June 5, 2025
T o: Mayor Matt Mahan and San José City Council
From: Josefina Aguilar, Executive Director, South Bay Community Land Trust & Laura Díaz T ovar, Operational Co Director
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: 2025 2026 Budget: Protect Measure E, Reject Criminalization, and Invest in Community Powered Housing Solutions
Dear Mayor Mahan and Members of the San José City Council, On behalf of the South Bay Community Land Trust (SBCLT), we write to express grave concern regarding the proposed 2025–2026 City Budget. The deep cuts to permanent affordable housing, continued investment in criminalizing unhoused residents, and the redirection of Measure E funds away from long- term solutions threaten the very stability of San José’s most vulnerable communities.
As a nonprofit community land trust incorporated in 2019, SBCLT exists to combat displacement, land speculation, and the deterioration of community life for low and moderate income residents of Santa Clara County. We achieve this by acquiring and permanently removing land from the speculative market, preserving multifamily housing at risk of displacement, and supporting collective and democratic models of ownership, like limited equity cooperatives and resident-controlled housing. SBCLT is the only community land trust operating in San José focused on this mission, and our model is one of the few pathways to housing stability and asset-building that does not result in gentrification or loss of community.
This City’s past investments in preservation have worked. Because of your leadership and a $5 million allocation from Measure E in last year’s budget, SBCLT was able to acquire an 18-unit apartment building on Virginia Avenue in East San José—permanently preserving homes for multi generational, working class families, the majority of whom earn under 30% of the Area Median Income. City investment in this project was catalytic: it unlocked private philanthropic funds and drew state and regional interest, demonstrating what is possible when San José leads with equity and long-term vision.
However, this progress is at risk.
SBCLT joins our partners in the REAL (Racial Equity in Action and Leadership) Coalition—including URG, LEAC, SIREN, the San José May Day Coalition, AGAPE, and SV Debug—in calling for the following critical changes to the FY 2025–2026 City Budget:
1. Reject the “Responsibility to Shelter” Policy.
This proposal fails to recognize the real barriers unhoused residents face and instead proposes punitive measures that cycle people through trauma without stable exits to care or housing. Experts, including Santa Clara County officials and mental health professionals, have already called out this approach as harmful and unsupported. What San José needs are systems of care—not systems of punishment.
2. End Encampment Sweeps.
Sweeps destroy survival networks, traumatize already vulnerable people, and waste limited public resources. They are a short-term response to a long-term systemic crisis, and they have not worked.
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3. Fully Fund TRUST 24/7.
The Trusted Response Urgent Support T eam is a non-police mental health crisis response rooted in care and community expertise. Funding this alternative model is an essential investment in safety, health, and dignity.
4. Protect Measure E for Permanent Supportive Housing.
Voters passed Measure E to create homes, not temporary shelters. While interim housing may serve as a transitional step, it cannot replace the need for permanent, service supported affordable housing.
Siphoning Measure E funds toward short-term interventions undermines voter trust and the effectiveness of the City’s homelessness strategy.
5. Invest in Immigrant Defense.
Supporting theRapid Response Network can make it even more vital tool for immigrant families facing deportation and ICE activity. As a land trust working closely with mixed-status households, we know how critical this infrastructure is to the safety and cohesion of our neighborhoods.
Stable housing creates stable communities. Preservation, particularly in San José’s small-site housing stock (which comprises over 60% of the city’s homes), is one of the most effective and immediate strategies to prevent displacement. Acquisition and rehabilitation are not only faster and more cost- effective than new construction—they also preserve cultural and social ties that make our city whole.
Our pipeline continues to grow. In 2023, we acquired a fourplex in the rapidly gentrifying Reed Street neighborhood—now home to formerly unhoused veterans and a board member of our organization. This year, with the Virginia Apartments mentioned above, we stand ready to deepen our impact, but we need consistent, visionary support from the City.
San José has a unique opportunity to scale its preservation infrastructure. South Bay CLT is committed to being the community anchor for CLT led preservation, building a pipeline that other CDCs and neighborhoods can replicate. We urge the City to protect and expand preservation strategies by sustaining and growing allocations to programs like Measure E.
Mayor Mahan and Councilmembers, we value our partnership with the City and remain committed to working collaboratively toward a just, inclusive San José. T oday’s budget decisions will shape the future of housing in our city. Let’s choose strategies rooted in dignity, equity, and long-term care.
In community,
Josefina Aguilar Laura Díaz Tovar
Executive Director Operational Co-Director
South Bay Community Land Trust South Bay Community Land Trust www.southbayclt.org www.southbayclt.org
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June 6, 2025
lwvsjsc.org
To: City Clerk
Subject: Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Mayor’s June Budget Message.
Items 3.7 & 3.8. June 10 City Council Meeting
The League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara strongly urges the City Council to VOTE NO on the proposal to reallocate Measure E revenue to help fund support services and operations at the city’s temporary housing sites.
The League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara was proud to strongly support the passage of Measure E in 2020. It addressed our long-established position regarding housing and the reduction of homelessness, and we believed that the measure was structured in conformance with good government. It provided for flexibility but also safeguarded the will of the voters by requiring a 2/3 vote of Council to amend the allocation of funds.
In that first year only 15% was to go to homeless support programs and shelter construction and operations. In this year’s budget, 60% goes to them, reducing the affordable housing portion. In fact, the affordable housing for extremely low income families has gone from 40% of the allocation down to 12%.
This year the proposal for affordable housing funding is for “any remaining funds” after allocating 10% for homelessness prevention and “up to 90%” for homeless support programs. This is not what San Jose voters supported when they approved Measure E.
It is tempting to use the $39 million from Measure E to reduce next fiscal year’s deficit to $21 million, but this short term answer will have long-lasting repercussions in our ability to build permanent affordable units and to assure voters that their voting decisions carry weight.
We respectfully ask that the Council make no change to current Council Policy 1-18, Section 22.
Respectfully,
Diane McNutt, President
League of Women Voters of San Jose/Santa Clara
P: 408.961.9895 F: 408.559.9515
E: [email protected]
3180 Newberry Dr, Suite 200, San Jose, CA 95118
DESTINATIONHOMESV.ORG
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Roger Biscay
Cisco
Jan Bernstein Chargin
Gavilan College
Louis Chicoine
Abode Services
Dontae Lartigue
Razing the Bar
Ky Le
County of Santa Clara
Jennifer Loving
Destination: Home
Janae Pina
LEABsv
Preston Prince
SCC Housing Authority
Joel John Roberts
PATH
Alex Senegal
Enneagram Prison Project
John A. Sobrato
The Sobrato Organization
Erik Solivan
City of San José
Nicole Taylor
Silicon Valley Community
Foundation
Ted Wang
Gary Wipfler
Apple
ENDING HOMELESSNESS IN SILICON VALLEY
June 9, 2025
Mayor & City Council
City of San Jose
200 East Santa Clara Street, 18th Floor
San Jose, CA 95113
Re: Mayor’s June Budget Message & Proposed Changes to Measure E Spending Priorities and Percentage Allocations (Items 3.7 and 3.8 on the June 10th Meeting Agenda)
Dear Mayor Mahan and City Councilmembers,
On behalf of Destination: Home, a public-private partnership dedicated to ending homelessness in Silicon Valley, I write to once again express our concern about the shifting direction the City has charted in response to our region’s homelessness crisis.
We simply cannot and will not solve homelessness without addressing the broader housing affordability crisis that is driving homelessness in our community. Our region’s outrageous rents continually push more people into homelessness and make it almost impossible for unhoused individuals to exit homelessness into stable housing. And we risk seeing the situation become even more severe as the federal government pulls back on critical safety net programs serving the most vulnerable members of our community and pushes our economy closer to recession.
That’s why we remain deeply concerned that the City continues to shift funding away from key affordable housing initiatives - particularly when a mountain of evidence has shown that these are precisely the type of strategies we need to address our homelessness crisis. And while we appreciate the urgency with which the City is working to bring people indoors, a narrow focus on expanding shelter is simply unsustainable and will not produce the long-term results we all want to see.
As a result, we urge the City Council to take the following actions in this year’s budget:
1. Adopt the proposal from Councilmembers Campos, Salas and Doan to increase the Measure E allocation for homelessness prevention programs to 15%.
Over the past eight years, our community has developed a robust Homelessness Prevention System that has proven extremely effective at preventing at-risk families from becoming homeless - all at a fraction of the cost, and with far less trauma, than waiting to re-house a family who’s already become homeless.
However, the current proposed budget for FY 25-26 includes $2.3 million less for homelessness prevention than the current fiscal year - which would translate into 600 fewer people receiving this critical assistance next year.
The proposal from Councilmembers Campos, Salas and Doan will allow the Homelessness Prevention System to maintain our current capacity over the next two years, and provide the fiscal stability needed to explore opportunities to expand the program further in the years that follow.
2. Direct staff to immediately begin pursuing options to restore or replace the Measure E funding for affordable housing that has been diverted to other uses.
Measure E represented the City’s only significant and sustainable source of funding for affordable housing - and without a strategy for restoring or replacing this funding, we risk seeing the local pipeline of affordable housing projects fall apart.
June 9, 2025
Mayor Mahan and City Councilmembers,
Responsibility to Shelter Will Lead to Police Violence, Arrests and Incarceration Beyond the Charge Named in the Policy, and Immigration Consequences
Based on how policing, prosecution, and incarceration has operated in San Jose and Santa Clara County, this is what we expect to occur if Matt Mahan’s proposal to create a new police unit to arrest houseless people is passed. Even with the recent clarification on the policy by the mayor, in any city offered service to people in need in San Jose there should not be any room to call police and further exacerbate their situation by incarceration, let alone losing the trust of those you are trying to serve.
The first, and most significant feature of the policy, is not in the specific use of the trespassing charge that the policy says is the arresting action if someone does not comply. Rather, it is in the escalation of police contact in the first place. The policy funds and orders more police interaction with houseless people, and more specifically, those who they claim have the most severe mental health and substance use issues. It is precisely these community members who have experienced the most violence and at times lethal use of force by San Jose police.
A study on San Jose police use of force conducted by the California Reporting Project and published by the Bay Area New Group, found conclusively that those with mental health needs and intoxication were overwhelmingly the majority of who suffers from police violence. For example, from 2014 to 2021, they found 108 individuals who were seriously injured and killed by San Jose police - 73% of whom had mental health issues or were intoxicated. Of the 25 people killed over the same period, 80% had mental health needs or were intoxicated.
So based on the data, and who the police will be targeting, the Responsibility to Shelter policy will lead to high likelihood of serious, dangerous, and perhaps lethal use of force.
The other likelihood is an expansion of arrests even beyond the scope of “trespassing” - the arrest the policy says will be applied if someone refuses to follow the command to go to the designated place.
Police interaction invites a multitude of other arrests - some based on a response to a behavior to the interaction itself. The most common is resisting arrest, and sometimes an elevated “assault on a police officer” even if no assault occurred. Indeed, most of the police use of force incidents are accompanied with arresting the recipient of the violence with these charges. That is why they have been called “cover charges” - meaning arrests to cover or justify the use of force applied. Couple this reality with who the policy is having police approach - those who they say have mental health issues - the scenarios are rife for
use of force and cover charges. So an interaction could lead to not only the identified charge of the police - trespassing - but could other charges caused solely by the police interaction itself. The interaction also can lead to arrests based on old warrants, things found on the person, any number of things alleged that can lead to someone being arrested. Based on these realities, despite claims by the mayor, this policy will absolutely lead to expansion of arrests.
And while the Sheriff and the District Attorney have stated that if someone is brought into the jail, they will not be held or charged - that is still based on the limited assumption of the person coming in for that singular charge - not the multitude of charges that an officer can claim, even if charges are dropped later.
And with the passage of Proposition 36, if for example, someone is alleged to have an illegal substance on them when confronted by police, they can now be charged with a felony - which means a much higher likelihood of pretrial jail time, and possibly a future prison commitment.
But even if someone is only arrested and brought into the jail to be booked and released on a stand alone trespassing charge (which seems unlikely given that police will be looking for other charges to place on a person) that still creates irreversible harm. That person is now in the system, even if they are not physically held in jail. That record can impact qualification for services, employment, and ironically even housing.
For immigrant community members who may get caught into the criminal court system due to Responsibility to Shelter - the outcomes can ultimately lead to deportation. There is an undeniable ratcheting up of ICE detention and deportation. The most targeted immigrants, as declared by ICE spokespeople themselves, are those who have contact with the criminal court system. Even what may seem like a less significant misdemeanor charge can be a deportable offense down the line.
It is through observing the history of how policing, prosecution, incarceration has worked in San Jose, coupled with the current political context that we can project out the tremendous pain the Responsibility to Shelter policy will result in if passed.
Sincerely on behalf of Silicon Valley De-Bug,
Raj Jayadev
101 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose, CA 95113 | sjchamber.com | 408-291-5250 | [email protected]
June 9, 2025
City of San Jose City Council
200 E. Santa Clara St.
San Jose, CA 95113
Re: Support for Item 3.7: Spending Priorities and Percentage Allocation of Measure E Real Property Transfer Taxes and Item 3.8 - June Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2025-2026
Dear Mayor Mahan and Honorable Councilmembers,
On behalf of the San Jose Chamber of Commerce, we urge your support for the Mayor’s June Budget Message and the proposed allocation of Measure E funds. The Chamber supports this balanced, focused, and forward-looking budget that takes seriously the City’s fiscal constraints while making critical investments in San Jose’s long-term economic health.
We are particularly encouraged by the alignment with several key priorities that matter deeply to the business community:
Leveraging 2026 Sporting Events for Long-Term Economic Growth Next year, San Jose will help host a remarkable lineup of sporting events: Super Bowl LX, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and six FIFA World Cup games. These aren’t just moments of pride—they are catalytic opportunities for long-term economic impact.
We applaud the City’s investments in:
• Developing a sports and entertainment district near SAP Center • Funding a feasibility study for the expansion of the San Jose Convention Center • Activating downtown with watch parties, live music, and fan experiences in 2026
These are foundational steps toward establishing San Jose as a premier destination for major events. Events bring not only tourism dollars but sustained investment in hotels, restaurants, retail, transportation, and local hiring.
We recommend further coordination between the City’s Office of Economic Development and regional tourism and business organizations to create a comprehensive legacy strategy around these events—one that ensures long-term ROI through infrastructure improvements, private investment attraction, and branding San Jose as a world-class host city.
101 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose, CA 95113 | sjchamber.com | 408-291-5250 | [email protected] Supporting Small Business and Fixing the Permitting Process Small businesses are the backbone of San Jose’s economy. We strongly support:
• The Manager’s Budget Addendum (MBA) #22: Long-Range Planning and PBCE staffing improvements
• Investments in ADA compliance for small businesses
• Efforts to address commercial corridor blight and vacancy
Fixing the permitting process and unlocking stalled real estate potential is a top concern for our members. Long delays and inconsistent standards in PBCE continue to constrain growth. We appreciate that this budget begins to address that challenge.
We applaud the ongoing oversight of PBCE reforms and regular performance reporting to the Council and the public to ensure accountability and improved outcomes.
Embracing the AI Economy and Infrastructure Modernization San Jose must be at the forefront of the AI-driven economy. We commend the City for:
• Leveraging PG&E funds to support infrastructure modernization for large-load users • Continuing funding for the AI Innovator Meetup Series
The Chamber believes that San Jose can lead the region in attracting AI firms, but only if we invest in energy, permitting, and real estate readiness now. We would further support the creation of a formal AI and Advanced Industries Strategy that aligns infrastructure, land use, and workforce development to prepare for the next wave of innovation.
Addressing Unsheltered Homelessness with Urgency
Homelessness is a humanitarian crisis—and a significant economic one. Unsafe sidewalks, encampments near businesses, and diminished public confidence affect commercial vitality. We strongly support:
• Allocations of Measure E for Interim Housing Construction and Operations We also urge the City to maintain or increase investments in prevention, which is critical to reducing future inflow into homelessness. A strategy focused only on shelters misses the full arc of need. Supporting small to large businesses so they can grow, create jobs, and contribute to local economic stability is a vital form of prevention.
This budget message takes meaningful steps toward restoring public confidence, improving the conditions for local businesses, and investing in San Jose’s future economy. From sports tourism to AI innovation, small business support to homelessness solutions—this proposal reflects a serious and strategic approach.
We urge adoption of the Mayor’s Budget Message and Measure E allocations as proposed. The Chamber stands ready to support implementation and partner on shared economic development goals.
June 9, 2025
San José City Council
San José City Hall
200 E. Santa Clara St.
San José, CA 95113
Sent via electronic mail
Re: City of San José FY 2025-2026 Budget (June 9) and Items 3.7, 3.8, 3.11, &
3.12 (June 10)
Dear Mayor Mahan, Vice Mayor Foley, Members of the City Council, City Manager Maguire, and Budget Director Shannon: This letter is being submitted by 40 organizations, members of the REAL Coalition and allies, that represent thousands of San Jose residents. Please consider these comments regarding the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
Preservation of Homelessness Prevention and Affordable Housing Funding The REAL Coalition urges the City Council to allocate 15% of Measure E funds toward cash assistance programs that prevent eviction, housing instability, and homelessness. With the federal government planning to eliminate Section 8 and end emergency housing vouchers in Santa Clara County—putting thousands of families a
t risk—San José must be prepared to respond proactively. Preventing homelessness through targeted financial assistance is significantly more cost-effective than helping individuals exit homelessness once displaced. We support the memorandum from Councilmembers Campos, Salas, and Doan, relating to Item 3.7, to reallocate Measure E funds with more emphasis on prevention and family homelessness and revert allocation changes after 2 years.
REAL supports a balanced and comprehensive approach to addressing the housing and homelessness crisis—one that includes both shelter solutions and the construction or preservation of permanent housing. We also recommend that the City return to the original Measure E allocation model within two years, allowing 1 time to evaluate outcomes and assess changes in federal funding before determining future allocations.
We are hopeful that adding a fifth focus area to build more housing will indeed lead to increased investment in housing for people on the lower end and bottom of the income spectrum. As we build market-rate housing we must remain watchful that we’re not in turn displacing our lower-income neighbors.
Avoid Criminalization of Homelessness
The REAL Coalition strongly opposes any budget allocation to implement the proposed Neighborhood Quality of Life Unit within the San José Police Department. As outlined in our recent letter to the City, we continue to have serious concerns and unanswered questions about both this unit, the expanded Code of Conduct, and the Enhanced Engagement Program, including the lack of transpar
ency and clarity regarding their scope, purpose, and implementation.
Establishing a new police unit that targets unhoused residents risks leading to more arrests and further criminalization of poverty—approaches that have consistently proven harmful, traumatic, and ineffective.
Policing is not a solution to homelessness. Arresting, punishing, and incarcerating our most vulnerable community members will only deepen their hardship and increase long-term costs for the City. This truth was recognized in two separate votes against the plan by the Housing & Community Development Commission.
Rather than funding punitive measures, San José should invest in proven strategies that focus on prevention, supportive services, and housing solutions.
Consistent with REAL’s earlier letter, we urge the Council to reject this proposal and reallocate resources toward approaches that uphold dignity, equity, and lasting impact.
We support the memos from Councilmember Campos to defer this policy and delay some ordinance changes until there is far more clarity on how this work will be operationalized.
2 Stop Enforcement Against People Living in Vehicles
The REAL Coalition opposes the proposed increase in spending on parking enforcement against people forced to live in their vehicles, particularly as the City simultaneously cuts essential community programming. It is fiscally irresponsible to expand punitive enforcement while failing to invest in supportive resources.
The City should not impose additional penalties on individuals living in their vehicles without first providing adequate safe parking options. Penalizing residents for outdated vehicle registration effectively punishes poverty and drives people deeper into crisis and debt.
For many unhoused individuals, a vehicle is a vital lifeline—offering shelter, mobility, and a degree of stability. Stripping people of this lifeline through enforcement actions will only exacerbate hardship and lead to higher public costs associated with street homelessness. A more compassionate and fiscally sound approach is to support residents in maintaining this form of temporary shelter while investing in long-term housing solutions.
Continue Investment in TRUST
REAL supports the outreach and communication strategies outlined in MBA #8 to supplement the County’s public awareness campaign for the 988 crisis line. Survey results from 2024 show that approximately 75% of San José residents are unaware of the services available through 988. A targeted public education campaign by the City, designed in collaboration with the County and providers, is critical to increasing awareness and driving greater use of this life-saving resource.
We also commend the recent collaboration between the City and County to implement new protocols that will expand the diversion of appropriate calls from 911 to 988. Continued investment in public education and service infrastructure is essential to realizing the full potential of 988. Additionally, we support the expansion of the TRUST program and appreciate City staff’s efforts to identify opioid settlement funds to sustain and grow this vital, non-policing response to 3 mental health crises in our community.
Community-based Prevention and Intervention of Violence The REAL Coalition asks that the City Council make a $80,000 investment in moving forward towards a community-designed interpersonal violence prevention and intervention program, consistent with the Reimagining Public Safety recommendations and Council’s previous direction. This community-driven idea was acknowledged and approved two budget cycles ago, and we encourage the Council to keep its promise to the community to move forward with an innovative pilot.
REAL also acknowledges the importance of additional DV and BEST services, which were presented as alternatives by staff, and encourages the City to find resources for these important services. REAL has a longstanding request to the City to significantly deepen its investment in BEST services as alternatives to policing and incarceration.
Expand Immigration Services Funding
The REAL Coalition supports the request from Amigos de Guadalupe, numerous allies and the memo from Councilmember Ortiz for $1.5 million for immigration services. This is a small investment relative to the $45 billion being invested by the federal government for mass deportation infrastructure, about ten times what the government had been spending in this area. It is inevitable that the ICE activity we’re seeing in Los Angeles will come to San José. The City has a responsibility to protect all residents, and it is not ready for what is about to happen. This funding will provide the services and resources necessary to protect its immigrant residents and the stability of families and our neighborhoods.
Support Investment in Community-Driven Services at MACSA In solidarity with SOMOS Mayfair, the Sí Se Puede Collective, and other allies, REAL supports the Mayor’s direction to use $500,000 in Community Development 4 Block Grant funds to facilitate the revitalization of the Mexican American Community Services Youth Center (MACSA). Data from the Latino Health Assessment showed the harsh realities impacting Latino youth and their families, particularly in East San José. Investment in children, youth and our families in disinvested communities should be a priority. MACSA can serve as a multi-hub center for Latino youth, providing cultural services, leadership development, and healing.
Older Adults Health and Wellness Funding
We stand in solidarity with the nine providers and almost 150 organizations and community members who signed the letter in support of restoring the full $526,434 in funding for the Older Adults Health and Wellness program. These critical services support thousands of San José’s older adults—especially those who are low-income, non-English speaking, isolated, and medically vulnerable.
Racial Equity Staffing in City Departments
The REAL Coalition opposes the proposed cuts to racial equity staffing in several departments in the City of San José’s FY26 budget. These positions are essential to ensuring that equity is not just a stated value, but a lived practice across city services and decision-making. Slashing these roles undermines years of progress and community trust, particularly among Black, Latine, Asian, and Indigenous communities that continue to face systemic disparities. This move also runs counter to the priorities advanced by the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), which emphasizes the need for sustained institutional commitment, infrastructure, and leadership to embed equity into governance. GARE's framework makes clear that cutting dedicated equity roles threatens the long-term structural change necessary for just and inclusive communities. In a moment when racial equity work must be deepened—not diminished—we urge the City to protect and strengthen these vital positions. 5 Families and Children
REAL also supports the proposal by Councilmember Doan, Campos, Casey, and Mulcahy, relating to Item 3.8, to maintain support for the Family, Friend, and Neighbor Early Education Program and incorporate direction from BD #45.
Support for childcare advances racial equity by reducing barriers to economic opportunity for families of color, who are disproportionately affected by high childcare costs and limited access to quality early education.
Please consider this letter signed by 40 organizations as you decide what action to take on June 9 and 10. You can reach us by emailing [email protected]. 6 SIGNATORIES:
Vaughn Villaverde
AACI
Elizabeth Agramont-Justiniano
AfroUPRIS
Jeremy Barousse
Amigos de Guadalupe Center for
Justice and Empowerment
Richard Konda
Asian Law Alliance
Josh Selo
Bill Wilson Center
Jahmal Williams
BLKC
David Low
Destination: Home
Eugene Torres
Family Supportive Housing
Kristopher Scott
Fresh Lifelines for Youth
Kiran P
Half the Sky
Linda Montgomery
Indivisible
Susan Frazer
Jewish Family Services of Silicon
Valley
Nathalie Carvajal
Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley
Darcie Green
Latinas Contra Cancer
Brittany Alvarez
Latino Education Advancement
Foundation
Salvador Bustamante
Latinos United for a New América
(LUNA)
Alison Brunner
Tristia Bauman
Law Foundation of Silicon Valley
Héctor Sánchez-Flores
National Compadres Network
Colsaria Henderson
Next Door Solutions to Domestic
Violence
7 Rhonda Berry
Our City Forest
Heather Cleary
Peninsula Family Service
Sandy Perry
South Bay Land Trust
Lauren Babb
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte
Jaime Alvarado
REAL Coalition
Poncho Guevara
Sacred Heart Community Service
Michael Dao
SJSU Human Rights Institute
Wisa Uemura
San Jose Taiko
Huy Tran
Services, Immigrant Rights and
Education Network (SIREN)
Albert Carlson
SHHAC
Andrew Siegler
SURJ Santa Clara County
Raj Jayadev
Silicon V
alley De-Bug
Gabriel Hernandez
¡Si Se Puede! Collective
Susan Pearson
SURJ
Regina Celestin Williams
SV@Home
Carlos Rosario
The Santa Clara County Black
Lawyers Association
Martha Beattie
Urban Sanctuary
Shawn Gerth
Veggielution
Sujatha Venkatraman
West Valley Community Services
Adriana Caldera Boroffice
YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley
Helen Lund
St Paul's United Methodist Church
8 June 9, 2025
San José City Council
San José City Hall
200 E. Santa Clara St.
San José, CA 95113
Sent via electronic mail
Re: City of San José FY 2025-2026 Budget (June 9) and Items 3.7, 3.8, 3.11, &
3.12 (June 10)
Dear Mayor Mahan, Vice Mayor Foley, Members of the City Council, City Manager Maguire, and Budget Director Shannon: This letter is being submitted by 52 organizations, members of the REAL Coalition and allies, that represent thousands of San Jose residents. Please consider these comments regarding the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
Preservation of Homelessness Prevention and Affordable Housing Funding The REAL Coalition urges the City Council to allocate 15% of Measure E funds toward cash assistance programs that prevent eviction, housing instability, and homelessness. With the federal government planning to eliminate Section 8 and end emergency housing vouchers in Santa Clara County—putting thousands of families at risk—San José must be prepared to respond proactively. Preventing homelessness through targeted financial assistance is significantly more cost-effective than helping individuals exit homelessness once displaced. We support the memorandum from Councilmembers Campos, Salas, and Doan, relating to Item 3.7, to reallocate Measure E funds with more emphasis on prevention and family homelessness and revert allocation changes after 2 years.
REAL supports a balanced and comprehensive approach to addressing the housing and homelessness crisis—one that includes both shelter solutions and the construction or preservation of permanent housing. We also recommend that the City return to the original Measure E allocation model within two years, allowing time to evaluate outcomes and assess changes in federal funding before determining future allocations.
We are hopeful that adding a fifth focus area to build more housing will indeed lead to increased investment in housing for people on the lower end and bottom
REAL Coalition letter re FY26 Budget and Items 3.7, 3.8, 3.11, & 3.12 (June 10) June 9, 2025
of the income spectrum. As we build market-rate housing we must remain watchful that we’re not in turn displacing our lower-income neighbors.
Avoid Criminalization of Homelessness
The REAL Coalition strongly opposes any budget allocation to implement the proposed Neighborhood Quality of Life Unit within the San José Police Department. As outlined in our recent letter to the City, we continue to have serious concerns and unanswered questions about both this unit, the expanded Code of Conduct, and the Enhanced Engagement Program, including the lack of transparency and clarity regarding their scope, purpose, and implementation.
Establishing a new police unit that targets unhoused residents risks leading to more arrests and further criminalization of poverty—approaches that have consistently proven harmful, traumatic, and ineffective.
Policing is not a solution to homelessness. Arresting, punishing, and incarcerating our most vulnerable community members will only deepen their hardship and increase long-term costs for the City. This truth was recognized in two separate votes against the plan by the Housing & Community Development Commission.
Rather than funding punitive measures, San José should invest in proven strategies that focus on prevention, supportive services, and housing solutions.
Consistent with REAL’s earlier letter, we urge the Council to reject this proposal and reallocate resources toward approaches that uphold dignity, equity, and lasting impact.
We support the memos from Councilmember Campos to defer this policy and delay some ordinance changes until there is far more clarity on how this work will be operationalized.
Stop Enforcement Against People Living in Vehicles
The REAL Coalition opposes the proposed increase in spending on parking enforcement against people forced to live in their vehicles, particularly as the City simultaneously cuts essential community programming. It is fiscally irresponsible to expand punitive enforcement while failing to invest in supportive resources.
The City should not impose additional penalties on individuals living in their vehicles without first providing adequate safe parking options. Penalizing REAL Coalition letter re FY26 Budget and Items 3.7, 3.8, 3.11, & 3.12 (June 10) June 9, 2025
residents for outdated vehicle registration effectively punishes poverty and drives people deeper into crisis and debt.
For many unhoused individuals, a vehicle is a vital lifeline—offering shelter, mobility, and a degree of stability. Stripping people of this lifeline through enforcement actions will only exacerbate hardship and lead to higher public costs associated with street homelessness. A more compassionate and fiscally sound approach is to support residents in maintaining this form of temporary shelter while investing in long-term housing solutions.
Continue Investment in TRUST
REAL supports the outreach and communication strategies outlined in MBA #8 to supplement the County’s public awareness campaign for the 988 crisis line. Survey results from 2024 show that approximately 75% of San José residents are unaware of the services available through 988. A targeted public education campaign by the City, designed in collaboration with the County and providers, is critical to increasing awareness and driving greater use of this life-saving resource.
We also commend the recent collaboration between the City and County to implement new protocols that will expand the diversion of appropriate calls from 911 to 988. Continued investment in public education and service infrastructure is essential to realizing the full potential of 988. Additionally, we support the expansion of the TRUST program and appreciate City staff’s efforts to identify opioid settlement funds to sustain and grow this vital, non-policing response to mental health crises in our community.
Community-based Prevention and Intervention of Violence The REAL Coalition asks that the City Council make a $80,000 investment in moving forward towards a community-designed interpersonal violence prevention and intervention program, consistent with the Reimagining Public Safety recommendations and Council’s previous direction. This community-driven idea was acknowledged and approved two budget cycles ago, and we encourage the Council to keep its promise to the community to move forward with an innovative pilot.
REAL Coalition letter re FY26 Budget and Items 3.7, 3.8, 3.11, & 3.12 (June 10) June 9, 2025
REAL also acknowledges the importance of additional DV and BEST services, which were presented as alternatives by staff, and encourages the City to find resources for these important services. REAL has a longstanding request to the City to significantly deepen its investment in BEST services as alternatives to policing and incarceration.
Expand Immigration Services Funding
The REAL Coalition supports the request from Amigos de Guadalupe, numerous allies and the memo from Councilmember Ortiz for $1.5 million for immigration services. This is a small investment relative to the $45 billion being invested by the federal government for mass deportation infrastructure, about ten times what the government had been spending in this area. It is inevitable that the ICE activity we’re seeing in Los Angeles will come to San José. The City has a responsibility to protect all residents, and it is not ready for what is about to happen. This funding will provide the services and resources necessary to protect its immigrant residents and the stability of families and our neighborhoods.
Support Investment in Community-Driven Services at MACSA In solidarity with SOMOS Mayfair, the Sí Se Puede Collective, and other allies, REAL supports the Mayor’s direction to use $500,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to facilitate the revitalization of the Mexican American Community Services Youth Center (MACSA). Data from the Latino Health Assessment showed the harsh realities impacting Latino youth and their families, particularly in East San José. Investment in children, youth and our families in disinvested communities should be a priority. MACSA can serve as a multi-hub center for Latino youth, providing cultural services, leadership development, and healing.
Older Adults Health and Wellness Funding
We stand in solidarity with the nine providers and almost 150 organizations and community members who signed the letter in support of restoring the full $526,434 in funding for the Older Adults Health and Wellness program. These critical services support thousands of San José’s older adults—especially those who are low-income, non-English speaking, isolated, and medically vulnerable.
REAL Coalition letter re FY26 Budget and Items 3.7, 3.8, 3.11, & 3.12 (June 10) June 9, 2025
Racial Equity Staffing in City Departments
The REAL Coalition opposes the proposed cuts to racial equity staffing in several departments in the City of San José’s FY26 budget. These positions are essential to ensuring that equity is not just a stated value, but a lived practice across city services and decision-making. Slashing these roles undermines years of progress and community trust, particularly among Black, Latine, Asian, and Indigenous communities that continue to face systemic disparities. This move also runs counter to the priorities advanced by the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), which emphasizes the need for sustained institutional commitment, infrastructure, and leadership to embed equity into governance. GARE's framework makes clear that cutting dedicated equity roles threatens the long-term structural change necessary for just and inclusive communities. In a moment when racial equity work must be deepened—not diminished—we urge the City to protect and strengthen these vital positions.
Families and Children
REAL also supports the proposal by Councilmember Doan, Campos, Casey, and Mulcahy, relating to Item 3.8, to maintain support for the Family, Friend, and Neighbor Early Education Program and incorporate direction from BD #45.
Support for childcare advances racial equity by reducing barriers to economic opportunity for families of color, who are disproportionately affected by high childcare costs and limited access to quality early education.
Please consider this letter signed by 52 organizations as you decide what action to take on June 9 and 10. You can reach us by emailing [email protected].
REAL Coalition letter re FY26 Budget and Items 3.7, 3.8, 3.11, & 3.12 (June 10) June 9, 2025
SIGNATORIES:
Vaughn Villaverde
AACI
Lavere Foster
African American Community Service
Agency
Elizabeth Agramont-Justiniano
AfroUPRIS
Jeremy Barousse
Amigos de Guadalupe Center for
Justice and Empowerment
Richard Konda
Asian Law Alliance
Josh Selo
Bill Wilson Center
Jahmal Williams
BLKC
Don Taylor
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara
County
David Low
Destination: Home
Eugene Torres
Family Supportive Housing
Kristopher Scott
Fresh Lifelines for Youth
Veronica Goei
Grail Family Services
Kiran P
Half the Sky
Linda Montgomery
Indivisible
Susan Frazer
Jewish Family Services of Silicon
Valley
Eunice Chun
Korean American Community
Services
Nathalie Carvajal
Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley
Darcie Green
Latinas Contra Cancer
Brittany Alvarez
Latino Education Advancement
Foundation
Salvador Bustamante
Latinos United for a New América
(LUNA)
REAL Coalition letter re FY26 Budget and Items 3.7, 3.8, 3.11, & 3.12 (June 10) June 9, 2025
Alison Brunner
Tristia Bauman
Law Foundation of Silicon Valley
Anjee Helstrup-Alvarez
MACLA
Héctor Sánchez-Flores
National Compadres Network
Colsaria Henderson
Next Door Solutions to Domestic
Violence
Rhonda Berry
Our City Forest
Eva M Terrazas
Pacific Clinics
Jon Pedigo
PACT
Heather Cleary
Peninsula Family Service
Sandy Perry
South Bay Land Trust
Lauren Babb
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte
Elsa Oliveira
POSSO - Portuguese Community
Center
Jaime Alvarado
REAL Coalition
Poncho Guevara
Sacred Heart Community Service
Michael Dao
SJSU Human Rights Institute
Wisa Uemura
San Jose Taiko
Sameena Usman
Secure Justice
Huy Tran
Services, Immigrant Rights and
Education Network (SIREN)
Albert Carlson
SHHAC
Andrew Siegler
SURJ Santa Clara County
Raj Jayadev
Silicon Valley De-Bug
Victor Vasquez
SOMOS Mayfair
Gabriel Hernandez
¡Si Se Puede! Collective
Susan Pearson
SURJ
REAL Coalition letter re FY26 Budget and Items 3.7, 3.8, 3.11, & 3.12 (June 10) June 9, 2025
Regina Celestin Williams
SV@Home
Carlos Rosario
The Santa Clara County Black
Lawyers Association
Yvonne Maxwell
Ujima Adult and Family Services
Martha Beattie
Urban Sanctuary
Shawn Gerth
Veggielution
Bao Trieu
Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation
(VIVO)
Sujatha Venkatraman
West Valley Community Services
Adriana Caldera Boroffice
YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley
Helen Lund
St Paul's United Methodist Church