1 MINUTES OF THE
JOINT MEETING OF THE RULES AND OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE AND
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
SAN JOSÉ, CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2025
The Committee meeting was held in the Council Chambers and convened at 2:00 p.m.
Present: Councilmembers - Cohen, Kamei, Foley, Doan, Candelas.
Absent: Councilmembers - None.
Staff: Lee Wilcox, Assistant City Manager, City Manager’s Office; Kevin Fisher, Assistant City Attorney, City Attorney’s Office; Megan Roche, Deputy City Clerk, City Clerk’s Office; Rachelle Blattman, Senior Executive Analyst, City Manager’s Office; and Daniel Aguilar, Deputy City Clerk, City Clerk’s Office.
A. City Council (City Clerk)
1. Review November 25, 2025 Final Agenda – Meeting Cancelled.
2. Review December 2, 2025 Draft Agenda
a) Add New Items to Draft Agenda
b) Assign "Time Certain" to Agenda Items (if needed)
c) Review of Notice of Waiver Requirements for Agenda Items or Documents (if needed) Public Comment: None provided.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Pam Foley, seconded by Councilmember Bien Doan, and carried unanimously, the Committee approved the draft agenda for the City Council meeting on December 2, 2025, including the add sheet. (5-0-0)
B. Consent Calendar
Public Comment: None provided.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Pam Foley, seconded by Councilmember Bien Doan, and carried unanimously, the Consent Calendar was approved as a whole, with the following actions taken as indicated. (5-0-0)
2 1. The Public Record for November 6, 2025 - November 13, 2025. (City Clerk) Receive and file the Public Record for November 6, 2025 - November 13, 2025.
Action: The Public Record for November 6, 2025 - November 13, 2025 was received and filed. (5-0-0)
2. Approval of Proclamation for the Holiday Children Book Drive and the Holiday Children Book Drive Sponsored by Council District 1 as a City Council Sponsored Special Event to Expend City Funds and Accept Donations of Materials and Services for the Event. (Kamei)
1. Approve the Proclamation for the Holiday Children Book Drive scheduled on December 4, 2025 and the Holiday Children Book Drive scheduled on December 4-18, 2025 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
2. Approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the event in collaboration with the Fire Department.
3. Place the item on the December 2, 2025 City Council Agenda for action.
Action: The Proclamation for the Holiday Children Book Drive and the Holiday Children Book Drive, sponsored by Council District 1, was approved for placement on the December 2, 2025 City Council Agenda for action. (5-0-0)
3. Approval of Various Events Sponsored by Council District 9 as City Council Sponsored Special Events to Expend City Funds and Accept Donations of Materials and Services for the Events. (Foley)
1. Approve the Tower Lighting for the National Women’s Soccer League Championship Welcome scheduled on November 20-22, 2025 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
2. Approve the World AIDS Day Flag Raising scheduled on December 2, 2025, World AIDS Day Tower and Rotunda Lighting scheduled for December 1-4, 2025, and World AIDS Day Quilt Display in the Rotunda on December 1-2, 2025, as City Council sponsored Special Events and approve the expenditure of funds.
3. Approve the Music in the Valley Festival scheduled on May 2, 2026 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
4. Approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the events. 5. Place the item on the December 2, 2025 City Council Agenda for action.
Action: The various events sponsored by Council District 9 were approved for placement on the December 2, 2025 City Council Agenda for action. (5-0-0) C. Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals
1. Historic Preservation Ordinance Reform. (Mahan, Foley, Tordillos, Mulcahy, and Cohen)
1. Direct the City Manager to return to City Council by March 2026 with options and analysis for the following:
a) Establish an enhanced outreach program for property owners of properties on the Historic Resources Inventory to inform them of relevant historic preservation regulations, including the San José Historic Preservation Ordinance.
3 b) Establish an amnesty program for unpermitted construction on structures in the historic resources inventory that do not create health and safety hazards. c) Provide a legal framework for certain structures on the historic inventory to be demolished or removed from the inventory where substandard structures exist and/or where the historic features of the structure are no longer evident.
d) Modernize historic preservation regulations to allow for installation of windows and other building elements that support the City’s climate, wildfire, safety, and energy efficiency goals.
2. Conduct analysis on the above in consultation with stakeholders including the Developers Roundtable, the Japantown Community Congress, and the Preservation Action Council of San Jose (PacSJ).
Councilmember Anthony Tordillos introduced the item, bringing forward the recommendation as outlined in the November 13, 2025 joint memorandum co-authored by Mayor Mahan, Vice Mayor Foley, Councilmember Tordillos, Councilmember Mulcahy, and Councilmember Cohen.
Public Comment: None provided.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Domingo Candelas, seconded by Councilmember Rosemary Kamei, and carried unanimously, the Historic Preservation Ordinance Reform item was approved to return to the Rules and Open Government Committee in December 2025 with a Workload Analysis. (5-0-0)
D. Open Forum
No public comment provided.
E. Adjournment
Chair David Cohen adjourned the Committee meeting at 2:11 p.m.
Minutes Recorded, Prepared, and Respectfully Submitted by, ______________________________________
Daniel Aguilar
Deputy City Clerk, City of San José
Approved at Council on: 12/2/2025
Number of actions: 3
Attest by:
______________________________________
Toni J. Taber, MMC
City Clerk, City of San José