RULES COMMITTEE: 2/26/2025
Item: B.1
File ID: ROGC 25-072
TO: Honorable Mayor & FROM: Toni J. Taber, MMC
City Council City Clerk
SUBJECT: The Public Record DATE: February 26, 2025
February 13, 2025 – February 20, 2025
ITEMS FILED FOR THE PUBLIC RECORD
Letters from Boards, Commissions, and Committees
Letters from the Public
1. Letter from Senator Dave Cortese, dated February 14, 2025, regarding: Bay Area Caucus Delegation Letter relating to the CA Firefighter Cancer Prevention and Research Program.
2. Letter from Gradin Dodson, dated February 15, 2025, regarding: Restore Virtual Comments at City Council meetings.
3. Letter from Mary McMurtry, dated February 17, 2025, regarding: Agenda Item 3.1 Proposed Operating and Capital Budgets FV2024 - 2025 (re: Animal Services).
4. Letter from Amaline Chraibi, dated February 19, 2025, regarding: Ban City- Sponsored Travel to Israel.
____________________________
Toni J. Taber, MMC
City Clerk
TJT/tt
February 14, 2025
Mayor Matt Mahan
City of San Jose
200 East Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA 95112
Dear City of San Jose Mayor Mahan:
On behalf of our California Bay Area Caucus legislative delegation, we call upon you to allow San Jose Fire Fighters to participate in the California Firefighter Cancer Prevention and Research Program. Current Senator Timothy S. Grayson (Concord) instituted the program through the passage of Assembly Bill 700 (AB 700, 2023). The City was awarded a full grant under AB 700 to participate in cancer research and prevention efforts for firefighters, yet the City thus far declined participation in the program, missing a crucial opportunity to address cancer risks within the California fire service.
AB 700 supports firefighters by creating a fire service community-based participatory research program examining bio-markers of carcinogenic exposure and effect, in order to identify the biological mechanisms that cause cancer in firefighters and to reduce the incidence among them. Firefighters are essential workers who risk their lives to protect the safety and well-being of our communities, often working in hazardous conditions that expose them to products of combustion and other known carcinogens. They are at greater risk (9%) of developing cancer as well as at greater risk (14%) of dying from cancer compared to the general population. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified a occupational exposure as a 1 threat carcinogenic to citing of the link between occupational exposure and cancer.
By allowing San Jose Firefighters to participate in this program, you will help contribute to the body of research that aims to identify and secure the necessary resources and preventative measures to reduce a risk to cancer.
We urge you and the City to allow participation in this program, which prioritizes efforts for comprehensive cancer prevention screenings for firefighters and will provide critical insights to safeguard the health of firefighters.
Sincerely,
_____________________________ ____________________________ Dave Cortese Timothy S. Grayson State Senate, District 15 State Senate, District 9
_____________________________ ____________________________ Ash Kalra Damon Connolly State Assembly, District 25 State Assembly, District 12 _____________________________ ____________________________ Gail Pellerin Liz Ortega State Assembly, District 28 State Assembly, District 20 ____________________________ Marc Berman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry State Assembly, District 23 State Assembly Majority Leader, District 4 _____________________________ ____________________________ Catherine Stefani Alex Lee State Assembly, District 19 State Assembly, District 24 _____________________________ ____________________________ Jesse Arreguin Lori D. Wilson
State Senate, District 7 State Assembly, District 11
____________________________ Mia Bonta
State Assembly, District 18
CC: San Jose City Council, Jennifer Maguire, San Jose City Mayor, Toni Taber, San Jose City Clerk 2/18125, 8 57 AM
• Outlook
Mail - Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas - Outlook Public Record: 2 Fw: Gradin Dodson 9511-- Restore Virtual Comments at City Council meetings From Agendadesk <[email protected]>
Date Tue 2/18/2025 8:54 AM
To Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas <[email protected]> From: City Clerk <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2025 7:37 AM
To: Agendadesk <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: Gradin Dodson 95117 estore Virtual Comments at City Council meetings From: District 5 United
Sent:Saturday, Februa
To District2 <[email protected]>; District3
<[email protected]>; District4 <[email protected]>; Districts <[email protected]>; District 6 <[email protected]>; District7 <[email protected]>; District& <[email protected]>; District9 <[email protected]>; District 10 <[email protected]>; Districtl <[email protected]>; The Office of Mayor Matt Mahan <[email protected]>; City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: Gradin Dodson 9511-- Restore Virtual Comments at City Council meetings [External Email. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. Learn morel Dear Mayor Mahan and San Jose 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 Jose 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.
https:lloutlook.office365.com/mail/[email protected]/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAINDc4Yi1hN2QOLTZjNmZjNTk5MT.. 112
2/18125, 9:10AM
• Outlook
Mail - City Clerk - Outlook Public Record: 3
Agenda Item 3.1 Proposed Operating and Capital Budgets FY2024 - 2025 (re: Animal Services) From Mary McMurtry
Date Mon 2/17/2025 10:58 PM
To City Clerk <[email protected]>
Cc The Office of Mayor Matt Mahan <[email protected]>; District1 <[email protected]>; District2 <[email protected]>; District3 <[email protected]>; District4 < [email protected]>; Districts < [email protected] >; District 6 < [email protected]>; District 7 < District [email protected]>; District8 <[email protected]>; District9 <[email protected]>; District 10 < District1 [email protected]>
[External Email. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. Learn more< httP-s:1/aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderldentification >] [Some people who received this message don't often get email from why this is important at httP-s:1/aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderldentification ] Dear Mayor Mahan and City Council Members,
Learn
I am writing to urge your support for the proposed budget for FY24-25 Animal Services. This includes the addition of crucial positions, making permanent the additional Veterinarian position to increase surgical capacity for animals in our community, and dedicated funding to enhance the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR} program. These resources are essential for managing the community's needs effectively.
The proposed positions, including a Senior Systems Applications Programmer and an Analyst, are crucial for improving data analysis and identifying operational strategies to address and reduce community demands. Making the additional Veterinarian position permanent to expand the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR} program to operate five days a week, and the requested funding of $400,000 for the TNR program, is vital to control the population of stray cats and kittens and reduce the number of animals needing assistance from Animal Services.
The reduction of the TNR program has led to a significant and urgent increase in the stray cat population, resulting in an overwhelming number of kittens. It is imperative to strengthen the TNR program to address this issue effectively and immediately.
We also seek support for shelter capital improvements to enhance the space and visibility for adoptable cats. These improvements are critical to improve the flow of animals through the system and reduce the length of stay at the shelter.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
https:/loutlook.office365. com/mail/[email protected]/idl AAOkAGJiNDY2NWl3L TY 1 ODktNDczNy1 iYjdkLWZINWFjYmFmNmQ3ZQAOACUpH7k. . . 112
2/20125, 840 AM Mail - Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas - Outlook • Outlook
Fw: Ban City-Sponsored Travel to Israel
From Agendadesk <[email protected]>
Date Thu 2/20/2025 8:37 AM
Public Record: 4
To Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas <[email protected]> From: City Clerk <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2025 7:37 AM
To: Agendadesk <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: Ban City-Sponsored Travel to Israel
From: amaline chraibi
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2025 9:14 PM
To: City Clerk <[email protected]>
Subject: Ban City-Sponsored Travel to Israel
[External Email. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. Learn morel 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 https:lloutlook.office365.com/mail/[email protected]/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAINDc4Yi1hN2QOLTZjNmZjNTk5MT... 112