TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND FROM: Vice Mayor Pam Foley
CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: MARCH BUDGET MESSAGE
FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026-2027 DATE: March 16, 2026
Approved Date 03/16/2026
RECOMMENDATION
Amend the Mayor’s March Budget Message to include the following language:
Vision Zero
In 2015, the City of San José became the fourth U.S. city to officially adopt a Vision Zero initiative, committing to reducing and ultimately eliminating fatal and severe injuries from traffic collisions. Since 2022, traffic fatalities have been declining, reflecting meaningful progress driven in part by the City’s investments in safer streets. Quick-build traffic safety improvements using lower-cost, rapid-deployment treatments such as paint and plastic have been particularly effective at reducing speeds and improving safety. To continue this progress, the City Manager is directed to sustain and expand traffic safety investments, to the extent possible, including quick-build and other low-cost safety improvements along Priority Safety Corridors identified in the Vision Zero Action Plan.
BACKGROUND
Traffic safety is a key component of community safety as fatal injury collisions continue to tragically claim lives on our streets. Through the City’s commitment to Vision Zero, however, we have achieved a third consecutive year of declining roadway fatalities. Quick-build safety improvements offer an effective, low-cost solution to meaningfully enhance safety on City streets. In District 9, a comprehensive roadway redesign incorporating quick-build elements was implemented in 2022 on Hillsdale Avenue. More than two years later, data from the Department of Transportation demonstrate significant reductions in both speeding and traffic collisions along the corridor. The City must build on this success by expanding quick-build solutions to additional priority safety corridors citywide.
COUNCIL AGENDA: 03/17/2026
FILE: 26-251
ITEM: 3.3ITEM: 3.3