RULES COMMITTEE: 3/20/2024
Item: B.1
File ID: ROGC 24-537
TO: Honorable Mayor & FROM: Toni J. Taber, CMC
City Council City Clerk
SUBJECT: The Public Record DATE: March 20, 2024
March 7 – March 14, 2024
ITEMS FILED FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD
Letters from Boards, Commissions, and Committees
Letters from the Public
1-2. Letters from 2 members of the public, dated March 7, 2024, regarding:
Restore Virtual Comments at City Council meetings.
3. Letter from Ryan Short, dated March 7, 2024, regarding: Ban City Sponsored Travel to Israel.
4. Letter from Julia Long, dated March 8, 2024, regarding: The proposed pilot program put forth by Council members Arun Batra (D10) and Bien Doan (D7).
5. Letter from LAFCO of Santa Clara County, dated March 13, 2024, regarding: Notice of Public Hearing for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 LAFCO Budget.
6. Letter from Sophia Tran, dated March 14, 2024, regarding: Public Comment 3/14:
Youth Mental Health Programs.
____________________________
Toni J. Taber, CMC
City Clerk
TJT/tt
3/11/24, 10 03 AM Mail Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas Outlook https //outlook office365 com/mail/rulescommitteeagenda@sanjoseca gov/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5MT 1/2 [External Email]
FW: Mary Valderrama 95127 Restore Virtual Comments at City Council meetings City Clerk <[email protected]>
Fri 3/8/2024 8:35 AM
To:Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas <[email protected]> From: District 5 United
Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2024 5:46 PM
To: District1 <[email protected]>; District2 <[email protected]>; District3 <[email protected]>; District4 <[email protected]>; District5 <[email protected]>; District 6 <[email protected]>; District7 <[email protected]>; District8 <[email protected]>; District9 <[email protected]>; District 10 <[email protected]>; The Office of Mayor Matt Mahan <[email protected]>; City Clerk <[email protected]>;
Subject: Mary Valderrama 95127 - Restore Virtual Comments at City Council meetings Dear Mayor Mahan and San José City Council,
I ask you to rise to the challenge rather than cave to bullies intent on stifling the input of disadvantaged communities. The City needs to immediately restore virtual public comment for all City Council, Committee, and Commission meetings.
It is clear there is an effort to silence members of disadvantaged communities. Many residents rely on being able to provide virtual public comment due to reasons of disability, health, work schedules, parenting and other demands of modern life. The strategy appears to be to engage in racist and hateful speech in order to bully the Council into eliminating virtual public comment. The bullies scored a victory when the Council decided to eliminate this option without first seeking community input and not at the bequest from community members.
By eliminating remote access on the heels of restricting access to the council chambers in December, San José has fallen from a model of good government dedicated to promoting civic participation to a city displaying troubling behavior and giving the impression that hearing from its residents is a bother.
We agree that the comments of a few bad actors are vile and have no place in a community meeting.
Rather than using racist and hateful speech as an excuse to cut off community participation and hamper people’s First Amendment right to petition their government, however, the City should rise to the challenge of finding solutions to preserve access for everyone while continuing to facilitate public comment by providing a virtual option.
Ending the process of remote participation, is to deny a large segment of the community the opportunity to participate in our democratic process. Some examples include:
-- Disabled residents who rely on technology to speak, or who otherwise have to arrange rides with Paratransit.
-- Immunocompromised residents who take on unnecessary risks to their health by spending hours in Public Record: 1
3/11/24, 10 03 AM Mail Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas Outlook https //outlook office365 com/mail/rulescommitteeagenda@sanjoseca gov/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5MT 2/2 This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. a packed room.
Working people without the ability to arrange their schedules around hours long council meetings.
Parents with small children who can’t take time off to attend City meetings.
For example, budget season is the most critical time of year for civic engagement. The ban on remote comments means the people most in need of an equitable city budget will be sidelined throughout the process.
The possibility that the ban on remote comments might only last months is no comfort to those who wish to comment on current City Council, Committee and Commission matters in order to ensure that quality of life in San Jose is maximized. I ask that you immediately restore virtual public comment to ensure that you and the City once again benefit from the voices silenced by your recent decision.
Please do not do away with using Zoom during the City Council meetings. I know there are terrible people who hide behind their computers, call in and make rude remarks. However, y'all and the public should not cave to these terrible people. Don't let them bully you and us to have to attend in person.
Mary Valderrama
95127
You may not use my contact information for any purpose other than to respond to my concern regarding the topic listed above, nor may you share my address with any other organization(s) or individual(s).
This mail was sent on behalf of a San Jose resident via District 5 United https://www.district5united.org
Community Working Together
3/11/24, 10 02 AM Mail Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas Outlook https //outlook office365 com/mail/rulescommitteeagenda@sanjoseca gov/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5MT 1/2 [External Email]
FW: Jared Slaybaugh 95112 Restore Virtual Comments at City Council meetings City Clerk <[email protected]>
Fri 3/8/2024 8:35 AM
To:Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas <[email protected]> From: District 5 United
Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2024 8:57 PM
To: District1 <[email protected]>; District2 <[email protected]>; District3 <[email protected]>; District4 <[email protected]>; District5 <[email protected]>; District 6 <[email protected]>; District7 <[email protected]>; District8 <[email protected]>; District9 <[email protected]>; District 10 <[email protected]>; The Office of Mayor Matt Mahan <[email protected]>; City Clerk <[email protected]>;
Subject: Jared Slaybaugh 95112 - Restore Virtual Comments at City Council meetings Dear Mayor Mahan and San José City Council,
I ask you to rise to the challenge rather than cave to bullies intent on stifling the input of disadvantaged communities. The City needs to immediately restore virtual public comment for all City Council, Committee, and Commission meetings.
It is clear there is an effort to silence members of disadvantaged communities. Many residents rely on being able to provide virtual public comment due to reasons of disability, health, work schedules, parenting and other demands of modern life. The strategy appears to be to engage in racist and hateful speech in order to bully the Council into eliminating virtual public comment. The bullies scored a victory when the Council decided to eliminate this option without first seeking community input and not at the bequest from community members.
By eliminating remote access on the heels of restricting access to the council chambers in December, San José has fallen from a model of good government dedicated to promoting civic participation to a city displaying troubling behavior and giving the impression that hearing from its residents is a bother.
We agree that the comments of a few bad actors are vile and have no place in a community meeting.
Rather than using racist and hateful speech as an excuse to cut off community participation and hamper people’s First Amendment right to petition their government, however, the City should rise to the challenge of finding solutions to preserve access for everyone while continuing to facilitate public comment by providing a virtual option.
Ending the process of remote participation, is to deny a large segment of the community the opportunity to participate in our democratic process. Some examples include:
-- Disabled residents who rely on technology to speak, or who otherwise have to arrange rides with Paratransit.
-- Immunocompromised residents who take on unnecessary risks to their health by spending hours in Public Record: 2
3/11/24, 10 02 AM Mail Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas Outlook https //outlook office365 com/mail/rulescommitteeagenda@sanjoseca gov/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5MT 2/2 This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. a packed room.
Working people without the ability to arrange their schedules around hours long council meetings.
Parents with small children who can’t take time off to attend City meetings.
For example, budget season is the most critical time of year for civic engagement. The ban on remote comments means the people most in need of an equitable city budget will be sidelined throughout the process.
The possibility that the ban on remote comments might only last months is no comfort to those who wish to comment on current City Council, Committee and Commission matters in order to ensure that quality of life in San Jose is maximized. I ask that you immediately restore virtual public comment to ensure that you and the City once again benefit from the voices silenced by your recent decision.
Jared Slaybaugh
You may not use my contact information for any purpose other than to respond to my concern regarding the topic listed above, nor may you share my address with any other organization(s) or individual(s). --
This mail was sent on behalf of a San Jose resident via District 5 United https://www.district5united.org
Community Working Together
3/11/24, 10 01 AM Mail Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas Outlook https //outlook office365 com/mail/rulescommitteeagenda@sanjoseca gov/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5MT 1/2 [External Email]
FW: Ban City Sponsored Travel to Israel
City Clerk <[email protected]>
Thu 3/7/2024 5:10 PM
To:Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas <[email protected]> From: Ryan Short
Sent: Thursday, March 7, 2024 4:43 PM
To: City Clerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Ban City-Sponsored Travel to Israel
You don't often get email from . Learn why this is important San Jose City Clerk ,
I urge you to take action and ban city authorized travel to Israel. In 2022, the City Council blocked then Mayor Sam Liccardo from traveling to Qatar due to concerns about that country's human rights record, yet said nothing when he made a taxpayer-funded official trip to Israel in 2019. As Israel's extreme violations of human rights grow day by day, I ask that you act consistently and institute a policy ending official City travel to Israel.
Today, residents of San Jose are hurting, witnessing families and innocent civilians being killed by Israel in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. Over the past 100+ days, Israel has killed over 27,000 Palestinians, besieged educational, cultural, and medical institutions in Gaza, and committed countless human rights violations against the Palestinian people.
According to the United Nations Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, these violations include the targeted destruction of civilian infrastructure, the intentional deprivation of food, water, and healthcare from the civilian population of Gaza, and the indefinite detention of Gazans without trial.
In 2019, the City Council rejected then Mayor Liccardo’s trip to Qatar based on a report by Amnesty International that Qatar had committed human rights abuses. Here is how Amnesty International described Israel’s human rights record before that country began its military invasion of Gaza:
“Israel’s continuing oppressive and discriminatory system of governing Palestinians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) constituted a system of apartheid, and Israeli officials committed the crime of apartheid under international law.” Public Record: 3
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The Amnesty International report further noted that Israel has “imposed arbitrary restrictions on freedom of movement and closures that amounted to collective punishment” and employs “torture and other ill treatment” against Palestinian detainees.
These are serious and ongoing human rights abuses that require our City to act consistently and institute a policy against official travel to Israel to avoid lending legitimacy to these unconscionable acts.
We cannot ignore the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. We need to see concrete action from the San Jose City Council to pressure Israel as it carries out a genocide with the U.S.'s financial and diplomatic backing. I ask that you safeguard our city’s commitment to human rights just as you did in 2022. Ban city authorized travel to Israel now.
Ryan Short
Sunnyvale, California
3/11/24, 10 04 AM Mail Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas Outlook https //outlook office365 com/mail/rulescommitteeagenda@sanjoseca gov/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5MT 1/1 [External Email]
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. [email protected]
JULIA LONG
Fri 3/8/2024 5:59 PM
To:Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas <[email protected]>;District3 <[email protected]>
You don't often get email from Learn why this is important Dear Rules Committee members David Cohen, Pam Foley, Dev Davis, Sergio Jimenez, and Vice Mayor Kamei,
RE: The proposed pilot program put forth by Council members Arun Batra (D10) and Bien Doan (D7) I am in favor of this draft pilot program with one exception which is the sentence "Reserve all in process EIH sites in D2, D7, and D10 for residents of the pilot area only" as seen on pages 1 and 8 of the memo. I object to this reservation since District 3 currently has the second highest number of unhoused* and therefore I feel that District 3 should be included in this pilot program.
Further, District 3 is home to the downtown core and being part of this pilot program might very well play a significant role in helping with "downtown activity rates" which has been a stated focus area in the City Council Focus Areas. **
Last, it is my understanding that County land must be used to offer housing to any unhoused from all parts of the County. The Fairgrounds is County land.
Thank you and please consider my request to include D3 in this pilot program.
Julia Skordos
District 3 resident
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
Public Record: 4
Public Record: 5
3/14/24, 10 26 AM Mail Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas Outlook https //outlook office365 com/mail/rulescommitteeagenda@sanjoseca gov/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5MT 1/2 [External Email]
You don't often get email from . Learn why this is important Fw: Public Comment 3/14: Youth Mental Health Programs
Agendadesk <[email protected]>
Thu 3/14/2024 10:25 AM
To:Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas <[email protected]> From: City Clerk <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2024 10:09 AM
To: Agendadesk <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: Public Comment 3/14: Youth Mental Health Programs From: Sophia Tran <
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2024 9:25 AM
To: City Clerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Public Comment 3/14: Youth Mental Health Programs Dear Members of the City Council,
My name is Sophia Tran, and I am a senior at Independence High School from the East Side Union High School District. I am working with the To Be Honest Youth Advisory Board, a program of Momentum for Health aiming to reduce the stigma that surrounds behavioral health among youth, young adults, and their families in Santa Clara County. Despite the success of this program, To Be Honest is at risk of closing due to a lack of funding and support for youth-focused mental health programs in our community. Therefore, I urge you to increase funding and accessibility for young adult mental health programs in our county and sustain this lifelong mission.
For the past five years, To Be Honest has provided opportunities in mental health education and community-building for youth and young adults across Santa Clara County. It is our mission to provide hope and resources for those seeking assistance in their well-being. Over the past 12 months, we have had 214 youth participate in our creative community events, including paint nights, vision board nights, photography walks and storytelling workshops as a gateway for greater conversations. Resonating with others’ stories has helped youth in our community feel empowered in their values of empathy and kindness while finding a sense of belonging among our peers. Since joining To Be Honest, I have been fortunate to exercise my artistic and literary talents in leading this mission. I have cherished the way me and my peers’ individual talents have flourished into a culmination of art, leadership, and community to serve our community, and I wish not for financial restraints to hinder our journey, and the hope of similarly impactful organizations, toward positive continuation.
The establishment of community organizations in San Jose can mitigate the stigma that society has unconsciously built around mental health, helping youth embrace rather than neglect mental healthcare.
Schools tend to have limited or no social workers available for support. Thus, community organizations can provide students with a space when human service is limited, providing a welcoming environment to reduce stigma and symptoms. This is not merely the creation of community-based organizations that Public Record: 6
3/14/24, 10 26 AM Mail Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas Outlook https //outlook office365 com/mail/rulescommitteeagenda@sanjoseca gov/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5MT 2/2 This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. calls for change, however; our community leaders must continue to support mental health programs already in existence. We must continue to emphasize community-building, providing opportunities for young adults to talk to one another about mental health and, thus, normalize this often stigmatized topic.
Since the website launched in 2019, we’ve had over 25,000 users visit the site while growing an Instagram following of over 1,400 individuals. Students across the county have crafted 947 submissions to the art contests, sharing the colors of their stories over the past eight art contests. 45 youth and young adults interviewed for the To Be Honest Podcast, and 2,123 downloads have reached our podcast episodes. With an engagement totaling over 29,000 individuals across its in-person and virtual impacts, TBH continues to address a variety of goals in fostering conversation and fighting stigmatization.
The lockdown of the pandemic amplified the need for us to push forward. For the first time in history, people began to address their stories and concerns regarding mental health, and we are tasked with continuing to keep the momentum going. I am one of many students determined to incite positive change - it is crucial that you know how important youth mental health programs and spaces in our community are to this demographic. Without resources and creative expression outlets, young adults like myself will continue to struggle with their mental health without the appropriate care and community. I want to be the voice for my peers in continuing this battle, to not fight the mental health crisis, but to embrace the aid through which mental health organizations can provide, fostering a positive environment for support and discussions.
I have addressed mental health concerns as ‘issues’ throughout my letter. However, a mental health issue is not to be seen as the illness by which it is often referred. In a society that often views discussions on mental health as trespassing into uncertain territory, I hope we can open the floor for peers and educators to feel at ease with addressing mental health in everyday conversation and seeking awareness through abundant resources when needed, acknowledging that this territory need not be daunting.
Whether through the arts or through our community. I believe in a school, a nation, and a world where we can continue to fund programs such as To Be Honest.
Thank you for taking the time to review my concerns about this important issue. I am counting on you to address the need to maintain community-based mental health organizations in San Jose through increased funding in order to address the critical mental health needs of youth across our community.
Sincerely,
Sophia Tran
To Be Honest Youth Advisory Board Member