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MINUTES OF THE
JOINT MEETING OF THE RULES AND OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE AND
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
SAN JOSÉ, CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2026
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; Joy Rodriguez, Assistant 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 March 31, 2026 Final Agenda – Meeting Cancelled
2. Review April 7, 2026 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 Vice Mayor Pam Foley, seconded by Councilmember Domingo Candelas, and carried unanimously, the Committee approved the draft agenda for the City Council meeting on April 7, 2026. (5-0-0)
B. Consent Calendar
Public Comment: None provided.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Vice Mayor 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)
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1. The Public Record for March 12, 2026 - March 19, 2026. (City Clerk) Receive and file the Public Record for March 12, 2026 - March 19, 2026.
Action: The Public Record for March 12, 2026 - March 19, 2026 was received and filed. (5-0-0)
2. Approval of the Great American Litter Pick-up as an Annual City Sponsored Special Event to Expend City Funds and Authorization to Accept Donations of Materials and Services for the Event. (City Clerk)
1. Approve the Great American Litter Pick-up as an annual City Council sponsored Special Event scheduled on a Saturday in April around Earth Day and approve the expenditure of funds.
2. Approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the event. 3. Place the item on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action.
Action: The Great American Litter Pick-up event was approved for placement on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action. (5-0-0)
3. Approval of National Night Out as an Annual City Sponsored Special Event to Expend City Funds and Authorization to Accept Donations of Materials and Services for the Event. (City Clerk)
1. Approve the National Night Out as an annual City Council sponsored Special Event held the first Tuesday in August and approve the expenditure of funds.
2. Approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the event.
3. Place the item on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action.
Action: The National Night Out event was approved for placement on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action. (5-0-0)
4. Approval to Expend City Funds and Authorization to Accept Donations for the City's Participation in the Annual Silicon Valley Pride Parade and Festival. (City Clerk)
1. Approve the expenditure of City funds for the Silicon Valley Pride Parade and Festival as an annual event scheduled in late August.
2. Approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the event.
3. Place the item on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action.
Action: The Annual Silicon Valley Pride Parade and Festival was approved for placement on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action. (5-0-0)
5. Request to Travel. (Mayor)
1. Authorize travel, accept travel payments to the City of San José, and designate Mayor Mahan as the City representative to participate in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative Capstone Convening organized and funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies from April 12 - 14, 2026 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
2. Place the item on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action. [Page 3]
Action: The Mayor’s request to travel was approved for placement on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action. (5-0-0)
6. Request to Travel for Mayor's Staff. (Mayor)
1. Authorize travel, accept travel payments to the City of San José, and designate the Mayor’s Staff, Stephen Caines, as the City representative to attend the Bloomberg CityLab event in Madrid, Spain from April 26-29, 2026.
2. Place the item on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action.
Action: The request to travel for Mayor’s staff was approved for placement on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action. (5-0-0)
7. Retroactive Approval and Approval of Multiple Special Events Sponsored by Council District 7 as City Council Sponsored Special Events to Expend City Funds and Accept Donations of Materials and Services for the Events. (Doan)
1. Retroactively approve the POW/MIA Flag Raising scheduled on September 19, 2025 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
2. Retroactively approve the Dumpster Day in the Alma Neighborhood scheduled on September 27, 2025 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
3. Retroactively approve the Korean Hangul Day Flag Raising scheduled on October 16, 2025 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
4. Retroactively approve the Dumpster Day in the Communications Hill Neighborhood scheduled on October 25, 2025 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
5. Retroactively approve the Dumpster Day at the Vietnamese Heritage Garden scheduled on November 8, 2025 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
6. Retroactively approve the Dumpster Day in the Tropicana-Lanai Neighborhood scheduled on November 15, 2025 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
7. Retroactively approve the District 7 Neighborhood Holiday Party scheduled on December 10, 2025 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
8. Retroactively approve the Dumpster Day in the Lone Bluff Neighborhood scheduled on December 13, 2025 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
9. Retroactively approve the District 7 Toy Distribution at the Vietnamese American Cultural Center scheduled on December 20, 2025 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
10. Retroactively approve the TET/Lunar New Year Flag Raising scheduled on February 17, 2026 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
11. Retroactively approve the Dumpster Day in the Lone Bluff Neighborhood scheduled on February 21, 2026 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
12. Retroactively approve the Dumpster Day in the West Evergreen Neighborhood scheduled on February 28, 2026 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
13. Approve the AAWA Career Seminar at San José City Hall scheduled on April 17, 2026 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
14. Approve the Dumpster Day in the McLaughlin-Corridor Neighborhood scheduled on April 11, 2026, as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
15. Approve the Black April Flag Raising scheduled on April 30, 2026 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
16. Approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the events.
17. Place the item on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action. [Page 4]
Action: The various special events sponsored by Council District 7 were approved for placement on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action. (5-0-0)
C. Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals
1. Initiating an Inventory and Community Process Regarding Public Assets Named for César Chavez. (Mayor, Ortiz, Tordillos, Candelas, and Campos) Direct the City Manager, in coordination with the City Clerk and City Attorney, to return to City Council with:
1. An inventory of all City-owned land, facilities, amenities, and other public art and assets in San José named after César Chavez, or otherwise bearing his name or likeness; 2. To the extent feasible, an inventory of other assets with City designation or public sites within San José that are overseen by another local jurisdiction or public agency and are named after César Chavez;
3. An assessment of the applicable legal authority, governing policy, and procedural pathway for renaming each identified site;
4. Recommendations for a community engagement process - modeled where appropriate on existing City naming processes, and prioritizing the Latino and farmworker communities - to consider potential renaming actions in a trauma-informed, inclusive, and culturally respectful manner; and
5. Initiate any administrative processes under the City Manager’s authority for name changes, where appropriate.
Councilmember Peter Ortiz introduced the item, bringing forward the recommendation as outlined in the March 19, 2026 joint memorandum co-authored by Councilmember Casey, Councilmember Cohen, Councilmember Ortiz and Councilmember Candelas.
Public Comment: None provided.
Lee Wilcox, Assistant City Manager, City Manager’s Office, confirmed a Workload Analysis on the item would not be necessary, as work has already been initiated; and that the item will return to the full Council in the near future.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Domingo Candelas, seconded by Councilmember Rosemary Kamei, and carried unanimously, the item regarding initiating an inventory and community process regarding public assets named for César Chavez, was approved to return to a future City Council meeting for final action. (5-0-0)
2. Lower Income Voucher and Equity Program Amendment. (Casey, Cohen, Ortiz, and Candelas)
1. Amend the Lower Income Voucher and Equity Program to include a preference for 50 units for San José Police Department personnel.
2. Place the item on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action.
Public Comment: Huascar Castro offered public comment.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Bien Doan, seconded by Councilmember Domingo Candelas, and carried unanimously, the item regarding the lower income voucher and equity program amendment, was approved for placement on the April 7, 2026 City Council Agenda for action. (5-0-0) [Page 5]
D. Open Forum
1. “D1D9” offered public comment regarding a homicide in the City.
E. Adjournment
Chair David Cohen adjourned the Committee meeting at 2:17 p.m.
Minutes Recorded, Prepared, and Respectfully Submitted by, ______________________________________
Daniel Aguilar
Deputy City Clerk, City of San José
Approved at Council on: 4/7/2026
Number of actions: 4
Attest by:
______________________________________
Toni J. Taber, MMC
City Clerk, City of San José