RULES COMMITTEE: 06/08/2023
Item: B.1
File ID: ROGC 23-236
TO: Honorable Mayor & FROM: Toni J. Taber, CMC
City Council City Clerk
SUBJECT: The Public Record DATE: June 8, 2023
June 1 – June 8, 2023
ITEMS FILED FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD
Letters from Boards, Commissions, and Committees
1. Letter from the Youth Commission, dated June 6, 2023, regarding: Bill of Rights for Children and Young Adults for Santa Clara County.
Letters from the Public
1. Letter from Debbie Degutis (Christmas in the Park), dated June 6, 2023, regarding:
Public Comment for June 6.
2. Letter from Blair Beekman, dated June 7, 2023, regarding: Blair Beekman. Wednesday, June 7, 2023 ….. ARPA & Measure E funding, in June Planning of FY 24 Budget. ____________________________
Toni J. Taber, CMC
City Clerk
TJT/tt
San José Public Library
150 E. San Fernando Street, San José, CA 95112 tel (408) 808-2355 fax (408) 808-2133 www.sjpl.org Dear Honorable Mayor and City Council,
On behalf of the San José Youth Commission, we recommend that the San José City Council adopt the Bill of Rights for Children and Young Adults for Santa Clara County.
We support the Bill of Rights opening, stating, "All children and youth have a right to be safe, healthy, successful in learning, and successful in life … we must ensure all children and youth realize the same rights."
The revised version of the Bill of Rights has been carefully crafted through youth participation to reflect the voices and experiences of children and youth in Santa Clara County. It includes critical provisions such as the right to access quality education, healthcare, and affordable housing. It also emphasizes the need for support and resources for children and youth who have experienced trauma, including access to mental health services and counseling.
As the San José Youth Commission, we support the provision that all youth in San José should have their voices heard and "be treated as equal partners in identifying problems, developing solutions, and making the decisions they are impacted by." The Youth Commission, along with district-specific youth advisory councils, is one manner in which the city youth can engage in their local government, creating a structured opportunity for youth to participate further in civic engagement.
Adopting the Bill of Rights for Children and Young Adults for Santa Clara County would send a powerful message to San José's young people that their rights are valued and protected. It would also demonstrate our community's commitment to creating a future where all children and youth have equal opportunities to succeed and thrive.
We appreciate your consideration,
/s/
Gordon Chen, Chair
San Jose Youth Commission
This letter was coordinated with the 2022-2023 San José Youth Commissioners. For questions, please contact Lizzie Nolan at [email protected].
Public Record: 1
Fw: Public Comment for June 6
Agendadesk <[email protected]>
Tue 6/6/2023 2:09 PM
To:Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas <[email protected]> � 1 attachment (105 KB)
Optics and Vendors June 6.pdf;
From: Debbie Degutis
Sent: Tuesday, June 6, 2023 9 52 AM
To: City Clerk city clerk@sanjoseca gov
Subject: Public Comment for June 6
You don't often get email fro
[External Email]
Attached.
Thank you.
Debbie Degutis
Managing Director, Christmas in the Park
Learn why thi imP.ortant
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Public Record: 2
San José, CA 95125
June 6, 2023
Dear Honorable Mayor and Council Members,
I write on behalf of Christmas in the Park to express our concern over a recent report that the San Jose Downtown Association is having a difficult time securing a producer for the ice rink for the 2023 Holiday Season. We’ve also been informed that Butler Amusements, the third-party company that sets up, and runs the amusement park games and rides as part of Winter Wonderland is not planning to return. Both issues are directly tied to the unpermitted vendors that crowd the sidewalks and walk-ways around Plaza de Cesar Chavez, and the negative impact they have on businesses and permitted vendors.
While we certainly appreciate that this issue is not an easy one that can be solved overnight, we – and the residents, business owners, and visitors to San Jose – need your help. The ramifications of losing both the Ice Rink and Winter Wonderland are widespread.
Winter Wonderland has been a vibrant holiday tradition for more than 23 years. In addition to filling the Paseo de San Antonio with rides and games that draw visitors to downtown San Jose, they also partner with Christmas in the Park to place rides within Plaza de Cesar Chavez. This generates a revenue share to Christmas in the Park of a minimum of $55,000. Losing this revenue is significant for our non-profit, and absent additional financial assistance from the City or sponsors, cannot easily be replaced.
Downtown Ice has brought vibrancy to downtown for more than 20 years, drawing families and teens into downtown throughout the holiday season.
Losing one or both of these will have a direct financial impact on the many small businesses throughout downtown. For many of our downtown businesses, the holiday season is their busiest and most successful time of year, and Christmas in the Park, Winter Wonderland and the Ice Rink play a direct role in driving traffic to the area.
Additionally, within and around Christmas in the Park, there are several permitted vendors who suffer greatly from the widespread unpermitted vendors who are allowed to fill the sidewalks because either visitors cannot physically reach the vendors, or the business that would otherwise go to the permitted vendors is taken by those without permits.
The common thread here is the unpermitted vendors.
San José, CA 95125
The City of San Jose needs to take action with respect to code enforcement. Christmas in the Park’s special use permit (as does the special events permit for Downtown Ice and Winter Wonderland) includes a request for a Special Events Boundary that controls carts around our events. Over the past several years, however, the City has made the affirmative decision not to enforce permits, which we’ve been told is because of concerns around the optics of closing down or moving unpermitted vendors.
We understand the optics. But we know losing the Ice Rink and Winter Wonderland, as well as permitted vendors, will have a devastating impact on the City and threatens the viability of Christmas in the Park. Additionally, in supporting the unpermitted food cart vendors, the City is puVng the health and safety of its residents and visitors at risk. Food cart vendors are not required (or able) to follow proper handwashing, cold & hot holding and sanitaXon pracXces while on site, therefore further endangering public health and ignoring several health codes.
The health of the citizens is at risk because of optics.
For Christmas in the Park, it’s not about the optics.
It’s about surviving. Losing revenue sharing with Winter Wonderland is a financial hit for us.
Losing permitted vendors within the Park is a financial hit for us. Losing the Ice Rink, which helps drive visitors to the Park is a financial hit for us. The potential of fewer Park visitors will directly translate into losing sponsors, which in turn is a significant financial hit for us.
Winter Wonderland and Downtown Ice are important to the financial survival of Christmas in the Park. And together, we make for a vibrant downtown during the holidays. We are part of what makes San Jose special.
Very few residents will miss the unpermitted vendors. They will miss the joy of the rides and ice skating. Consider the optics of unhappy families, the optics of struggling business, and the optics of a quiet and empty downtown this holiday season. Those are the optics that matter.
We can no longer allow unpermitted vendors to go unchecked.
We need your help.
Sincerely,
Debbie Degutis
Managing Director, Christmas in the Park
[External Email]
Blair Beekman. Wednesday June 7, 2023..... ARPA & Measure E funding, in June Planning, of FY 24 Budget.
b. beekman
Wed 6/7/2023 12 30 PM
Letter 1.
Dear San Jose city govt. and community,
A thank you, in how to consider community input, to help better address questions, of the San Jose FY '24 Budget. And that has included, a special public meeting, Thursday May 25, 2023, on where to place, remaining ARPA funds.
It seems, we should be better respecting, new concepts of reimagine. And its ideas, towards more community openness & engagement practices. And that can help lessen, the overall needs & roles, of local police depts.
There is also, a well established tradition, in this country, to simply keep local police depts, just a bit distant, from the more regular proceedings, of city govt/community practices.
Local Ca. govts. have learned well, in the past decade, to support investments & budgeting, towards better human rights & immigrant rights practices, in this country. And to create limits, with investing in companies, supporting prison systems & detention centers.
And that, many, small & medium sized businesses, try to work much, towards the good concepts, of living wage practices & investment.
It simply should not be that difficult, for San Jose city govt, to look for creative ways, to learn how to do the same, And to trust, that in the least, the SJ fire dept, or the SJ Housing dept, may be, a much more sound & humanistic investment strategy, compared to, relying on a local police dept. And its easy money, with usually very close ties, to the prison/military industrial complex.
Public Record: 3
It is also unsettling to consider, that the SJPD, can easily slip-in, here & there, a few million dollars, into their own programs, from holding on to, this extra ARPA funding. And in comparison to, other large, more benign, SJ city govt depts, that may do the same thing, if assigned to hold remaining ARPA funding.
Thank you again, for the May 25, public meeting process, to offer more clear, open public debate & questions, on this topic. It seems San Jose, is learning, a good mediation & compromise, with Measure E funding issues. I hope this can also be the case, with ARPA budgeting questions, as well.
A good luck, in continuing community efforts, at this budget planning time, in where to better store, remaining SJ ARPA-funding.
sincerely,
blair beekman
Letter 2.
Dear San Jose city govt. and community,
I hope Measure E funding ideas, are progressing well, since this SJ Spotlight, news article, first appeared, last week.
I hope we are mediating a return, to the initial good intentions of Measure E funding, and its initial 75% for affordable housing development. As it's initial remaining 25% for homeless issues., along with much in private donations, can help pay for, Mayor Mahans, temporary quick housing plans, as well.
And work to please all sides in this current discussion Again thank you, I'm what good mediation from all sides, can work towards, at this time. And a good luck, in how we can actually continue to work towards, a more holistic thinking, with SJ unhoused issues, at this time, as well
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
As I hope we can learn to more openly better address, Mayor Mahans, fear-based, but wellintentioned, temporary quick housing plans. Let's hope we can all work on ways at this time, for Mayor Mahan, and some of SJ city council, to not be so fearful, of what seems a hopeful promising future, of middle-income & mixed income housing development ideas.
And that perhaps we can have more open conversation how it may not hurt the needs of some, to base housing, om cost of living standards.
sincerely,
blair beekman
https://sanjosespotlight.com/san-jose-officials-challenge-mayors-housing-plan/