns
about COVID-19.”
Main highlights from the LEG events related to airport, hotel, and arts workers include:
• Participants voiced that they wanted the City to create more employment opportunities for those who have
lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
• Nonprofit arts organizations have taken advantage
of one-time funding due to the pandemic, through
the ARP. The pandemic also inspired new funding
opportunities created by non-profits (San José Jazz
Aid Fund, San José Abierto).
• There is concern about how the end of these
programs will create a cliff for artists if this funding does not continue to be available after the pandemic.

Arts workers want to know how this current funding,
or the best parts of these types of funding, can
continue past the pandemic.
• With many artists or arts organizations having to shift their communications and networking to a digital
sphere, arts workers asked for funding to support
this transition with translation, marketing, and other
efforts. Participants also wondered if these resources
can be shared.
• There are small arts groups that are run on volunteer support with no paid staff and limited access to
funding or the time and ability to track all the potential funding sources. These groups are looking for ways
to receive support.
64 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force ReportFindings by Committee Supporting Small
Businesses
Goal Support small businesses to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing necessary assistance tailored to San José small businesses’ specific needs.

Community Forum with the Alum Rock Santa Clara Street Business Association 65 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Key Community Needs
During the early phase of the committee process, this committee identified the following key community needs and gaps related to small businesses:
• Resources available including access to capital and direct financial assistance specifically for very small businesses (less than 10 employees) and undocumented business owners. • Many small businesses did not receive any federal or state support. • Need for inclusive communication/outreach of available opportunities. • Long-term solutions: grants and loans are only short-term solutions and sometimes businesses fall into chronic borrowing patterns.
• Need to provide trainings on managing books, filing taxes, building credit and other tools for long term success. • Lack of access to devices, poor internet connection and/or necessary connection speeds, lack of technology/ digital skills needed.
• Some entrepreneurs and business owners are not familiar with or not inclined to search for available information online.

Selected Data Reviewed
During the early phase of the committee process, the Supporting Small Business Committee reviewed relevant recommendations from the Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable: Building a Better Normal report (August 2020), and Greater Downtown San José Economic Recovery Task Force Recommendations (2020) which helped to inform their recommendation generation process. The committee requested and reviewed a number of data points from the City including business account starts and closures since the beginning of COVID-19 by industry and location and information on PPP Loans distributed by industry and area in San José. They also heard presentations from City staff on current grants including the Small Business Rent Relief Grant, CASp Grants, and City Storefront Activation Grants to evaluate existing resources. Additionally, the committee considered data presented in SVCreates: The Business of Arts and Culture (2021), which informed recommendations relevant to art workers and small art businesses.

Screenshot from March 2022 Supporting Small Businesses Committee Virtual Meeting 66 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Committee-Specific Data from the
Community Engagement Process
The community engagement process resulted in
identifying that many small businesses were able to
pivot and continue operations through the pandemic
with many still struggling to keep their businesses
afloat. Many small businesses simply do not know of nor know how to navigate around the various relief funds
and support available. Additionally, many indicated as
microbusinesses, they currently do not possess the
appropriate paperwork to be considered for certain relief funds and support.

Major findings from the community survey related to
supporting small businesses include:
• Fourteen percent of respondents identified
continuing their business or practice as one of their
biggest challenges during the pandemic.
• Respondents making $85,000 or more were most
likely to identify continuing their business or practice as one of their biggest challenges during COVID-19
at 27%, compared to sixteen percent of those making
$50,000-$85,000 and 11% of those making less than
$50,000.
• Nearly one in five respondents (18%) identified
financial support for small businesses among the
top three kinds of support that they would like to
see provided for the community to support the
City in recovering from COVID-19. Comparatively,
people were slightly less likely to identify training
and workshops to help their small business grow and
thrive (12%).

Main highlights from the LEG events related to
supporting small businesses include:
• San José is home to many leaders in the Hispanic/
Latinx events industry. Many are leaders and
educators, teaching stylists, beauticians, make-up
artists, and other industry professionals all over the
country.
• As the businesses around the neighborhood around
Santa Clara Street shut down due to COVID-19,
owners saw an increase in homelessness and crime,
and experienced an increased rate of robberies,
break-ins, and thefts.
• Many small business owners in San José, particularly
in the Hispanic/Latinx events industry, do not have
documentation nor proper paperwork to access and
qualify for many support programs.
• Some businesses had to continue to pay for business
licenses although they were not operational during
the pandemic.
• The City should continue to deepen their
relationships and work with local business
organizations and minority chambers particularly in
underserved neighborhoods.
• The City should continue to keep small businesses
afloat through relevant workshops and professional
development opportunities.
67 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force ReportFindings by Committee Workers’ Health,
Safety, and Rights
Goal Promote workplace health, safety, and justice to ensure a full and fair return to work for San José businesses and workers.

SEIU Local 521 Community Forum
68 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Key Community Needs
During the early phase of the committee process, this committee identified the following key community needs and gaps related to workers’ health, safety, and rights:
• Continued paid sick-leave for COVID-19.
• Lack of outreach, education, and enforcement of wage theft issues. • Need to make existing resources (such as OLSE Advice Line and Know Your Rights Trainings) more accessible on the City website.
• Enactment of Responsible Construction Ordinance.
• Stronger role from City Attorney’s office in wage theft, and other workers cases. • Need for more resources in Office of Equality Assurance.

Selected Data Reviewed
Members of the Workers’, Health, Safety, and Rights Committee brought existing knowledge to many of the committee discussions which informed the creation of recommendation. Some of the information considered includes data from the following sources:
• Wage Theft in Silicon Valley: Building Worker Power (April 2021) • Future of Work in California: A New Social Compact for Work and Workers (March 2021) • Lives and Livelihoods: California’s Private Homecare Industry in Crisis (March 2022) • Workers Partnerships USA Analysis of Vulnerable Worker Profiles (2019).

Screenshot from May 2022 Workers’ Health, Safety, and Rights Committee Virtual Meeting 69 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Committee-Specific Data from the
Community Engagement Process
General themes that surfaced from engagement include:
a need to continue to keep workers safe and jobs stable from current and future COVID-19 surges (via stronger
worker protections); a need to better communicate
and strengthen existing protections for undocumented
workers/those ineligible for existing benefits; and a need to provide stronger support for healthcare workers.

Additionally, survey results indicated that among those who are not currently working, childcare was the primary challenge keeping them from returning to work.

Major findings from the community survey related to
workers’ health, safety, and rights include:
• Two in five respondents (44%) selected staying safe
and healthy while having to work among their biggest
challenges. This was the most selected answer.
• One in four respondents (26%) selected not eligible
for unemployment benefits or other financial
assistance programs among their biggest challenges.
• Two in five respondents (40%) indicated that they
were not working at the time of completion of survey.

Among respondents who were not working, 41%
selected “childcare” as a major challenge preventing
them from returning to work, 35% selected “jobs
don’t pay well”, and 32% selected “concerns about
COVID-19.”
• Thirty-four percent of respondents who selected
better working conditions, safety standards and
support for workers among their top kinds of support
they would like to see.

Main highlights from the LEG events related workers’
health, safety, and rights include:
• Participants felt a lot of anxiety about upcoming
COVID-19 surges because they did not feel confident
that their employers would pay for sick time if they
test positive, regardless of current federal policy
regarding COVID-19 pay. Protections must be
reinforced.
• Many people expressed needing better working
conditions.
• Many participants expressed interest in extending
and accessing COVID-19 pay in San José.
• Participants voiced that they wanted the City to create more employment opportunities for those who have
lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
• Some community members have very little faith in the
legal options available to them or think the burden
and hassle of countering a wrongful firing or other
discretion is not worth it and decide to do nothing.
• Undocumented workers have been the one of the
most impacted groups affected by the pandemic
because employers already took advantage of their
status before the pandemic.
70 Findings by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Recommendations
by Committee
This chapter provides the full details of the final recommendations (strategies + actions) from each committee. These include:
› Childcare, Early Care and Education, and Youth Development › Community Engagement
› Community Health and Wellness
› Housing
› Just Recovery for Airport, Hotel, and Arts Workers
› Supporting Small Businesses
› Workers’ Health, Safety, and Rights
“San José Mural” by Alyssa Wigant
71 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Childcare, Early Care and Education,
and Youth Development
Strategy 1: Provide equitable workforce development opportunities (including living wages) to the childcare, early care and education, and youth development workforce.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Expand and increase capacity of small business support and quality improvement services (e.g., trainings, capacity-building, and credentialing) for childcare and early care providers.

For example, leverage existing City programs to provide support to Santa Clara County, First 5, and other stakeholders on building a sustainability plan for the ongoing efforts to develop a countywide Shared Services Alliance (SSA) for Family Child Care Home (FCCH) providers to have access
to small business, programmatic, and instructional support services. An SSA is a partnership of childcare providers working together to share costs and deliver services in a streamlined and efficient way. This allows providers, especially in low- income communities, to share some portion of the financial burden of operating a high-quality program. The proposed SSA is an administrative structure that enables services at scale. Participating Family Child Care Home (FCCH) providers would be able to share costs for business supports that may include marketing and social media tools, enrollment and tuition management, health insurance and other benefits, substitute pools, retirement and tax guidance, and legal supports. This would allow providers to focus their efforts on providing high quality care for children.

Library 3

GLOSSARY
API—Administration, Policy, and Intergovernmental
Relations
CAO—City Attorney’s Office
CBO—Community-Based Organization
CMO—City Manager’s Office
DIR—Department of Industrial Relations
DOT—Department of Transportation
Impl.—Implementation
ITD—Information Technology Department
MOU—Memorandum of Understanding
OEA—Office of Equality Assurance
OEDCA—Office of Economic Development and
Cultural Affairs
OEM—Office of Emergency Management
PBCE—Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement
PRNS—Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services
PW-OEA—Department of Public Works, Office of
Equality Assurance
SCCOE—Santa Clara County Office of Education
SJCE—San José Clean Energy
TSJ—Team San Jose
72 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.2 Increase and create stable/sustainable funding for San José Public Library Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) Caregiver Support Network.

Library 3

1.3 Strengthen partnerships with community-based organizations.

Strengthen partnerships between the City and community- based organizations by leveraging existing high-quality child and youth programs and services already offered by the City and non-profits. Moreover, the City could also support with marketing, funding, or provision of event space.

Library/
PRNS 1

1.4 Continue workforce development programs for youth from equity priority communities.

Strengthen workforce development programs and services
for youth and young adults from equity priority communities to access living wage jobs, for example in childcare, after-school, and youth development programming. Develop a pipeline for these youth and young adults to have a career as community center staff after graduating from high school. Identify employers who are interested in hiring minors.

Library/
PRNS/
work2future
1 1.5
Explore retention strategies for childcare and afterschool workers.

For example, consider subsidized community college certificate programs, better retirement packages, and partnerships with local philanthropic organizations.

Library 3

1.6 Leverage and align funding to support workforce development opportunities for the childcare, early care and education, and youth development workforce.

Consider additional funding sources to provide ongoing funding for childcare and youth development programs.

Library/
PRNS 3

1.7 Consider a pilot project subsidizing childcare for staff of health and social services agencies as a retention strategy.

Start with partnering with regional non-profits and other employers, such as the Goodwill of Silicon Valley, who are interested in cost-sharing the costs of subsidizing childcare for their employees.19
CBOs 3
Strategy 2: Enhance facilities for childcare, early care and education, and youth development programming.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.1 Continue the exploration of transitioning PRNS’s early learning/ childcare sites to become licensed childcare facilities.

Additionally, assess unused City facilities to become licensed childcare facilities. Have future City licenses childcare facilities be operated by the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

PRNS/
SCCOE
1 – part A
3 – part B

19. This action was originally developed by the Community Health and Wellness Committee, and then referred to and incorporated by the Childcare, Early Care and Education, and Youth Development Committee into their recommendations. 73 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.2 Partner to support childcare and early care and education non- profits in acquiring commercial buildings.

Partner with the Santa Clara County Office of Education to facilitate efforts to support childcare and early care and education providers and other non-profits to purchase
commercial buildings, such as through bond financing or seed money (see Community Vision), to develop service hubs and stay rooted as anchor institutions in equity priority communities.

SCCOE 3

2.3 Expand incentives for ground-floor community-serving spaces in new mixed-use developments.

Expand the City’s program to incentivize and/or subsidize dedicated community-serving spaces, such as childcare
facilities, in ground-floor affordable housing and commercial developments. Consider allocating more points in funding applications with childcare facilities. Gather best practices from the Redwood City case study of a development with all ground- floor childcare.

Housing/
PBCE 3
Strategy 3: Expand outreach and access to affordable, equitable, and high-quality childcare, early care and education, and youth development programming.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

3.1 Enhance outreach to low-income families to better connect them with childcare, before and afterschool programs, and other youth development programs through the City’s pilot Promotores program.

Strengthen the knowledge, skills, and awareness among
Promotores in the City’s pilot Promotores program about existing childcare, before and afterschool programs, and other youth development programs. Additionally, train Promotores on available low-cost and high-speed internet programs (e.g., Comcast Lift Zones, getinternet.gov, and SJ Access) to expand online access to child and youth programming. Ensure outreach reflects the language diversity of San José communities.

CMO/
Library/
PRNS
1 3.2
Expand outreach to youth from equity priority communities to secure living wage jobs, including summer recreational leader positions with the City for high school students.

Library/
PRNS/
work2future
1 3.3
Improve access to childcare and preschool programs for families who make just above the State income guidelines and do not qualify for these programs.

Consider allocating funding for scholarships for these “gap families” to access childcare and preschool programs.

Library/
PRNS 3
74 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Strategy 5: Enhance mental health and wellbeing and mentorship opportunities for all children and youth.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

5.1 Expand trainings on trauma-informed and trauma-responsive practices.

Build upon existing trainings offered by the County on
trauma-informed care and trauma-responsive approaches for childcare and out-of-school time providers of all age groups, including childcare and youth development staff from non-profit organizations. Connect with the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force (MGPTF) to advance mental health and wellbeing among all children and youth. Collaborate and leverage funding with the MGPTF.

Library/
PRNS 3

5.2 Expand social emotional learning to address traumas related to COVID-19.

Collaborate to expand opportunities and advocate for social emotional learning to address traumas related to COVID-19 for all children and youth. Connect to and leverage the work that K-12 school districts are leading to develop Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to promote social emotional
learning.

CMO/
Library/
PRNS
3 Strategy 4: Expand slots for childcare, early care and education, and youth development programming opportunities.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

4.1 Conduct ongoing coordination with the Santa Clara County Office of Education to ensure that findings from the childcare zip code report continue to inform the City’s child and youth development programming.

CMO/
SCCOE 1

4.2 Identify the need for out-of-school-time programs in priority zip codes (areas hardest hit by the pandemic within San José) and available out-of-school-time programs in those zip codes.

Library/
PRNS 1

4.3 Expand childcare, early care, and out-of-school time programs in zip codes most impacted by COVID-19.

Fund family childcare homes and youth development programs in zip codes most impacted by COVID-19. Leverage the
Summer Food Service Program, where eligible, to ensure these programs provide participants access to meals. Use existing data to collaborate with regional stakeholders in meeting the needs for childcare, early care, and out-of-school time programs in zip codes most impacted by COVID-19 and during after-hours and non-traditional hours. Through the School/ City Collaborative, coordinate with school districts, community- based organizations, and other out-of-school time stakeholders to further align and to discuss State funding opportunities for expanded learning, in order to leverage efforts and align community priorities.

Library/
PRNS $200,000 1
75 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

5.3 Expand trauma-informed mental and behavioral health programs for children and youth.

Leverage and align funding, and partner with local school districts, service providers, and Santa Clara County, to expand mental and behavioral health programs and services, such as existing mentorship programs that support children, youth, and families using a trauma-informed approach.

CMO/
Library/
PRNS
3 5.4
Expand existing mentorship programs for middle and high school-aged students hardest hit by COVID-19.

Partner with local service providers and community colleges in formalizing and expanding existing mentorship programs for middle and high school-aged students hardest hit by COVID-19, such as expanding mentorship programs that incorporate a trauma-informed approach for those children and young people who were deeply impacted by the pandemic.

CBOs/
Community
Colleges/
Library/
PRNS
3 5.5
Continue to implement quality improvement standards.

Continue to coordinate with the Santa Clara County Office of Education and implement quality improvement standards, on an ongoing basis, for all programs (e.g., nutrition, playtime, social emotional learning) serving children, youth, and young adults.

CMO/
Library/
PRNS/
SCCOE
1 5.6 Expand quality programming, employment opportunities, and leverage resources for youth and young people with disabilities. CMO/PRNS 3 76 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Community Engagement
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Continue and expand the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force’s pilot Promotores program to build awareness of recovery resources offered by the City and community-based organizations
(CBOs). Resource information to disseminate include workforce development programs, childcare, housing, community health clinics and to the Filipino, Vietnamese, Asian, Latino/a/x and African-Ancestry communities. 20
CMO $100,000 1

1.2 Involve the community to simplify forms needed to access important recovery resources related to housing, workforce development, small business, and after-school programs.

Consider starting with those related to housing resources. 21 CMO/
Housing/
OEDCA/
PRNS
1 1.3
The City should host an annual recovery resource fair and/or other engagement activity to directly connect residents with Recovery resources. Activities should be in different areas/ neighborhoods that have been impacted the most by the
pandemic.

CMO $15,000 1

20. A similar action was developed by the following committees: Childcare, Early Care and Education, and Youth Development; Community Health and Wellness; Housing; and Supporting Small Businesses.

21. A similar action was developed by the Housing Committee and the Supporting Small Businesses Committee. 77 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Community Health and Wellness
Strategy 1: Support health and social service providers working in the City of San José’s equity priority communities with increasing capacity for services delivery, including physical, mental, and dental health as well as services that address the social determinants of health.

Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Support career training programs for community health navigators.

Develop a partnership with community health centers,
community colleges that provide a Community Health Worker Certificate, and other stakeholders by providing funding to support career pathways and training programs for community health navigators. Community health navigators conduct
linkage to services, resources, and follow-up for residents of equity priority communities. As trusted messengers in their communities, community health navigators will support residents with navigating the existing system of City, County, and State health and social services.
work2future 3

1.2 Engage with the County to create a collaborative cross-sector emergency plan that facilitates efforts to include community health centers and non-profit safety net organizations as core partners.

This plan is to help coordinate large emergency response events and to determine what role community health centers and non- profit safety net organizations would provide in the event of future epidemics, pandemics, or other emergency events. • With the County, gather lessons and identify the networks that were developed during the COVID-19 pandemic and
develop a matrix of organizations and the health and social services they offered to community members.
• Based on the findings, work with the County to amend
existing policies and protocols to ensure community health centers and non-profit safety net organizations in San José are included as core partners, at the front end, in rapidly responding to future emergency events.
• With the County, ensure there is an identified stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) and that it can be shared with community health centers and other non-profit safety net organizations, in the event of an emergency. • Identify potential funding strategies for ancillary needs of emergency response.
• Continue to develop a rapid response communication plan to distribute important information to community residents on how to respond to the emergency event they are
experiencing.
• Continue to incorporate non-technology options for residents with low digital literacy.

OEM 1
78 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.3 Support efforts to develop a behavioral health career pipeline.

Through the City’s existing work development programs,
support regional efforts to establish and expand behavioral health career programs that train students to become
certified behavioral health providers. Partner with local school districts, community colleges, and universities in establishing and expanding behavioral health career training programs, especially programs that train Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) students to ensure there is diversity in the workforce. This pipeline will address the large wait time in access to behavioral health and the need for behavioral health care caused by the pandemic.
work2future 3

1.4 Support retention strategies for the healthcare workforce.

Partner with local philanthropic organizations and health stakeholders in developing and funding strategies to
strengthen retention within the healthcare workforce. For example, one retention strategy would be to develop and distribute a directory of City health and wellness programs (e.g., meditation, dance, weight loss, music, etc.) available in the City that low-wage healthcare workers could access at free or discounted rates. Another best practice would be to leverage the City’s community center programs and add a path for healthcare workers to access those services at free or discounted rates.

CMO/ PRNS 3

1.5 Increase awareness of the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to fund needed repairs and
maintenance.

Continue to use the CDBG grant program to support health and social service providers to address needed repairs and maintenance and to expand their facilities. Ensure these providers remain as anchor institutions in San José’s equity priority communities. Connect this effort with the City’s existing Clean, Vibrant, and Inclusive Neighborhood and Public Life Enterprise Priority.

Housing 1

1.6 Strengthen the local coordinated system of care.

Work with the County to involve community health centers and CBOs in the ongoing development of the Cross-Agency Systems Team (CAST) to strengthen the local coordinated system of care for children, youth, and families.

County/
CMO 3
Strategy 2: Educate and connect residents to culturally relevant resources and services and reduce barriers to access.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.1 Report out on the ongoing evaluation of the City’s Promotores Pilot program.

For example, collect data on the number of people reached and the number of referrals conducted by Promotores. Over time, incorporate emerging models and best practices into the program.

CMO 1
79 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.2 Enhance language accessibility for all City services and programs.

For example, by providing multilingual interpretive services for public-facing programs and by hiring multilingual staff who speak multiple languages including Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Tagalog.

CMO/City
Departments 1

2.3 Partner with community health centers and CBOs to educate residents of existing programs and services.

Connect with and leverage community health centers and
CBOs to distribute educational materials about existing public services and programs. As trusted messengers, they can
provide culturally relevant messaging about the City’s existing programs and services.

For example, partner with community health centers and
CBOs to distribute information about the SJ Access program and digital literacy programs to address technology inequities and support residents with gaining a basic understanding of computer and technology navigation.

Additionally, work with community health centers to identify and educate residents with chronic diseases about PG&E’s Medical Baseline program, which is an assistance program for PG&E customers who need energy for certain medical needs.

CMO/
Library/
PRNS/
Community
Health
Centers/
CBOs
1 2.4
Provide in-person support at City facilities for accessing online services during emergency events.

Through the Emergency Operations Center, during emergency events, direct residents to City facilities (e.g., community centers and libraries) so they can receive in-person support in navigating online resources and accessing online services, such as tele-health.

OEM 1

2.5 Strengthen food distribution programs for low-income food- insecure households.

The City of San José should consider strengthening its
pre-pandemic commitment for low-income food insecure
households such as senior nutrition and Meals on Wheels, by increasing annual funding for these programs, recognizing that the pandemic generated sustained demand and inflation has increased operational costs.

The City and the County should also recognize the broader elevated need for groceries and meals for San Joseans who are homeless and/or hungry, as part of their broader efforts to provide social services for unhoused residents. The City should evaluate its current funding commitment to local community- based organizations for distribution of groceries and meals, in coordination with the County.

CMO/
County 3

2.6 Provide additional funding through the City’s Senior Health and Wellness Grant Program to support an increase of chronic disease education, especially diabetes management and
prevention.

For example, increase grant funding to partners to provide chronic disease education during senior nutrition food
distribution periods. In addition, explore opportunities to expand current health and wellness workshops being offered at neighborhood centers by community health partners.

PRNS $200,000 1
80 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Strategy 3: Leverage the City’s land use authority to advance health and increase community resilience against future emergency events.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

3.1 Update zoning code for urban agriculture.

Consider changes to the City’s zoning code to allow small-scale urban agriculture as the primary land use in most zones and accessory uses such as temporary on-site urban agriculture stands.

PBCE 2,3

3.2 Focus tree planting efforts in communities with low tree canopy coverage.

Continue the City’s Community Forest Management plans
to reverse declining canopy cover and expand tree planting guided by an equity lens and in Equity Priority communities to combat the urban heat island effect. Prioritize equity priority communities in all strategies that seek to build climate adaptation and resiliency in San José.

DOT 1

3.3 Work with energy providers to determine residents who require energy for chronic disease management (e.g., insulin needs to be kept cool, and dialysis machines) and explore the feasibility of exempting those individuals from power cut off or provide battery back-up cooling to those individuals.

SJCE 3

3.4 Simplify the permitting and MOU processes for health and social service providers.

Explore a policy/ordinance or policy/ordinance amendments to simplify the permitting and MOU processes for partnerships with non-profit organizations and health and social service providers to more quickly provide services to high-need populations. For example, simplify the permitting and licensure process so that mobile health clinics can provide services to unhoused and low-income residents. Additionally, decrease the permitting fees for non-profits to provide health and social services, which have been cost-prohibitive for many non-profit food pantries and health clinics during the pandemic. Conduct a study of existing insurance requirements for non-profits, and lessons learned from past partnerships, to provide health and social services.

CMO/PBCE 2,3
81 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Housing
Strategy 1: Sustaining rental assistance efforts.

Strategy 2: Accelerating affordable housing production.

Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Increase rental assistance and homeless prevention efforts to low-income residents and in neighborhoods most impacted by the pandemic.

For example, prioritize housing assistance for extremely low- income residents or those earning less than $15,000 per year.

CMO/
Housing 1

1.2 Integrate and coordinate additional efforts to support vulnerable renters and communities to access additional resources, such as employment and education assistance, legal support, mental health support, and other social services.

Housing 1

1.3 Sponsor or support State legislation to mandate that local courts publish eviction data.

This publicly available eviction data should include recorded Unlawful Detainers filed and evictions executed by the court.

City
Council/

CMO-API/
Housing
2 1.4
Continue development of an Eviction Diversion/Housing
collaborative court.

This collaborative court is based on lessons learned from programs initiated locally and around the County during the pandemic. Recommit to exploring the opportunities to create a local “right to council’ for tenants in eviction cases.

Housing 1
Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.1 Include low-income youth, young adults, and families who reside or work in San José in priority groups for affordable housing opportunities. Instruct the Housing Department to apply to youth set-aside funding programs on a more consistent basis.

Housing 3

2.2 Advocate for stronger State affordable housing legislation.

Encourage City to advocate for, such as write letters of support on an ongoing basis, for state housing legislation that advances affordable housing production. Specifically, direct Housing staff to advocate for ongoing State funding for Project HomeKey.

City
Council/

CMO-API/
Housing
2 82
Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.3 Proactively work to achieve 100% of the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) allocation of affordable housing for the 2023-2031 housing period.

Specific actions to consider include: 1) updating San José land use and zoning to increase sites available for multifamily housing (or more narrowly 100% affordable housing), such as sites zoned for schools and faith-based institutions; 2) streamlining the City’s permitting process to expedite construction of new affordable housing developments; 3) protecting and expanding dedicated funding (ala Measure E) for affordable housing development; and 4) raising the commercial linkage fee that could be used for affordable housing
development.

Housing/
PBCE/
OEDCA
1 2.4
Develop an acquisition/rehabilitation program for rental properties.

To address post pandemic speculations, develop an acquisition/ rehabilitation program for small to medium size rental
properties, including a technical assistance fund to support community-based engagement in this program.

Housing 3
Strategy 3: Creating pathways to homeownership.

Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

3.1 Develop approaches to homeownership that create
opportunities for stability, and for individuals and families to stay and control their own housing.

For example, ensure there is funding for the proposed
Community Opportunity to Purchase (COPA) policy to assist San José residents in higher COVID-19 impacted areas to support with down payment assistance. Additionally, support seniors and COVID-19 impacted communities at risk of defaulting on their mortgages by providing monthly payment support based on their fixed income. Explore a partnership with the County, PG&E, Valley Water, and other agencies to create affordable utilities for communities impacted by COVID-19.

Housing 2,3

3.2 Develop approaches to homeownership that create generational wealth and funding mechanisms to support homeownership.

For example, leverage existing funding (ala Measure E) to buy affordable housing for the ownership model. Also, create financial reserves to support new homeowners with closing cost assistance and after their home purchase (e.g., one month mortgage) to prevent being denied and/or falling back on mortgage payments.

Housing 3
83 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Strategy 4: Expanding housing outreach and engagement efforts.

Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

4.1 Fund local CBOs to conduct outreach on renters’ rights and existing housing programs and services.

Fund local CBOs to conduct authentic and culturally-relevant outreach to equity priority communities on behalf of the City.

As trusted messengers in their communities, these CBOs will assist with increasing education and awareness of renters’ rights as well as of City, County, and State housing programs and services.

Housing $130,000 1

4.2 Develop a multi-platform online Tenant Resource Center.

The Tenant Resource Center will support access to both local and state tenant protections, including the right to organize, and anti-retaliation - as an extension of the Eviction Help Center (coordinated with other City resources, including responsive Code Enforcement, etc.). Ensure the resources are available in multiple languages. Partner with CBOs to ensure the online resource site is community-led and is updated regularly.

Develop popular education materials for the website that can easily be printed and distributed to residents in-person.

Housing $130,000 1

4.3 Fund non-profit organizations to educate communities on how to become homeowners and explore different ways on home purchase and provide information on default and mortgage assistance.

Housing 3

4.4 Conduct an evaluation of the City’s housing programs and services.

Evaluate how the City’s housing programs and services
support (or fail to support) undocumented people, people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, and people with low literacy levels. For example, explore requirements of key housing documents to be made available in multiple languages and requiring Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility for anyone who receives City housing funding.

Identify areas for improvement, especially in the document process for applying to City programs and services.

Housing 3

4.5 Reduce barriers, especially required forms and certifications, to accessing City housing programs and services.

When specific requirements cannot be removed, then
coordinate so that City and non-profit staff can provide support for residents to fill out documents, or provide options for alternative documents to fulfill requirements.

Housing 3
84 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Just Recovery for Airport, Hotel,
and Arts Workers
Strategy 1: The hospitality and entertainment sectors have not returned to full employment Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Consider changes to the City’s Opportunity to Work Ordinance to lower the employer threshold of 36 employees to 25
employees and to ensure as many full-time employment
positions are offered to part-time employees as possible.

City
Council/
CAO/PW
2 1.2
Explore creating a collective impact employment program for upskilling of low-wage workers.

Partner with local and regional employers to create a collective impact employment program for low-income workers that
designs customized training programs considering existing skills (such as hospitality, food service, caregiving, and construction) and supports upskilling of low-income workers via an “earn & learn” model. As example, partner with San José State University to expand their Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Management program to provide training certificates and upskilling opportunities for low-income hospitality workers.

OEDCA 3
Strategy 2: Energize travel demand and ensure the short and long-term sustainability of arts funding in San José
Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.1 Explore dedicating Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT)
resources for the long-term recovery and growth of the arts and visitor industry.

Provide ongoing recovery and growth of the arts and hospitality sectors through the TOT fund after federal and state relief funding ends. Consider using the 40% of the TOT fund that goes to the City’s General Fund to reinvest in arts, entertainment, and convention business stimulation including targeted programing, marketing, associated infrastructure improvements, and the facilities costs required of performing arts groups to use City- owned event spaces.

CMO-
Budget/
OEDCA
1,2,3

2.2 Encourage the City to develop alternate funding scenarios for addressing the long-term stability and sustainability of the arts and visitor industry.

Consider adopting a new funding mechanism to invest in sector recovery. One potential example is a ticket surcharge fee at convention, sports, and entertainment venues, such as the one implemented by the City of Denver.

CMO-
Budget/
OEDCA
1,2,3

2.3 Further prioritize small- and mid-sized arts groups in all Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) grant-funding decision making. OEDCA 1 85 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Action # Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.4 Prioritizing small- and mid-sized arts groups, provide subsidies for rentals at City-owned venues. OEDCA $100,000 1

2.5 Promote arts-based events at City-owned facilities.

Leverage the City’s physical assets and event spaces
(e.g., Airport, SAP Center, parking garages, and electronic promotional signage) to promote arts-based events. For
example, partner with the Airport to advertise local arts groups and cultural events in their on-site advertising, magazines, and other collateral. Partner with the Airport to regularly host visual arts programming on-site for San José-based artists and cultural institutions.

OEDCA/TSJ 1,3

2.6 Convene a working group of arts and visitor industry stakeholders to develop targeted strategies to bring in arts- based business activity to the City of San José.

TSJ/arts
stakeholders 3

2.7 Review of City costs associated with cultural programming in City-owned facilities, parks, and street closures.

Explore ways to increase City support and infrastructure for arts and cultural programming throughout the city, such as addressing cost of arts and cultural production.

OEDCA 3
86 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Supporting Small Businesses
Strategy 1: Increase access to capital and direct financial assistance for small businesses most impacted by the pandemic.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Continue to prioritize and increase financial assistance and support for very small businesses (fewer than 10 employees).

Assistance should focus on rent relief, equipment for better safety standards, and the City’s existing Storefront Grants.

Home-based business owners should also be eligible for the grant opportunities/financial assistance. For Storefront Grants, allow those who have previously received funding through the Storefront Grant to qualify, assuming they are applying for a different grant than the one they had received previously.

OEDCA
$600,000
($300,000 for rent
relief program;
$300,000 for
Storefront Grant
program)
1 1.2
Connect with and leverage existing City outreach programs like the pilot Promotores program and partnerships with community- based organizations and business chambers who work with undocumented individuals, women, Black, Latinx, Asian, people with disabilities, older adults, non-English speaking, and LGBTQ+ business owners to promote:
• Existing and future funding opportunities;
• City of San José’s SJ Access programs;
• Business Tax License exemptions for family day care
homes, financial hardship, or low revenue generating small businesses;
• Participating in the City’s contracting process;
• ADA compliance resources available such as Certified Access Specialist (CASp) grants, and those offered through AB 2164, which passed in September 2022;
• San Jose Public Library’s computer literacy classes; and • Other business development resources that support small businesses impacted by the pandemic.

Leveraging the cultural competency of the Promotores and CBOs will support effective engagement across communities.

As part of this outreach, continue to provide information on these resources in multiple languages, ensure screen readers accessibility, and clear understandable text is used in materials.

CMO/
Library/
OEDCA/
CBOs/
Business
Associations
and
Chambers
1 87
Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Strategy 2: Strengthen long-term solutions to support small businesses.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.1 Continue to partner with and provide funding to organizations who provide training to small business owners on managing books, filing taxes, building credit, securing funding, computer literacy, and other financial tools for long term success.

OEDCA $150,000 1

2.2 Leverage the partnerships and resources in the newly-launched Latino Business Foundation’s Small Business Resource Center at Quetzal Gardens, as well as the online website Business Owner Space (businessownerspace.com) to serve as a one-stop shop of resources for small business owners, including support completing Business Tax Certificates and exemption forms, receiving an Employee Identification Number (EIN), and more.

Explore how SJ311 or other text-based forms of communicating with the City can also be an additional resource for accessing information.

OEDCA/
Latino
Business
Foundation’s
Small
Business
Resource
Center
1 2.3
Through the City’s ongoing procurement disparity study, support efforts to identify barriers in the City’s contracting process for Black, Latinx, Asian, people with disabilities and woman-owned businesses and encourage participation, policy and procedure recommendations and refinements that the City may take to increase participation.

Finance 1

2.4 Develop grants to cover construction costs to support small business owners to meet ADA compliance.

PBCE/
OEDCA 3

2.5 Explore the idea of partnership with philanthropic organizations/ other funding sources to offer a universal basic income program for sole proprietors, including those working in the arts, childcare, food services, and community health.

CBOs
and other
partners
3 Strategy 3: Take steps to proactively bridge the digital divide for small business owners.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

3.1 Continue the City’s Customer Service Vision and Standards initiative to update the website and business-related forms and make them easier for small business owners to access and complete needed information such as obtaining a business license or applying for grants. Ensure these pages and forms are available in multiple languages, accessible via a screen reader and including customer service staff to support
completing necessary forms. Consider including a banner on the front of the business registration page for those who qualify to waive license fees.

CMO 1

3.2 Expand the City’s SJ Access Free Wi-Fi program to Equity Priority Communities or to zip codes most impacted by
COVID-19 in San José, enabling free internet access to more impacted businesses, residents, and families. Moving forward, explore more advanced infrastructure to provide free high- speed, broadband internet to all city residents and small businesses.

ITD/Library 3
88 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

3.3 Leverage future federal infrastructure funding that can support Family Child Care Home (FCCH) providers’ childcare facilities with upgrading their facilities to include high-speed broadband internet and other modern digital infrastructure, in case of another COVID-19 surge or emergency. 22
Library 3

3.4 Address technology inequities by expanding digital education, digital literacy, and access to high-speed broadband internet for undocumented, women, Black, Latinx, Asian, people
with a disabilities, older adults, non-English speaking, and LGBTQ+ small business owners. Support small businesses, by establishing a basic understanding of computer and technology navigation.

ITD/Library 1

22. This action was originally developed by the Childcare, Early Care and Education, and Youth Development Committee, and then referred to and incorporated by the Supporting Small Businesses Committee into their recommendations. 89 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Workers’ Health, Safety, and Rights
Strategy 1: Workplace rights outreach, education, and enforcement: a) expand the City’s role, and b) connect with other agencies and community organizations to leverage existing capacity.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.1 Increase staff and resources in the Office of Equality Assurance (OEA). Specifically:
• Resources to conduct inspections of worksites, interviewing workers to ensure that payroll records are accurate, and identifying if apprentice ratios are being met
• Identify concentrations of offenses or repeat offenders • Ensure language capacity to quickly respond to worker calls/ complaints in languages other than English
• Continue to evaluate staffing needs relative to number and needs of workers falling under City minimum wage, prevailing wage, or other OEA enforcement responsibilities
PW-OEA 1

1.2 Increase engagement with the County’s Fair Workplace Collaborative to conduct outreach and education, especially around City minimum wage and wage and hour issues. Visit workplace sites; engage with workers and small business owners; this includes engaging with both worker organizations and groups representing small businesses.

Additionally, explore integrating community-based workers’ rights outreach and education into existing City programs that touch working community members or jobseekers.

PW-OEA $375,000 1

1.3 Connect with union labor compliance programs. Specifically:
• Increase OEA’s ability to respond timely to certified payroll requests;
• Collaborate on enforcing prevailing rates including benefit packages, State apprenticeship ratios, and related training requirements;
• Follow Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) procedures by giving the highest wage/benefit package to workers when there are overlapping classifications on public works projects; and
• Consider establishing a monthly roundtable meeting on construction labor/workforce issues (both public and private) with labor compliance officers and other stakeholders (similar to the Developers Roundtable meeting).

PW-OEA 1

1.4 Improve awareness of and compliance with local minimum wage protections. (Relates to Action 1.2)
• Ensure businesses are aware of local minimum wage
differences and annual increases, their responsibilities, and how to access resources and help if needed; and
• Ensure workers are aware of local minimum wages and how to access their rights.

PW-OEA 3
90 Recommendations by Committee
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

1.5 Explore raising San José’s minimum wage to equal that of Sunnyvale and Mountain View. In parallel, encourage other cities in Santa Clara County to adopt that as regional standard minimum wage.

PW-OEA 2
Strategy 2: Strengthen workers’ rights and safety enforcement tools in City of San José.

Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

2.1 In developing the Responsible Construction Ordinance (RCO), review the new model enacted in Sunnyvale and the work
underway in Mountain View. Ensure RCO is enacted in San José.

PW-OEA 1

2.2 Remove exclusion of Public Works from Wage Theft Policy for City contracts. PW-OEA 1

2.3 Direct the City Attorney Office to file suit in egregious wage theft enforcement cases; for misclassification under AB5 where appropriate (including joining other cities in lawsuits); and egregious cases before the OEA. See models in Los
Angeles, San Francisco (including claims under California unfair competition laws).

City Council 2

2.4 Ensure no actions are taken to undermine or lower the living wage or prevailing wage, whichever is applicable, and if both apply, the higher of the two is used.

PW-OEA 2
Action# Recommendation Lead
Amount from FY
22-23 Council
Approved $2M
Impl.

Category

3.1 Renew the City law for COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave, continue coverage (recognizing that COVID-19 is now likely to become endemic), covering all workers in San José, regardless of the number of employees in a company. Advocate for the State to extend tax credits for small businesses that provide COVID-19 sick pay per City or State law.

City
Council/
CAO
2 3.2
Ensure that workers are educated about their rights to three- day paid sick leave, COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave, and job-protected leave.

PW-OEA 1

3.3 Enact permanent local paid sick leave law – more robust than three days offered by the State. Follow models of Oakland, San Francisco, and other California cities.

City Council 2
91 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report91 Implementation
Upon City Council action on the Recovery Task Force report and recommendations, City staff will develop a framework for implementation, including work plans. This will be built upon the three Implementation Categories that City staff have initially developed:

1. Already underway and in a department work plan

2. City Council policy decision

3. Additional evaluation and/or resources required, e.g., recommend for City Initiatives Roadmap process
“Sonic Runway” by artists Rob Jensen and Warren Trezevant and design by Stockhausen 92 Implementation
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
There are a total of 88 recommendations, en of which the Recovery Task Force has identified for funding from the allocated $2.0 million ARP funding that was set aside by the City Council in the FY 2022-2023 Budget. Funding allocations were made according to the feedback gathered in the community engagement process, committee priorities, and staff input on the feasibility of implementation.

Below are the ten recommendations receiving funding. City staff will work with departments to initiate implementation of these items.

Action # Recommendation FY22-23 Funding

4.3 Childcare, Early Care and Education, and Youth Development Committee Expand childcare, early care, and out-of-school time programs in zip codes most impacted by COVID-19.
$200,000

1.1 Community Engagement Committee
Continue and expand the COVID-19 Recovery Task Force’s Pilot Promotores program to build awareness of recovery resources offered by the City and CBOs. Resource information to disseminate include workforce development programs, childcare, housing, community health clinics and to the Filipino, Vietnamese, Asian, Latino/a/x and African- Ancestry communities.
$100,000

1.3 Community Engagement Committee
The City should host an annual recovery resource fair and/or other engagement activity to directly connect residents with recovery resources. Activities should be in different areas/ neighborhoods that have been impacted the most by the pandemic. $15,000

2.6 Community Health and Wellness Committee
Provide additional funding through the City’s Senior Health and Wellness Grant Program to support an increase of chronic disease education, especially diabetes management and prevention.
$200,000

4.1 Housing Committee
Fund local CBOs to conduct outreach on renters’ rights and existing housing programs and services.
$130,000

4.2 Housing Committee
Develop a multi-platform online Tenant Resource Center. $130,000

2.4 Just Recovery for Airport, Hotel, and Arts Workers Committee Prioritizing small- and mid-sized arts groups, provide subsidies for rentals at City-owned venues.
$100,000

1.1 Supporting Small Businesses Committee
Continue to prioritize and increase financial assistance and support for very small businesses (fewer than 10 employees).
$600,000

2.1 Supporting Small Businesses Committee
Continue to partner with and provide funding to organizations who provide training to small business owners on managing books, filing taxes, building credit, securing funding, computer literacy, and other financial tools for long term success. $150,000

1.2 Workers’ Health, Safety, and Rights Committee
Increase engagement with the County’s Fair Workplace Collaborative to conduct outreach and education, especially around City minimum wage and wage and hour issues. Visit workplace sites; engage with workers and small business owners; this includes engaging with both worker organizations and groups representing small businesses. $375,000
93 Implementation
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Potential Outcome Metrics
Impact: Crafting metrics to track community outcomes
Working closely with City staff, each committee identified a range of measures to track progress and impacts related to recovery for the City. During the implementation phase, City staff will refine metrics as needed. Below are proposed metrics by committee:

Committees Metrics
Childcare, Early Care and Education, and
Youth Development
• Childcare slots available compared to demand by age group and zip code • Anonymous mental health child survey
Community Engagement
• Promotores connections with residents and businesses
• Participation in City Recovery resources and programs by gender, race, ethnicity, and disability status
Community Health and Wellness • Number of food-insecure households • Regional Health Equity Initiative Index
Housing • Average rent burden by income (30% income, 50% income) • Number of people in City assistance programs
Just Recovery for Airport, Hotel, and Arts
Workers
• Hotel occupancy rates in San José
• Number of arts and cultural events and theater occupancy rates Supporting Small Businesses
• Support opportunities offered to small businesses – financial, training, and accessibility
• Health of small businesses provided support by City by gender, race, ethnicity, and disability status
Workers’ Health, Safety, and Rights • # of sick leave days provided and used • Rates of wage theft
94 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge and thank the many stakeholders who helped to make this Recovery Task Force a success over the past year. A huge thank you goes to the community organizers who attended dozens of meetings and provided critical input into this process. A special thank you to the Lived Experience Group (LEG) for leading a comprehensive engagement process, and to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation for providing a grant to support the LEG’s engagement work. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the comments and feedback received from City staff, community members who attended Recovery Task Force meetings and events, and all who participated in our community survey.
“Espiritu y Corazon” by Precita Eyes Muralists, 2004, Mexican Heritage Plaza 95 Acknowledgments
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
COVID-19 Recovery Task Force
African American Community Service Agency:

Milan Balinton, Lavere Foster
Alum Rock Santa Clara Street Business Association:

Jose Rios, Connie Alvarez
Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI):

Gerard Manuel, Sarita Kohli
Bill Wilson Center: Kiana Simmons, Sparky Harlan
Billy De Frank Center: Gabrielle Antolovich, David Morse Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet of Silicon Valley:

Derek Grasty, Rhonda McClinton-Brown
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County:

Araceli Gonzales*, Lisa Christian
Community Health Partnership: Dolores Alvarado*,
Patricia Diaz*
Destination: Home: David Low, Chelsea Muller
Eastside San José PEACE Partnership: Annie Wu,
Maritza Rodriguez
Evergreen Islamic Center: Mukhtiar Shaikh, Mir Mustafa
First 5 Santa Clara County: Melanie Daraio,
Ashely Robinson, Buckley Bloom
Gardner Health Clinic: Reymundo Espinoza
Goodwill of Silicon Valley: Ivon Perez*, Trish Dorsey
Grail Family Services: Dr. Nereyda Hurtado,
Yadira Grajeda, Carmina Valdivia
Greenbelt Alliance: Justin Wang, Zoe Siegel,
Jordan Grimes
Healing Grove Health Center: Jose Rodriguez,
Brett Bymaster
The Health Trust: Victoria Ramirez*, Kristense Cameron*, Michele Lew
Indian Health Center of Silicon Valley:

Dr. Anupama Balakrishnan, Gerardo Loera
Joint Venture Silicon Valley, Building Back Better:

Quency Phillips, Ashley Raggio
Latino Business Foundation Silicon Valley:

Jesus Flores*, Stephanie Flores
Laborers’ International Union of North America, Local
Union 270: Luis Arguello, Enrique Arguello
Minority Business Consortium: Walter Wilson,
Reginald Swilley
MACLA (Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino
Americana): Ruben Escalante, Maryela Perez
Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute (School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza):

Roy Hirabayashi, Chris Esparza
PACT (People Acting in Community Together):

Rev. Ray F. Montgomery
Prosperity Lab: Mimi Hernandez, Armando Ricardez
Racial Equity Action Leadership Coalition: Susie Rivera, Darcie Green
Roots Community Health Center: Alma Burrell,
Dr. Noha Aboelata
Sacred Heart Community Service: Poncho Guevara,
Roberto Gil
San José Chamber of Commerce: Monique Yamamoto,
Derrick Seaver
San José Downtown Association: Elizabeth Truong,
Nathan Ulsh, Chris Arkley
San José-Evergreen Community College District:

Rosalie Gutiérrez Ledesma, Ryan Brown
San José Jazz: Hugo Garcia, Brendan Rawson
San José Museum of Art: Frederick Liang, Robin Treen
San José State University: Edwin Tan, Jennifer Malutta
Santa Clara & San Benito Building and Construction
Trades Council: David Bini, Eric Mussynski
Santa Clara County Office of Education:

Dr. Mary Ann Dewan*, Dr. Shammy Karim
Santa Clara County Division of Equity and Social
Justice: Maribel Martinez, Heather Morgan
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley: Zia MacWilliams,
Tracy Weatherby, Rachel Monaco
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) United
Service Workers West (USWW): Samuel Kehinde*,
Sanjay Garla
Sí Se Puede Collective: Claudia Damiani,
Jeremy Barrousse
96 Acknowledgments
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits: Kyra Kazantzis,
Nick Kuwada
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center:

Christine Fitzgerald*, Sheri Burns
Small Business Advisory Task Force: Allie Lopez*,
Nga Nguyen
SOMOS Mayfair: Araceli Sierra*, Dilza Gonzalez
South Bay Labor Council: Jean Cohen, Bob Brownstein
SV@Home: David Meyer*, Mathew Reed
Team San José: Ben Roschke*, Laura Chmielewski
UNITE HERE Local 19: Sarah McDermott*,
Raquel Alvarez, Olga Arrieta
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 5:

Hector Moreno, Jim Araby
Vietnamese American Roundtable: Philip Nguyen,
Atkinson Tran
work2future: Monique Melchor, Sangeeta Durral
Working Partnerships USA: Maria Noel Fernandez,
Louise Auerhahn*
YWCA: Adriana Caldera Boroffice
Lived Experience Group

ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Pilipino Association of Workers and Immigrants (PAWIS): Felwina Opiso-Mondina Santa Clara County Wage Theft Coalition: Ruth Silver-Taube Viviana Barnwell
Christina Bui
Rosa Cordova
Maricon Malimban
Oswaldo Moreno
Ellen Rollins
Alex Spielmann
Maria Vans
Nathalia Villaseñor-Carrillo
* Denotes that a Task Force member served as a committee chair or co-chair and that they served on the Steering Committee. 97 Acknowledgments
City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report
City of San José
City Manager’s Office
Aurelia Bailey
Laura Buzo
Rosalynn Hughey
Rob Lloyd
Katerina Tubera
Carlos Velázquez
City Manager’s Budget Office
Bryce Ball
Claudia Chang
Bonny Duong
Jim Shannon
City Manager’s Office of Communications
Demetria Machado
Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs
Kerry Adams-Hapner
Salvador Alvarez
Vic Farlie
Nanci Klein
Nguyen Pham
Jeff Ruster
Lawrence Thoo
Bige Yilmaz
Nathan Donato-Weinstein
Blage Zelalich
Office of Emergency Management
Ray Riordan
Alvin Galang
Finance Department
Luz Cofresi-Howe
Housing Department
Kristen Clements
Ragan Henninger
Jacky Morales-Ferrand
Information Technology Department
Albert Gehami
Arti Tangri
Khaled Tawfik
Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood
Services
Jon Cicirelli
Maria De Leon
Nicholas Georgoff
Lauren Hawkins
Uyen Mai
Neil Rufino
Hal Spangenberg
Janae Whitcomb
Department of Planning, Building and Code
Enforcement
Chris Burton
Robert Manford
San José Public Library
Jill Bourne
Ann Grabowski
Public Works Department
Matt Cano
Christopher Hickey
Mineta San José International Airport
John Aitken
Drake Beaton
Rebekah Bray
Consultant Team
Raimi + Associates
Kym Dorman
Paige Kruza
Christian Ledezma
Lillian Mensah
Juan Reynoso
Winter Consulting
Christina Guarino
Christian Ollano
Iris Osorio-Villatoro
Frank Ponciano
Corinne Winter
98 City of San Jos é COVID-19 Recovery Task Force Report Appendix
COVID-19 Recovery Task Force
Community Engagement Report
November 2022
Prepared by Winter Consulting Group

Table of Contents
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Community Engagement Plan and Process . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Who We Engaged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Community Engagement Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Committee Specific Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Next Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Executive Summary
The COVID-19 Recovery Task Force (Task Force) was established by the City of San José City Council to work with the community to “think about the future” as it relates to supporting small businesses and stabilizing and strengthening families and workers. The Task Force is composed of representatives from 55 community-based organizations covering a myriad of important areas of community need including housing, education, arts, cultural preservation, and health services. Given their deep connections and experience with the San José community—particularly those most impacted by the pandemic—Task Force members are charged with advising and monitoring progress on the existing City Roadmap Recovery Initiatives, disseminating information on recovery resources, engaging residents and businesses and compiling feedback, and developing new recommended actions for the City Council to consider.

This report explores critical insights about the experiences and needs of communities in San José related to each of the subjects listed above. These insights were gathered through community engagement carried out by members of the Recovery Task Force and the Lived Experience Group.

Findings
The findings in this report are categorized by subject area to mirror themes explored by the Recovery Task Force committees. These subject areas include: childcare, early education, and youth development; community health and wellness; housing; airport, hospitality, and arts workers; small businesses; workers’ rights, health and safety; and community engagement.

Issues pertaining to economic security, mental health, childcare, and recovery of the workforce and small business ecosystem featured prominently in community conversations. People talked about the impacts of facing these issues both individually and at a community-level. Across the board, engagement surfaced as a prevalent need, with most people indicating that they were either unaware of or did not know how to access existing resources. ● Economic Security: Renters continue to struggle with paying still-rising rents alongside back-rent accrued during the height of pandemic. Many have seen their savings dwindle and some have borrowed from third parties to pay their landlords. People called for continuation and easier access of rental assistance programs, with nearly half of survey respondents indicating rental assistance among the top three kinds of support they would like to see the City provide. Food insecurity was also a prevalent issue, with many citing food distributions as indispensable to their families in times of economic need throughout the pandemic.
● Mental Health: A lack of access to affordable recreation and other services aimed at preserving mental health for residents was a common theme during the engagement process. Across the board, people were most concerned about the impacts of the pandemic on the mental health of children and youth. Parents talked about previously active children who are now lethargic and disengaged. High school students talked about ubiquitous and persistent depression and anxiety paired with inadequate therapy and recreation program availability.
● Childcare: The unaffordability and shortage of childcare options was also a common point of discussion in community conversations. Parents of children with disabilities were particularly impacted by pandemic-related cuts in services that are still ongoing. Many talked about their inability to join the 1 workforce due to childcare necessities which could not be provided for elsewhere, with one in two respondents indicating that childcare was the main challenge preventing them from returning to work. ● Workers and Small Businesses: Many are still struggling to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic, whether it is seeking a new job, finding assistance to restart a micro business, or coping with the stresses of being a frontline worker, with two in five respondents indicating that they were not currently working. People talked about the need for more programs to help identify jobs and the need to keep and strengthen existing COVID-related worker protections, particularly as waves of COVID-19 are anticipated to continue. Additionally, community members indicated the need for improved health and safety conditions in the workplace, with two in five of all survey respondents indicating that this was among the biggest challenges they faced during the pandemic, the top selected choice. ● Engagement: Community members were often surprised when told about existing support programs. By practicing deep engagement, leveraging the strength of existing community networks, and meeting community members where they are, and in languages and spaces most accessible to them, the City and community partners could amplify the reach of their messages in a manner that is more efficient and cost-effective than traditional outreach approaches. This is especially true when the target audience consists of communities such as undocumented families, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, the unhoused, artists and others.

Community Engagement Process
A variety of engagement strategies were implemented by the Task Force and Lived Experience Group (LEG) members to connect with and gather input from impacted individuals, families, workers, and business owners in a more effective and culturally-appropriate manner. The process reflected a truly collaborative effort that incorporated co-creation of the engagement plan, community survey, and myriad of engagement activities.

From May to August 2022, the team implemented a total of 31 community engagement activities engaging 1500 people. This included 16 focus groups, 13 pop-ups at third-party community events, two community forums, and a community resource fair which took place in the Seven Trees Community Center and attracted 500 people. A total of 771 people completed the community survey.

Next Steps
The data and analyses in this engagement report reflect the concerns of many community members struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings will be presented at the September 2022 Task Force meeting and will inform the Recovery Task Force’s final recommendations for COVID-19 recovery efforts, anticipated to be approved by the Task Force at its November 2022 meeting. Task Force recommendations will be presented to the City Council in December 2022. This report will also inform the Data and Budgeting Committee as they provide guidance to the Task Force committees on performance metrics to assess the success of recommended programs and policies.
2 Introduction
Communities in San José have endured nearly three years of social and economic challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prominent among these challenges are loss of income, mounting debt, loss of housing, interruptions in student learning, and a shortage of available mental health services. Communities of color, low-income communities, and other historically marginalized groups have been particularly impacted by these challenges in San José. This context has led to intensifying inequities that predated the pandemic.

The City of San José recognizes the need for a new approach in which community members are empowered to co-create a way forward. A “deep engagement” approach uses grassroots outreach to educate the community on existing programs while facilitating genuine community feedback that identifies community needs for additional services and programs. Deep engagement begins with the thoughtful formation of community partnerships involving trusted individuals whose perspectives and leadership approach are informed by personal experiences with COVID-19 or “lived experiences.”
The Task Force is part of the City’s COVID-19 Pandemic: Community and Economic Recovery Enterprise Priority and is an initiative of the City Initiatives Roadmap. The City Council established the Task Force in September 2021 to work with the community to think about and plan for the future as it relates to:

1. Stabilizing and strengthening families;

2. Supporting small businesses;

3. Supporting workers.

The roles and responsibilities of the Recovery Task Force are to:

1. Advise and monitor progress on the City’s Roadmap to Recovery initiatives;

2. Develop a community engagement and communications plan for involving the public in the Recovery Task Force process;

3. Share information to their network about this work and bring their feedback back to the Recovery Task Force;

4. Develop new recommended actions for Recovery to be considered by the City Council.

One of the committees of the Recovery Task Force is focused on community engagement. The Community Engagement Committee worked with City staff and consultants to develop a community engagement plan to help coordinate the community engagement needed to involve the public in the Task Force process. The Task Force will be using the feedback gathered from this community engagement to inform and shape the recommendations and final report.

This approach led to critical insights about the experiences and needs of communities in San José. These insights inform the findings presented in this report.
3 Community Engagement Plan and Process
Community Engagement Plan
Before any community engagement activity took place, a robust and comprehensive Community Engagement Plan (see Appendix) was created charting out the strategy and tactics to conduct an equitable and accessible engagement process that prioritized communities most impacted by the pandemic. The document produced was a result of a co-creation process that had been informed by one-to-ones with Task Force members (primarily from the Community Engagement Committee), general Task Force meetings, committee meetings, City staff feedback and the input from the broader general public. The Plan included ten key principles that ensured activities were welcoming for all community members. The plan also served as a guiding document that described five components: 1) Lived Experience Group (LEG), 2) Community Survey, 3) Storytelling, 4) Engagement Toolkit, and 5) Recovery Report Consolidation, alongside the engagement activities that would be implemented throughout Summer 2022 by the Task Force and Lived Experience Group members.

Role of COVID-19 Recovery Task Force
With 55 member organizations, the Recovery Task Force was a critical force in gathering input and disseminating information. The Recovery Task Force was given a digital engagement toolkit that outlined how to engage their respective organizations and communities, including key questions and guidelines to organize activities. This provided a simple way for the City to collect a large amount of community input with distributed effort. Questions and input mechanisms were standardized for streamlined analysis. The Task Force was also instrumental in co-creating engagement questions, disseminating the community survey, providing input on LEG candidate criteria, determining priority communities to engage, and assisting in organization and execution of various engagement events, including the Community Resource Fair.

Role of the Community Engagement Committee
The Community Engagement Committee was home base for guiding the direction of engagement strategy and served as the main sounding board for any key engagement-related decisions that were made. The Committee was critical in providing the City and the consultant team with key insights on how best to conduct engagement and helped co-create both the engagement plan and engagement toolkit. The Committee was also pivotal in providing the Task Force with engagement-oriented updates and disseminating digital and physical copies of the community survey in addition to the organization of the Community Resource Fair.

Committee members spent significant time and energy in
designing and conducting outreach for the Community
Resource Fair, which attracted over 500 people.

Lived Experience Group
Through a robust recruitment and selection process that involved key insights and references from Task Force members 4 and community leaders, nine dedicated community leaders with lived experience related to the COVID-19 pandemic were assembled to assist in conducting deep engagement with their communities. Each member of the LEG was expected to plan and carry out up to three community engagement activities between June and August of 2022. These events included focus groups with neighbors, community workshops, and other community engagement events. LEG members were also expected to attend four meetings for planning and support. Stipends, funded through a grant awarded to the consultant team, were provided to LEG members when they met these expectations.

It was important that a wide variety of lived experiences be represented on the LEG. This priority was reinforced at every stage of the process and resulted in a group that included the following COVID-19 related lived experiences:
● Parent of children with a disability
● Hospitality or service worker who lost work due to COVID-19 ● Renter who faced mounting debt or eviction struggles
● Formerly/currently unhoused and housing insecure community member ● Emergency/disaster relief volunteer who served on the frontlines at the height of the pandemic ● Community member who cared for or lost loved ones or friends due to COVID-19 ● High school and college student who attended online classes and suffered through isolation and a dearth of accessible mental health services
● Older adult considered high-risk for COVID-19
● Community member with a pre-existing condition who needed to access healthcare during the pandemic Throughout the course of the engagement period, a variety of engagement strategies were implemented by Lived Experience Group (LEG) and Recovery Task Force members to connect with and gather input from individuals, families, and business owners in San José still experiencing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic today. In all, the LEG alongside Recovery Task Force members helped to
co-create and facilitate 31 community engagement events in both virtual and in-person formats. Below is a summary of the key components of the process that were
implemented as part of the formal engagement plan, which was co-created with the Community Engagement
Committee, City staff, and consultants. The engagement
plan was formerly adopted by the Recovery Task Force
during the May Task Force meeting.

Whether in a community workshop, focus group, house
meeting, community conversation, pop-up, or one-to-one, activity organizers were tasked to facilitate a standardized set of accessible, concise, and easy to understand
conversations. By doing so, this allowed for a more
seamless consolidation of both quantitative and qualitative data. Certain questions were tailored or added to respond to specific needs or requirements of specific communities as appropriate.
5 Community Survey
After gathering input from each of the Task Force committees, the Community Engagement Committee and an ad hoc group of the Task Force, supported by City staff and the consultant team, developed a comprehensive community survey. The community survey was distributed via email to Task Force members on June 27, 2022.

Members were asked to share among their networks via email newsletters, social media, and other platforms.

Flyers with links and QR codes were created to also share the survey at various in-person pop-up engagements. The community survey was digitally created utilizing the Survey Monkey platform in English, and translated into Spanish and Vietnamese, with a print-friendly version in the same languages, in addition to Tagalog.

Community members were encouraged to complete the survey at many of the engagement activities organized by Task Force members and the LEG. Some of the in-person engagement events provided incentives such as gift cards to encourage and also increase public participation. A rigorous scrubbing methodology (see Appendix) was implemented to remove bot activity and other responses that were clearly invalid, leaving only valid responses.

Incentives continued to be utilized at in-person pop-ups where participation could be verified. The survey was closed on August 20, 2022, with 771 respondents completing the survey.

Storytelling
Stories are powerful. Listening to an individual’s experience provides a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the various issues affecting communities and identifies cross-cutting findings.

The Task Force recommended incorporating storytelling into the engagement process to provide a qualitative element. Throughout various engagement activities, including pop-ups and large workshops, staff and volunteers conducted quick interviews with community members. This created a more vivid picture of the reality of COVID-19’s impacts. Community members were asked the following three questions:
● How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted you and your family? ● What support do you need now? What do you need to be resilient? ● How have you built resiliency? How have you grown during the pandemic? Community members’ responses were documented on nearby poster boards; however, they could stay anonymous if preferred. Stories were also gathered during the Community Resource Fair on August 20, 2022.

Engagement Toolkit
All Task Force committees contributed to the Community Engagement Plan and the Engagement Toolkit (see Appendix) by providing specific questions to both the community survey and focus group questions. This process ensured committees would be provided with input and data that could directly relate to the subject matter for which they would be providing recommendations. The Engagement Toolkit, which served as a guide for both LEG and Task Force members to conduct a variety of engagement activities with corresponding questions, was adopted by the Task Force during the June 2022 Task Force meeting. 6 Report Consolidation
A number of South Bay and San José-based organizations have conducted engagement processes and analyses of impacts and needs of community members since the start of the pandemic. As part of the community engagement process, the City and consultant teams alongside Task Force members reviewed and incorporated main findings from a variety of reports that assessed COVID-19’s impact on the community. Such review and analyses were interwoven within the committee discussions and helped to inform the main findings of this report in addition to the formation of recommendations by each committee. Examples of the main reports consulted during this process include but are not limited to the reports indicated below. Main findings that were gathered and discussed from each report are also indicated below.

Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable:The Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable, composed of 59 leaders from the business, education, labor and non-profit sectors from across the local region, published in August 2020, “Building a Better Normal,” a comprehensive report that details key steps the entire community of Silicon Valley can take to make the community better coming out of the pandemic than when it started.

Key recommendations included driving job creation with a focus on supporting the workers displaced by the pandemic, supporting small and medium-sized businesses to not only survive but thrive, expanding digital inclusion for the community, and galvanizing housing preservation, protection, and production. The Roundtable intends to continue its work through an open source approach that takes advantage of the marketplace of ideas offered in the report. Members will continue cross-sector collaboration and track progress on key recommendations. Source
Greater Downtown San José Economic Recovery Task Force:The Greater Downtown San José Economic Recovery Task Force was brought together in May 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic with support from the Office of Councilmember Peralez. Composed of Downtown businesses and community groups, the 60-member Task Force met virtually 65 times over nearly two years, ultimately delivering a comprehensive slate of recommendations to the City, County, and State, many of which have helped inform COVID-19 recovery efforts. Their work also spurred the creation of a citywide COVID-19 Recovery Task Force. Source
Health and Racial Equity Task Force:In May 2020, leaders in Santa Clara County created a task force to address health disparities generated and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Health and Racial Equity Task Force, currently led by City of San Jose Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco and Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, convenes over a dozen community members, nonprofit health care leaders, labor representatives and elected officials to advance strategies that promote health and racial equity through the local COVID-19 response. In August 2020 the Task Force shared with the San José City Council a set of policy recommendations and implementation strategies to promote health and racial equity locally.

Community Engagement Activities
The team implemented a total of 31 community engagement activities engaging 1,500 people. This included 16 focus groups, 13 pop-ups at third-party community events, two community forums, and one community resource fair which took place at the Seven Trees Community Center and attracted 500 people. 7 Pop-Ups
Thirteen community engagement activities were set up in a pop-up format, where LEG members interacted with their community to gather feedback on issue areas the City should prioritize in order to improve and to spread the word on City programs that already exist. Pop-ups gathered input on COVID-19 recovery via short interviews, dot exercises, and survey collection. They also served as a resource hub for engagement where staff/volunteers were able to share information about COVID-19 recovery. Over 500 community members engaged with LEG members through various pop ups.

Focus Groups
Sixteen activities planned by LEG members were carried out in a focus group format. These focus groups were attended by an average of 18 individuals and were facilitated by LEG members. City staff provided support where the LEG member identified a need for it. LEG members usually chose which questions to ask and guided the conversation in their own style. City staff were usually in attendance for record-keeping and to manage logistics. Over 180 community members participated in the sixteen focus groups.

Community Forums
Two community engagement activities were carried out in a community forum format. These were much larger conversations focusing on priority communities including a labor union and Latinx business owners in San José. A combined 105 individuals attended the community forums.

Community Resource Fair
The Task Force community engagement efforts culminated in a large Community Resource Fair organized by the Community Engagement Committee with support from the LEG, City staff, and consultant team. The Fair was held at the Seven Trees Community Center on August 20, 2022; approximately 500 attended.

Twenty-eight resource tables provided a variety of resources, including COVID-19 testing kits, personal hygiene products, bicycle helmets, and collateral on public health and public safety. Free backpacks and notebooks were also distributed to coincide with the start of the school year, alongside complimentary food and beverages. With the support of More Más Marami, a local theatrical group, over 20 stories from participants were collected, in addition to over 60 surveys, primarily from Latino/a/x families and older Vietnamese adults. The event provided a space for people to engage with each other and with organizations that work in the San Jose community, many of which are represented on the Task Force.

The event included a Community Bingo game (see Appendix), which incentivized community members to engage with all the resource tables and with each other. Community members received a prize for completing the Community Bingo card. The event also served as a healing space for those who have been impacted by the pandemic, with four LEG members sharing their own stories. More Más Marami facilitated a participatory theater event where participants were incorporated into live performances. 8 Who We Engaged
Collectively, a total of 31 community engagement activities were conducted by the Lived Experience Group and Recovery Task Force members, engaging a total of 1500 people through a comprehensive engagement strategy centered on equity. Activities included 16 focus groups, 12 pop-ups at third-party community events, two community forums, and a community resource fair. Additionally, 771 people completed the community survey. For more information on the engagement process and list of all the activities, see the Appendix.

The engagement approach was focused on reaching marginalized community members who have been the most deeply impacted by the negative consequences of COVID-19. A majority of survey respondents were considered very low-income with four of every five respondents (80%) reporting a household income of $85,000 or less per year. There was also a significant response rate among people of color with 50% of respondents indicating that they identified as Mexican, Chicana/o, Hispanic, Latinx, Afro-Latino, or Spanish origin and another 23% identifying as Asian.

It was identified early on that pandemic-related lived experiences would be pr ioritized in the selection of Lived Experience Group members, and that these lived-experiences would also be prioritized for targeted outreach during the engagement process. Some of the communities that were prioritized for engagement include, but were not limited to:
● Afro-Latinx
● Arts and cultural workers
● Black/African-American
● Latinx and undocumented community
● LGBTQ+
● Parents of children with a disability
● Seniors
● Small business owner
● Spanish-monolingual speakers
● Unhoused community members
● Vietnamese
● Workers
● Youth
Community members receiving free resources at the Community Resource Fair at the Seven Trees Community Center.

Lived Experience Group member at a pop-up event
with the Filipino community.
9 Demographics of Survey Respondents
The Community Survey reached a broad base of respondents, with representation from every zip code in the City limits. Survey results were also considered valid if respondents identified a zip code outside of San José city limits and within commute distance from San José, recognizing that many community members live outside of City limits while doing work within city limits. A majority of respondents came from lower-income, majority people of color zip codes of 95112, 95116, 95122, and 95111, which were also among the zip codes prioritized by the City for outreach for having low vaccination and high COVID case rates. 10 11
Community Engagement Results
The last day of engagement was on August 20, 2022, the day of the Community Resource Fair. This marked the close of the community survey and all in-person and virtual engagement. The consultant team translated and consolidated the survey results in addition to qualitative input from the focus groups, pop ups, and storytelling project into one document for analysis. These results are presented in the Appendix section. Key highlights and responses from the open-ended questions of the all engagement activities, storytelling project and the community survey are also included in this section. The results and analyses from all engagement activities and the community survey were collated and incorporated into the findings per committee topic and informed the highlights main findings in the Executive Summary.

Committee Specific Findings
The following findings reflect a comprehensive analysis of qualitative and quantitative community input from pop-ups, focus groups, community forums, the Community Resource Fair, the Community Survey, and the storytelling project. Community input was gathered in one of four languages: English, Tagalog, Spanish or Vietnamese, and all were translated into English for analysis.

Activity reports, featuring key attendee and demographic information, engagement highlights, and detailed notes from discussions, were created by Lived Experience Group members and/or the City staff and consultant teams.

These were then consolidated and reviewed to determine general key themes that could be attributed to one of the seven topical areas represented by the Task Force committees.

Open-ended responses to the survey, in addition to stories collected at pop-ups, focus groups, and the Community Resource Fair, were also gathered, consolidated, and reviewed to formulate the main highlights. Key quotations per each topical area gathered from the Community Survey and stories project that demonstrate and reflect some of the most prevalent and profound findings are also incorporated into the findings on the second page of each topical area section.
12 COMMUNITY RELIED HEAVILY ON THEIR CLOSE NETWORKS
● Participants highlighted that most of their resources (such as ﬁnancial support) or information about resources (such as information about accessing therapy) have come
almost entirely from their fellow community
members. They noted the strength of their networks as a crucial part of making it through the pandemic.

MANY DO NOT KNOW ABOUT RESOURCES AND DON’T KNOW

WHERE/HOW TO BEGIN
● Many know that there’s help available but they aren’t part of the networks to access them, so they are usually left unaware or are last to receive notice of resources and by that time it is too late.
● Many do not know where to start or where to access the existing and future resources and support.

MAKE ACCESSIBLE AND SAFE SPACES
● Create more safe spaces for the community to make
connections and access resources.
● Create a leadership culture within spaces composed of a diversity of backgrounds and languages to help cultivate community leaders.
● Many spaces don’t feel safe for queer young people to exist in. More queer voices, leaders, and moderators can help with feelings of representation.
● Create more events and incentivize community groups to create new events by reducing or eliminating fees
associated with facility rentals.

OUTREACH IDEAS: MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE
● Meet communities at places they already gather instead of new locations. Community centers, churches, and other spaces are extremely underutilized for outreach by the
City. Partner with neighborhood associations.
● Use traditional and new forms of media to promote
resources: TV so there is mass reach, internet, physical spaces like the DMV, etc.
● Hire multilingual staﬀ to answer questions that people pose on the City’s social media accounts and ask on
hotlines.
● Use social media more intentionally as a way of
connecting community members to resources instead
of focusing solely on broad notiﬁcations to the community. ● Create and distribute monthly newsletters.
● Conduct more door-to-door outreach, particularly with the senior community.

What have been the most diﬃcult challenges for you to access important services? Participants were able to make multiple selections.

If you did access services, how did you learn about the City’s COVID-19 services to support your family or business during the pandemic? Participants were able to make multiple selections.

Community Engagement
Survey respondents who indicated that
they did not access City of San José
COVID-19 support services.
76%
Findings from Community Survey
The following ﬁndings reﬂect a comprehensive analysis of community input gathered from focus groups, community forums, pop-ups, the Community Resource Fair, and the community survey. One of the main themes of the ﬁndings was that many people simply did not know the certain resources pertaining to COVID-19 recovery existed, and if they did, they did not know how to access them. This could be addressed with both deeper and broader outreach to communities that would beneﬁt most from existing programs and tapping into networks where there is already robust communication among priority communities.

Main Highlights from LEG Events
13 “I would like to see
more community
events in-language,
particularly in
Vietnamese.”
“Participants recommended standing
discussions such as this one (Lived
Experience Focus Group at Santee) for
them to provide feedback to the city.

They were grateful to be heard, and
grateful to build community among
participants who noted how much of a
relief it was to talk about their issues
and receive support from their
neighbors.”
“I would like to see more
communication about
wellness/health events,
monthly events.”
“The bar to access
resources is too low;
they’ll only help you if
you’re extremely poor. If
you aren’t rich but not poor
enough for their standards,
you’re stuck with nothing
even if you need help.”
“There is a language barrier. We
want to support our kids but our
teacher only speaks English. We
want to go to a parent meeting but
it’s only in English.”
“Kudos to City of San José’s
Parks and Recreation
virtual programs and
services for being provided
free of charge.”
“There shouldn’t be
so many barriers to
asking for help.”
“I would use resources
available to me if I
knew about them. It’s
not that we want to
be ignorant. We just
don’t know how to
access information,
even if it’s out there.”
“Every story
is worth
hearing.”
Community Engagement
Community members enjoy food and
refreshments at the Community Resource Fair.

Families share their stories at an LEG
neighborhood pop-up.

Community members spin the wheel to earn prizes at
the Community Resource Fair.
14 Childcare, Early Care and Education,
and Youth Development

CHILDCARE
● Parents reported needing accessible, reliable childcare for young children, as well as toddlers.
● Parents pointed out children who missed out on important in-person instruction now need extra support learning how to socialize. ● Parents of children with disabilities were severely impacted by COVID. Parents had to cut down work hours, stop working altogether, or close their businesses to take care of their children. ● Seniors have been tapped by their adult children to help provide childcare as the costs of childcare continue to rise.
● Virtual learning was diﬃcult for parents and caretakers. Many parents ended up becoming their child’s teachers.

EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION
● There were delays in children receiving medical care, such as occupational and speech therapy, because of the pandemic. ● Parents voiced a need for more funding towards programs that can provide resources such as diapers, formula, and daycare. ● Multiple participants expressed that prolonged closures of some schools and playgrounds aﬀected their families negatively. ● Parents also stated playgrounds and parks did not have any amenities for children with disabilities.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
● The transition back to school has been diﬃcult for both children and their parents. Many students feel the process of coming back was overwhelming academically and socially without having time in between to process the collective and individual traumas experienced. Students feel overwhelmed and have seen their grades suﬀer.
● Many parents noted the strain that the pandemic had on their children, particularly mental health issues, shortened attention spans, and physical issues from having a signiﬁcantly less active lifestyle. ● Many young people talked about their loss of motivation generally but also how they have lost interest in things they used to really care about (activities, school, college, etc.).
● High school students are concerned with how dependent they have become on technology and social media.
● Online classes often feel less important for students than in-person classes do, making it harder for them to focus. They also make it hard to build socialization skills.
● Many parents expressed how diﬃcult it was for their children to attend school through Zoom, and emphasized that they are still struggling with their mental health as a result now that they’re back in person. They suggested more programs for youth, especially teenagers, who need to be given more opportunities to have fun (board game nights, sports programs, etc).

Number of survey respondents said that ﬁnding
childcare was among the biggest challenges they
faced during the pandemic.97
Main Results from Survey
The following ﬁndings reﬂect a comprehensive analysis of community input gathered from focus groups, community forums, pop-ups, the Community Resource Fair, and the community survey. General themes that surfaced from engagement include: childcare for young children, delays in learning and socialization among children, and the wellbeing of teenagers/older children who are struggling to adjust to the realities of the pandemic. Parents expressed the need for reliable, quality childcare and enrichment opportunities for their children, and young people in San José expressed a similar need for new sources of motivation and community.

Main Highlights from LEG Events
Findings from Community Survey
Access to aﬀordable, equitable, and
high-quality childcare, early care and
youth programs
30%
Scholarships for youth to attend
summer and afterschool programs26%
Childcare subsidies to help residents
enrolled in workforce trainings and
development programs
21%
Two in ﬁve respondents (42%) who were seeking work
indicated that childcare was among their top
challenges preventing them from returning to work.
2 in 5
What kinds of support would you like to see the City provide as we recover from COVID?
Percentage of survey respondents who identiﬁed the following kinds of support among their top 3 kinds of support they would like to see the City provide:

Children receiving
free backpacks
and helmets at the
Community
Resource Fair.
15 “I feel like so much is missing from
my entire development as a student
and a person in general. It’s not
resources the city could provide but
just getting our time back. We
keep getting more things to worry
about and no time at all to process
what we went through.” -Lincoln
High School student
“My son was only a few months old and had to go to physical therapy because he was in the NICU and when the pandemic hit they stopped his physical therapy and that impacted him a lot and we didn’t get much help. My son has autism and it was also delayed for him to get noticed because everything had been delayed.”
“During the pandemic, I
went through cycles of
having a healthy
mentality and times of
being overwhelmed,
mentally exhausted,
and falling behind.”
-Lincoln High School
student
“We need programs that help
mothers if they need essentials or
formula. I definitely struggled
during the pandemic because I
wasn't able to get the essentials
that I needed.”
“There just seems to be a
lack of information on
everything including
scholarships. A lot of the
research is on people
themselves which is
overwhelming.”
“There’s a lot of people saying ‘take
care of yourself’ but nothing that
actually helps you do that. I have
had to seek outside assistance for my
mental health. During the pandemic,
places where I could have gotten
therapy were shut down because of
COVID and for a lot of it I felt like I
was losing my mind.” -Lincoln High
School student
Childcare, Early Care and Education,
and Youth Development
Family at Community
Resource Fair.

Family enjoying a shaded table at the
Community Resource Fair.

Lived Experience Group member engaging with
parents at pop up at event hosted by
Innovate Public Schools.
16 Community Health and Wellness

CITY OUTREACH
● Across the board, community members emphasized the need for clearer communication regarding vaccines and best practices regarding masking. Conﬂicting messaging has left community members unsure of what to do or disinterested in taking measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
● Participants felt that special attention must be paid to those who have experienced domestic violence during the pandemic, who are still dealing with the eﬀects of isolation during this time period.
● Many members of the disability community felt that they have been continually deprioritized throughout the pandemic, through things like the distribution of PPE or the way that masking policies changed over time.

GAPS IN SERVICES
● Many participants thought it was important to bring back public outdoor spaces for their families’ mental and physical health.

One suggestion was for the City to work with school districts to keep certain tracks and ﬁelds open for the community outside of school hours so that families can gather and engage in physical activity in a safe location.
● Mental health resources were consistently brought up as a gap in services. The loss of housing, job instability, grief, and other traumas that the community has experienced has made mental health services more crucial than ever.
● Participants emphasized a need for free or subsidized medicine for those experiencing extreme symptoms of COVID-19.
● Community members also thought it was important to prepare for the next disaster before it happens; an example of this would be stockpiling PPE, or developing City protocols that will help people respond quickly and appropriately.
● Food pantries and distribution programs were indispensable to families during the pandemic as the most popular kind of support access by the community, serving as a lifeline for families who had limited discretionary income.

What have been some of the biggest challenges for
you during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Respondents were able to make multiple selections, including options not related to health and wellness (not included in listing below).
1 in 3 respondents (33%) identiﬁed culturally
relevant health services and resources
(including mental health) among the top 3
kinds of support that they would like to see
provided for the community to support the City
in recovering from COVID-19.
1 in 3
What kinds of support would you like to see provided for the community as the City recovers from COVID-19?
*Participants were able to select their top 3 choices.

The following ﬁndings reﬂect a comprehensive analysis of community input gathered from focus groups, community forums, pop-ups, the Community Resource Fair, and the community survey. General themes that surfaced from engagement include: a need for clearer communication from the City regarding best health practices, intentional outreach to communities that have felt ignored throughout the pandemic, and ﬁlling gaps in services like mental health and access to safe outdoor spaces. Mental health services were continuously brought up as an urgent need for groups of all ages, races, and other demographics, including high school students, parents, and health care workers.

Main Highlights from LEG Events
Findings from Community Survey
Of the respondents who identiﬁed challenges
that made it diﬃcult for them to access
important services,3 of 5 (61%) said they did
not know about the services or who to
contact.
3 of 5
44%
39%
34%
33%
32%
23%
7%
1 in 3 people (33%) who completed the survey in
Spanish identiﬁed language access as one of their
challenges for accessing important services,
compared to 10% of people who completed the
survey in English.
1 in 3
What have been the most diﬃcult challenges for you to access important services? Participants were able to make multiple selections. 17 Community Health and Wellness
“Health care workers
need health care.”
“Another common theme was the disability
community being prioritized last - with the
distribution of high quality PPE, for example. We
weren’t considered high risk in the same ways people
in nursing homes were. The disability community
needs to be consulted during public health
emergencies like this.”
"Burnout is one of the
great equalizers to come
from COVID because we’ve
all experienced it. How do
we strengthen our
communities to prevent
burnout, and how do we
deal with burnout when it
does happen?"
“During the pandemic,
most to all physical
activities closed oﬀ.

Me and my
community were
aﬀected by this
because it caused
(health) changes
among us.”
“When COVID ﬁrst started, I was in my house but was in a potentially dangerous home situation. This made my
experience really diﬃcult and I can only imagine other kids going through that.”
“My mom and siblings have
been trying to get mental
health care but there are
such long wait lines
because no one is accepting
anyone right now.”
“There is not only a lack of
understanding of how masks and
vaccines work, but also a lack of
willingness to understand. The City
should reinforce the importance of
masks as an easy prevention method.”
“In many ways, it
feels like the city is
just telling
vulnerable people
to stay home.”
“The people that
need support
services the most
are the ﬁrst to be
left out of the
conversation.”
Community members in line for free health resources from Community Health Partnership at Community Resource Fair.

Community member learning about resources from
Gardner Health Services at Community Resource Fair.

Families receiving resources at
Community Resource Fair.
18 39%
26%
20%
Housing

APPLYING FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE
● Rental assistance was consistently the top priority for focus group participants.
● Many participants’ top priorities were reducing the steps it takes to apply, providing clear guidance in multiple languages on the process, and suﬃciently staﬃng accessible hotlines to receive rental assistance.
● While people were grateful for ﬁnancial assistance from CBOs, many participants explained that the process for applying was extremely complicated. Participants often did not have the time to dedicate to the application and had to re-submit the application multiple times.
● People whose primary language is not English had a
particularly hard time navigating these application processes.

Many were only able to apply because they knew an English speaker who had the time to help them.

MAINTAINING HOUSING
● Participants felt that the City of San José should continue to support its renters by instating an eviction moratorium or enforcing a limit on rent increases.
● During the eviction moratorium, multiple participants received eviction notices from their landlords hoping to scare them into moving out. While some renters understood their rights, many people fell for these tactics.
● Surveys were distributed at a meal distribution site for the unhoused community. Many indicated that the main
challenges they faced during the pandemic were ﬁnding
stable and safe housing, the inability to see a doctor, paying bills, and feeling hopeless, lonely, and depressed.

PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE
● Participants talked about a lack of accessible public necessities. There aren’t enough public bathrooms, phone charging stations, locations to use Wi-Fi, etc. Participants also discussed the possibility of the City removing hostile
architecture that further limits the use of public space. ● Many participants showed an interest in investing in public transit to provide some ﬁnancial relief to community
members and further connect people to small businesses, important resources, and community events in the area.

What kinds of support would you like to see provided for the community as the City recovers from COVID-19?
Participants were able to select their top 3 choices.

Nearly 1 in 2 survey respondents (48%)
identiﬁed rental assistance and housing
support for residents as one of the top 3
types of support they would like to see from
the City.
1 in 2
What have been some of the biggest challenges for
you during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Participants were able to make multiple selections, including options not related to housing,(not included in listing below).

The following ﬁndings reﬂect a comprehensive analysis of community input gathered from focus groups, community forums, pop-ups, the Community Resource Fair, and the community survey. General themes that surfaced from engagement include an overwhelming need for additional rental assistance and a focus on simplifying the application process for rental assistance to make it more accessible for all, including those who are not as conﬁdent navigating the internet and those whose primary language is not English.

Rental assistance was a top theme throughout focus groups, and “rental assistance and housing support for residents” was the top priority for pop-up participants.

Main Highlights from LEG Events
Findings from Community Survey
Two in ﬁve respondents (40%) identiﬁed paying bills among the challenges they have experienced during the pandemic, which was among the top 3 most selected challenges among respondents. One in ﬁve respondents (20%) indicated that ﬁnding stable and safe housing among the challenges they experienced.
9 in 10 dot exercise participants during the
in-person pop up events (90%) identiﬁed
rental assistance and housing support
for residents as one of the top 3 types of
support they would like to see from the City.
9 in 10
19 Housing
“My hope for a
stronger San José is for
no one to be
unsheltered.”
“All the help I was looking for was online because oﬃces were closed. Tons of us don’t know how to use the
internet or don’t have laptops. They didn’t plan for us.

They wouldn’t even answer their phones; you had to call and call and call to get through to somebody. I submitted applications for housing assistance twice and it kept
sending me back edits. Eventually I gave up because the edits were too much and I felt like they were just
wasting my time.”
“I would [choose to] fund rental
assistance because I feel like alot of us
are low income and struggle in that end
usually with rent, and it is super expensive
right now.”
“I was graduating from high school and became
homeless right around March of 2020 when COVID
started. It’s already hard to ﬁnd a stable place to
live without COVID and being so young and
without a job, but COVID made it incredibly diﬃcult
for me to be housed.”
"I've had to
choose between
paying rent
and buying
food that
week."
“A lot of us had to move into
a one bedroom. It was 6
people living in one
bedroom together, so that
was really heavy, and it kind
of cascaded for a while.”
“We need real control
of ‘development’ that
only drives up the cost
of housing and other
basics of life.”
“Shelters aren’t
permanent solutions for
housing and they should
not be treated as such.”
“LGBTQ+ community members who have been in homeless
shelters due to the pandemic have reported various degrees of homophobia/ transphobia - feeling unsafe in their
surroundings.”
Focus group with renters in East San José.

Community members completing surveys at pop-up
workshop at unhoused encampment.
20 Just Recovery for Airport, Hotel,
and Arts Workers
● Nonproﬁt arts organizations have taken advantage of
one-time funding due to the pandemic, through the
American Rescue Plan (California Arts Council, Knight
Foundation, NEA). The pandemic also inspired new
funding opportunities created by non-proﬁts (such as
San José Jazz Aid Fund and San José Abierto).
● There is concern about how the end of these programs
will create a cliﬀ for artists if this funding does not continue to be available after the pandemic. Arts
workers want to know how the current funding, or the
best parts of these types of funding, can continue past the pandemic.
● With many artists or arts organizations having to shift their communications and networking to a digital
sphere, arts workers asked for funding to support this
transition with translation, marketing, and other
eﬀorts. Participants also wondered if these resources
can be shared.
● There are small arts groups that are run on volunteer support with no paid staﬀ and limited access to funding or the time and ability to track all the potential funding sources. These groups are looking for ways to receive
support.
● Participants felt it was important to ﬁnancially support the arts, theater, and media departments in schools.

The following ﬁndings reﬂect a comprehensive analysis of community input gathered from focus groups, community
forums, pop-ups, the Community Resource Fair, the
community survey, and from a discussion with the San José Arts Commission on August 19, 2022. It was surfaced that many arts and cultural workers are concerned about the
termination of current pandemic-related funding programs and call for an extension of such programs. Many also
indicated that they often felt low in priority as compared to other priorities when it came to COVID-19 recovery programs and that more needs to be done to support the arts and
culture community, particularly among schools and
volunteer-operated groups.

Number of respondents who identiﬁed programs and
support for arts and cultural workers as one of the top 3 types support they would like to see from the City. 96
Main Highlights from LEG Events
Findings from Community Survey
Percentage of respondents who selected better
working conditions, safety standards and
support for workers among their top kinds of
support they would like to see.
34%
Over 75 workers participated in a workshop hosted by an LEG member to discuss impacts of COVID19.
2 in 5 respondents (40%) selected staying safe and
healthy while having to work among their biggest
challenges. This was the most selected answer. 2 in 5
LEG member at pop up workshop at Music in the Park in Plaza de César Chávez in downtown San José.
21 Just Recovery for Airport, Hotel,
and Arts Workers
“We’re trying to go
back to normal, but
normal doesn’t
mean there’s more
funding.”
“Artists are invisible
when it comes to City
leader support [a
reference to the
Mayor’s budget
message], and we need
the arts to be in the
forefront, not the back
seat.”
“A lot of us (arts and cultural workers)
are invisible, not counted.”
“In some ways, the arts
and culture community
has become stronger in
terms of collaborating
and creating
partnerships.”
Lived Experience Group member at City Dance pop up in
collaboration with San José Museum of Art.
“The major issue right
now is the hiring. Not
many want to return to
work, because of the
airport living wage
(which is at $17.50).

Given the cost of living in
San José, many are
moving out to other
places where they can
aﬀord to live.”
“We must rehire at
least 50% of the
prior workforce that
was laid oﬀ at the
beginning of the
pandemic.
“The pandemic created a vacuum for how we
focus our marketing and reach new
audiences – everything went digital, virtual,
online, which created a bottleneck to get
messaging out.

Community residents participating in art activity at COVID-19 Community Resource Fair.
22 Supporting Small Businesses

CURRENT CONDITIONS
● San José is home to many leaders in the Hispanic/Latinx events industry. Many are leaders and educators, teaching stylists, beauticians, make up artists, and other industry professionals all over the country.
● As the businesses around the neighborhood around Santa Clara Street shut down due to COVID-19, owners saw an
increase in homelessness and crime and experienced an
increased rate of robberies, break-ins, and thefts.

POTENTIAL SUPPORT FROM THE CITY
● City should continue to keep small businesses aﬂoat through relevant workshops and professional development
opportunities.
● City should expand training sessions for small business owners in their primary languages so they can learn how to navigate online resources and new technology that would help keep them competitive.
● Many small and micro-businesses need rent relief.
● The City should continue to deepen their relationships and work with local business organizations and minority
chambers particularly in underserved neighborhoods.

PERMITS AND DOCUMENTATION
● Many small business owners in San José, particularly in the Hispanic/Latinx events industry, do not have documentation nor proper paperwork to access and qualify for the many support programs.
● Some businesses had to continue to pay business licenses although they were not operational during the pandemic.

The following ﬁndings reﬂect a comprehensive analysis of community input gathered from focus groups, community forums, pop-ups, the Community Resource Fair, the community survey, and most prominently, from the Alum Rock Santa Clara Street Business Association Community Forum organized by the LEG on July 27, 2022. It was surfaced that while many small businesses were able to pivot and continue operations through the pandemic, many are still struggling to keep their businesses aﬂoat. Many simply do not know of nor know how to navigate around the various relief funds and support available. Additionally, many indicated as microbusinesses, they currently do not possess the appropriate paperwork to be considered for certain relief funds and support.

What have been some of the biggest challenges for
you during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Participants were able to make multiple selections.

Survey respondents who said that
continuing my business or practice
was among the biggest challenges they
faced during the pandemic.
14%
What kinds of support would you like to see provided for the community as the City recovers from COVID-19?
*Participants were able to select their top 3 choices.

Main Highlights from LEG Events
Findings from Community Survey
Nearly 1 in 3 respondents (32%) identiﬁed better
working conditions, safety standards and support for
workers among the top 3 kinds of support that they
would like to see provided for the community to support the City in recovering from COVID-19.
32%
Nearly 1 in 5 respondents (18%) identiﬁed ﬁnancial
support for small businesses among the top 3
kinds of support that they would like to see provided
for the community to support the City in recovering
from COVID-19.
18%
Comparatively, people were slightly less likely to
identify training and workshops to help their
small business grow and thrive (12%).
12%
Respondents who identiﬁed continuing my business or practice as one of their biggest challenges during the pandemic were more likely to identify ﬁnancial support for small businesses and/or programs and support for arts and cultural workers among their top choices (16% identiﬁed each of these in their top choices compared to 9% who identiﬁed training and workshops to help their small business grow as one of their top choices).

Respondents making $85,000 or more were most likely
to identify continuing my business or practice as one of their biggest challenges during COVID at 27%
compared to 16% of those making $50,000-$85,000
and 11% of those making less than $50,000.
23 “One of the biggest challenges
during the COVID-19 pandemic
has been it taking a longer
time now to prepare yourself
and clients for appointments.”
“When COVID-19 and the
pandemic ﬁrst started,
businesses in the events
industry were the ﬁrst to
close their doors, and the last
to open back up.“
“My restaurant burned down in
2020. It reopened in March
2021, but I was struggling with a
lot of anxiety going back to
work. I was home on
unemployment, and when the
$600 federal stimulus ended, I
was really struggling.”
“I do feel like I know my neighbors much
more! And am [more] familiar with the
retailers/independent businesses within
walking distance from where we live. We
became very invested in supporting local
businesses, restaurants, and cafes - those
that had outdoor facilities were our only
real outlet with kids.”
“If it was just her, she would close her
business, but there are three families that
work with her and depend on the business
for them to survive out here.”
“I clean houses and lost a lot of work
during the pandemic because so many
people cancelled.”
Supporting Small Businesses
Community Forum with Alum Rock Santa Clara Street
Business Association.
24 “I would love to see ﬁnancial support
for any and all people with disabilities
who cannot safely work in person and
get an appropriate disability
accommodation nor aﬀord to quit their
jobs, especially in a high cost of living area
like San José. Some of us have disabilities
too severe to work jobs that cover our
expenses but still do not qualify for
adequate disability assistance.”
“My husband got ﬁred from his job
for not coming in for two weeks
after getting sick from COVID. He’s
not interested in suing his former
employer because he thinks it’ll just
end up being expensive and
unproductive.”
“I am the primary wage earner, so
we had to make sure I could do my
job remotely. I had to learn new
platforms and ﬁgure out how to
engage with others on these
platforms. Also, when I went back
to in person, there were some
safety protocols, but they
became more and more lax. I
was exposed to COVID directly at
least 10 times last year because of
the loosening of the masking,
reporting, contract tracing, and
quarantine rules.”
“Since 2020, I have experienced an overall
improvement with the ﬂexibility at work
and ability to join groups such as
Community Emergency Response Team
(CERT) and the neighborhood association.

Most of my challenges have turned into
great opportunities. From my perspective,
the new normal is a major improvement in
the quality of life instead of commuting for
hours and polluting.”
“My husband's employer took advantage
of the need to social distance, to create a
graveyard shift, and forcibly switch staff
to that shift. I barely saw my husband for
the first two years of our marriage as a
result. Because he and the rest of the
staff were contractors they also refused
to give sick leave for COVID, and fired
people for having COVID and not being
willing to come in while sick.”
“We are a one income family of three. I had
to go back to work in fear of getting sick. I
decided to buy insurance in case I got sick
and died. My husband is disabled and we
have a nine year old daughter. The levels of
anxiety were high and I had to keep working
since I work in education.”
“It was disheartening when supervisors
were treating the COVID protocols as a
joke. Whenever updated COVID
information was shared, a supervisor
would yell over the cubicles mocking
people for having to wear masks and
wiping down equipment after using.”
“We have been
able to advocate
for our rights.”
“My workplace is more ﬂexible and accommodating to my
emotional/mental and physical health needs. Tremendous
eﬀort had been made to check in with co-workers more
frequently, delegate tasks, and continue to operate at capacity with adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols like mask-wearing and showing proof of vaccination status. I feel very safe at work for these reasons.”
“Keeping a job
when everything
is digital and you
don't know how to
use the computer is
challenging.”
Workers Health, Safety, and Rights
Lived Experience Group members at Pop
Up at Goodwill Job Fair.

Community members at Community Forum
at SEIU Local 521.
25 Workers Health, Safety, and Rights

KEEP WORKERS SAFE
● Participants felt a lot of anxiety about upcoming COVID-19 waves because they did not feel conﬁdent that their employers would pay for sick time if they test positive, regardless of current federal policy regarding COVID pay. Protections must be reinforced.
● Many people expressed needing better working conditions.

STRENGTHEN WORKFORCE PROTECTIONS FOR ALL
● Many participants expressed interest in extending and accessing COVID pay in San José.
● Participants voiced that they wanted the City to create more employment opportunities for those who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
● Some community members have very little faith in the legal options available to them or think the burden and hassle of countering a wrongful ﬁring or other discretion is not worth it and decide to do nothing.

PROTECT UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS
● Undocumented workers have been the one of the most impacted groups aﬀected by the pandemic because employers already took advantage of their status before the pandemic.
● There was an expressed interest in aﬀordable healthcare for healthcare workers, particularly those who are undocumented.

SUPPORT FRONTLINE AND HEALTHCARE WORKERS
● There is limited support and care for healthcare professionals, which yields fewer services or lower quality of care for the public. ● Healthcare workers need mental health support that is free/accessible. For example, free hotlines that direct healthcare workers to speciﬁc resources.
● Families emphasized the need for fair pay for therapists and caregivers so that children can have quality care from experienced professionals and families can experience less turnover. 2 in 5 respondents (40%) selected staying
safe and healthy while having to work
among their biggest challenges. This was
the most selected answer.
2 in 5
Challenges preventing respondents from returning to work:

What have been some of the biggest challenges for you during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Participants were able to make multiple selections.

Findings from Community Survey
The following ﬁndings reﬂect a comprehensive analysis of community input gathered from focus groups, community forums, pop-ups, the Community Resource Fair, and the Community Survey. General themes that surfaced from engagement include: a need to continue to keep workers safe and jobs stable from current and future COVID-19 waves (via stronger worker protections); a need to better communicate and strengthen existing protections for undocumented workers/those ineligible for existing beneﬁts; and a need to provide stronger support for healthcare workers. Additionally, survey results indicated that among those who are not currently working, childcare was the primary challenge keeping them from returning to work.

Main Highlights from LEG Events
1 in 4 respondents (25%) selected not
eligible for unemployment beneﬁts or
other ﬁnancial assistance programs
among their biggest challenges.
1 in 4
2 in 5 respondents (40%) indicated that
they were not working at the time of
completion of survey. (Total of 554
responses to question).
2 in 5
What kinds of support would you like to see provided for the community as the City recovers from COVID-19?
*Participants were able to select their top 3 priorities.

Respondents who selected better working
conditions, safety standards, and support for
workers among their top kinds of support they would
like to see.
34%
Respondents who selected employment and
internship opportunities for youth and adults
impacted by COVID-19 among their top kinds of
support they would like to see.
29%
Respondents who selected programs and support
for arts and cultural workers among their top kinds
of support they would like to see.
16%
Are you currently working right now?
26 Next Steps
The data and analyses in this community engagement report reflect the concerns of many community members recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings will be presented at the September 2022 Task Force meeting and will inform the Task Force’s final recommendations, which will be adopted at the November 2022 Task Force meeting. Recovery Task Force recommendations will be presented and considered by the City Council in December 2022. This report will also inform the Data and Budgeting Committee as they provide guidance to the Task Force committees on performance metrics to assess the success of recommended programs and policies.

It is anticipated that the Task Force final report and recommendations will be presented to the City Council in December 2022.
27 Acknowledgements
Special thanks to the 55 members of the City of San José COVID-19 Recovery Task Force and Lived Experience Group members Ellen Rollins, Viviana Barnwell, Rosa Cordova, Maricon Malimba, Oswaldo Moreno, Nathalia Villasenor-Carrillo, Alex Spielmann, Christina Bui, and Maria Vans.

This comprehensive and meaningful engagement effort was the result of a thorough co-creation process that included City staff, consultants, and partner CBOs. Engagement strategies included the co-creation of the engagement plan with community leaders in the Recovery Task Force, which empowered the Lived Experience Group to conduct meaningful and intimate engagement with their communities. By implementing strategies that centered around equity and reaching those most impacted by COVID-19, we were able to reach voices often left out in the public process.

A special acknowledgement also goes to Raimi+Associates for assisting with the analysis of the input received from the community survey and to staff of the City Manager’s Office for their guidance and support throughout the community engagement process.
28 Appendix
Process
● Engagement Philosophy, Approach, and Process
● The Lived Experience Group: Selection, Onboarding and Facilitation Results and Analyses
● Community Survey Results
● Community Survey Open Ended Responses
● Pop Up Storytelling Responses
● Pop Up Dot Exercise Results
● Focus Group Analysis
● Engagement Activities and Key Communities Reached
● Activity Reports for Engagement Activities
Other Related Documents
● Engagement Plan
● Engagement Toolkit
● Community Bingo Sheet for Resource Fair
● Lived Experience Group Outreach Email
● Survey Scrubbing Methodology
29

San Jose City CouncilDecember 6, 2022

San Jose City Council
December 6, 2022