1 October 21, 2025
San José City Council
c/o Office of City Clerk
200 East Santa Clara Street
San José, CA 95113
Re: Agenda Item 3.3 – Funding for Housing Legal Services
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
On behalf of the following organizations, Senior Adults Legal Assistance (SALA), the Asian Law Alliance (ALA), and Project Sentinel, Inc., and Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, we write to respectfully urge your ongoing leadership and support to ensure that San José residents have access to the critical legal and housing services they need to avoid housing loss and risk of homelessness.
The current pause in funding for the San José Housing Legal & Education Services has already caused serious harm. Our organizations have been forced to turn away residents in crisis— families, seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities—who rely on legal aid to prevent eviction and homelessness.
Our consortium provides comprehensive housing stability services: education, outreach, fair housing investigations, short-term service, and full legal representation in eviction lawsuits.
These services are proven to keep families stable, prevent homelessness, and sustain the health and equity of San José communities.
This funding pause is inconsistent with the City’s 2023–2031 Housing Element, which commits to affirmatively furthering fair housing and preventing displacement. The City’s existing rental assistance and information resources cannot fill the gap created by a loss of our legal services.
Santa Clara County already faces the worst ratio of eviction filings to housing legal aid attorneys in the Bay Area—roughly 480 cases per attorney—leaving many San José residents
2 unrepresented. Meanwhile, Bay Area cities like San Francisco and Oakland invest millions annually in tenant legal services; San José must not fall further behind.
We respectfully ask the City Council to lift the funding pause and renew our contracts so that these vital services can continue without interruption. Our organizations remain committed partners in advancing housing stability and protecting the rights of San José residents.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and for your steadfast leadership in strengthening San José’s communities. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or to discuss how we can continue this partnership to serve your constituents.
Sincerely,
Alison Brunner, CEO
Law Foundation of Silicon Valley
Richard Konda, Executive Director
Asian Law Alliance
Carole Conn, Executive Director
Project Sentinel
Georgia Bacil, Directing Attorney
Senior Adults Legal Assistance