COUNCIL AGENDA: 03/21/2023
FILE: 23-405
ITEM: 3.5
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND
CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Councilmember Peter Ortiz
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: March 21, 2023
Approved: Date: March 21, 2023
SUBJECT: Approval of the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Mayor's March Budget Message
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the Mayor’s March Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2023-2024, with the additional direction to the City Manager to:
1. Issue a Manager’s Budget Addendum that would estimate the cost of:
a. Extending the work of the Eviction Help Center through the end of FY 2023-2024, b. Developing and funding a Safe and Healthy Rental Homes Pilot for a community-based approach toward improving the health and safety of rental housing modeled after the City of San Francisco’s Code Enforcement Outreach program, partnering with community organizations to conduct outreach and education to tenants in high-risk buildings to provide access to Code Enforcement and legal assistance to help tenants and landlords to resolve issues. i. Exploring funding options including raising fees on buildings in Inspection Service Tier 2 or 3 if allowable under Prop 26
c. Expanding San Jose Learns and continuing the Library’s Family, Friends and Neighbor program, Childcare Siting work, and Recreational Preschool,
d. Adding an additional Historic Preservation Officer to the Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Department, and
e. Hiring an additional shelter coordinator to oversee the community cat program.
2. The City Manager is also directed to:
________________________________________________________________________________ COUNCIL AGENDA: 03/21/2023
ITEM: 3.5
a. Identify an additional $375,000 to extend the City’s proposed pilot program for targeted wage theft enforcement between the Office of Equality Assurance and the County Office of Labor Standards Enforcement as a two-year pilot
b. Double down on the development of no less than one additional unit of permanent affordable housing unit for every additional interim housing unit the city constructs or operates, c. Work with stakeholders to determine a meaningful financial and/or technical assistance contribution to three important cultural projects: the Vietnamese Heritage Community Garden, The Alum Rock Arts District and the African American Cultural Center, d. Dedicate funding to maintain the reinstatement and the expansion of Trap, Neuter & Return (TNR) and low cost spay/neuter programs to avoid an exponential increase in the community animal population, while prioritizing working with rescue partners, e. Provide additional funding to the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, local veterinarians, or other non-profits to create additional spay/neuter pathways to increase surgery capacity to bring back targeted free and low cost spay/neuter programs for residents living in zip codes 95111, 95112, 95116, 95122, 95127 and our unhoused community, and
f. Provide additional funding to the Partners in Animal Welfare and/or other non-profit to create additional vaccination pathways to bring back free vaccinations program to residents, including our unhoused community.
Accept the memoranda from Councilmember Torres, Councilmember Candelas, Councilmember’s Batra, Davis, Doan, Ortiz, Torres, and Councilmember Cohen.
DISCUSSION
From addressing challenges in our permitting process to enhancing our communities and creating a safer San José for all, I agree in principle with Mayor Matt Mahan’s budget message. Likewise, I share appreciation with my Brown Act group who convened behind the shared priorities of our Districts. I also value the input of my other council colleagues, who have written thoughtful recommendations and added to the depth of this year’s budget process.
As municipal budgets reflect our values, there requires a high level of intentionality when deciding where to allocate funds. In that understanding, the Mayor and Council are well positioned to positively add to the quality of life for our most marginalized San José residents, which have been detrimentally affected by historic underinvestment and intentional policies like redlining. It is my sincere hope that my colleagues move to approve a budget package that centers equity and advances the wellbeing of our most vulnerable residents.
The signers of this memorandum have not had, and will not have, any private conversation with any other member of the City Council, or that member’s staff, concerning any action discussed in the memorandum, and that each signer’s staff members have not had, and have been instructed not to have, any such conversation with any other member of the City Council or that member's staff.