[Page 1]
MINUTES OF THE
JOINT MEETING OF THE RULES AND OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE AND
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
SAN JOSÉ, CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 , 2026
The Committee meeting was held in the Council Chambers and convened at 2:00 p.m.
Present: Councilmembers - Kamei, Foley, Doan, Candelas.
Absent: Councilmembers - Cohen.
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 April 28, 2026 Final Agenda
a) Add New Items to Final 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 Bien Doan, seconded by Councilmember Domingo Candelas, and carried unanimously, the Committee approved the final agenda for the City Council meeting on April 28, 2026, including the add sheet; with direction for Item 7.1 (Park Master Plan and Official Name for a Future Park Located on Rinconada Drive) to be heard immediately following the Consent Calendar. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen)
2. Review May 5, 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 Councilmember Domingo Candelas, seconded by Councilmember Bien Doan, and carried unanimously, the Committee approved the draft agenda for the City Council meeting on May 5, 2026. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen)
[Page 2]
B. Consent Calendar
Public Comment: Brian Darby offered public comment.
Action: Upon motion by 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. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen)
1. The Public Record for April 9, 2026 - April 16, 2026. (City Clerk) Receive and file the Public Record for April 9, 2026 - April 16, 2026.
Action: The Public Record for April 9, 2026 - April 16, 2026 was received and filed.
2. Approval of "Free Use" of the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda on August 22, 2026 for the Lick Observatory's 150th Anniversary Celebration Sponsored by the Office of Mayor Matt Mahan as a City Council Sponsored Special Event to Expend City Funds and Accept Donations of Materials and Services for the Event. (Mayor)
1. Adopt a resolution authorizing “Free Use” of the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda for the private, invitation-only Lick Observatory’s 150th Anniversary Celebration held on August 22, 2026.
2. Approve the 150th Anniversary Celebration as a City Council Sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
3. Approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the event.
4. Place the item on the April 28, 2026 City Council Agenda for action.
Action: "Free Use" of the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda for the Lick Observatory's 150th Anniversary Celebration, sponsored by the Office of Mayor Matt Mahan, was approved for placement on the April 28, 2026 City Council agenda for action. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen)
3. Retroactive Purchase of District 4 Gala Awards and Approval of the Annual D4 Stars Gala Sponsored by Council District 4 as a City Council Sponsored Special Event to Expend City Funds and Accept Donations of Materials and Services for the Event. (Cohen)
1. Retroactively approve the purchase of awards for the District 4 Stars Gala.
2. Retroactively approve the D4 Stars Gala scheduled on February 16, 2026 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
3. Approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the event.
4. Place the item on the April 28, 2026 City Council Agenda for action.
Action: The purchase of District 4 Gala Awards and approval of the annual D4 Stars Gala, sponsored by Council District 4, were retroactively approved for placement on the April 28, 2026 City Council agenda for action. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen)
[Page 3]
C. Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals
1. Identification and Assessment of Priority Neighborhoods. (Campos, Ortiz, Doan, Candelas, and Casey)
In addition to recommending how to spend the $500,000 to advance Children and Youth Services Master Plan priorities as allocated in the Mayor’s March Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2026-2027, direct the City Manager to provide a cost estimate in the forthcoming Manager’s Budget Addendum for the following scope of work:
1. Identify the next set of potential priority neighborhood expansion sites for the Children and Youth Services Master Plan;
2. Subject to the availability of funds, begin to assess community capacity, and convene neighborhood leaders and stakeholders for future expansion of the Children and Youth Services Master Plan implementation; and
3. Initiate preliminary service delivery coordination.
Councilmember Pamela Campos introduced the item, bringing forward the recommendation as outlined in the April 16, 2026 joint memorandum co-authored by Councilmember Pamela Campos, Councilmember Peter Ortiz, Councilmember Bien Doan, Councilmember Domingo Candelas, and Councilmember George Casey.
Public Comment: None provided.
Lee Wilcox, Assistant City Manager, City Manager’s Office, announced that the item can move forward through a manager’s budget addendum which has already been coordinated by the City Manager’s Office to ensure it fits within staff capacity.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Bien Doan, seconded by Councilmember Domingo Candelas, and carried unanimously, the City Manager is directed to provide a cost estimate in the forthcoming Manager’s Budget Addendum regarding the identification and assessment of priority neighborhoods. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen)
2. Attracting Investment in Employment Lands. (Candelas, Mahan, Campos, and Casey) Direct the City Manager to develop and implement a targeted marketing strategy to attract companies to build and expand on designated employment lands throughout San José, and to return to City Council by the third quarter of FY 2026-2027. This work should be considered as a near-term goal in alignment with the Business Development Strategy to be developed under the Growing Our Economy Focus Area for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and should include:
1. Proactive industry targeting focused on high-value sectors such as advanced manufacturing, clean technology, and high-tech industries;
2. Coordinated outreach and partnerships with commercial developers and site selectors;
3. Promotion of available employment sites and development opportunities through digital platforms and national industry events; and
4. Clear communication of the City’s competitive advantages. The strategy should also incorporate permitting coordination, strategic incentives where appropriate, and collaboration with economic partners to position San José as a premier location for business investment.
Public Comment: None provided.
[Page 4]
Lee Wilcox, Assistant City Manager, City Manager’s Office, announced that because the item aligns with core economic development priorities which are already included in the Council’s adopted work program, the item can proceed without a Workload Analysis, as implementation is already in progress.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Domingo Candelas, seconded by Councilmember Bien Doan, and carried unanimously, the City Manager is directed to return to City Council by the third quarter of fiscal year 2026-2027 with a targeted marketing strategy to attract companies to build and expand on designated employment lands throughout San José. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen)
3. Ministerial Approval for Assembly Bill 130 Qualifying Projects. (Tordillos, Campos, Cohen, and Kamei)
Direct the City Manager to return to City Council by September 2026 with an ordinance to expand ministerial approval processes citywide to housing development project applications that meet the eligibility criteria for a statutory exemption to the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to Assembly Bill 130 (2025).
Public Comment: None provided.
Action: Upon motion by Vice Mayor Pam Foley, seconded by Councilmember Domingo Candelas, and carried unanimously, the item regarding the Ministerial Approval for Assembly Bill 130 Qualifying Projects was deferred to the April 29, 2026 Rules and Open Government Committee Meeting. (4-0-1;
Absent: Cohen)
4. Prefab Factory-Produced Housing Structures. (Foley, Ortiz, Tordillos, and Candelas)
1. Direct the City Manager to:
a. Explore opportunities for the City of San José to support the advancement of modular, factory-built housing construction methods for both single-family and multi-family housing that deliver housing more efficiently while maintaining strong labor standards comparable to traditional construction.
b. Return with an information memorandum that includes, but is not limited to, the following:
i. An analysis of the opportunities and challenges to utilizing modular factory-built housing with labor standards;
ii. A comparative evaluation between modular factory-built housing with labor standards and standard stick-built construction;
iii. Recommendations on potential methodologies for incentivizing the use of modular factory-built housing in the City’s Gap Financing Program rolling request for proposal process; iv. An assessment of opportunities to support the development of modular housing manufacturing facilities within San José, including potential economic and workforce benefits; and v. An analysis of challenges and opportunities around steel-framed modular construction to achieve taller, denser multifamily housing than can be achieved through traditional woodframed modular construction.
Councilmember Peter Ortiz introduced the item, bringing forward the recommendation as outlined in the April 16, 2026 joint memorandum co-authored by Councilmember Pamela Campos, Councilmember Peter Ortiz, Councilmember Bien Doan, Councilmember Domingo Candelas, and Councilmember George Casey.
Public Comment: Chris offered public comment.
[Page 5]
Lee Wilcox, Assistant City Manager, City Manager’s Office, announced that the item would require a Workload Analysis and can return to the Rules and Open Government Committee in two weeks.
Action: Upon motion by Vice Mayor Pam Foley, seconded by Councilmember Bien Doan, and carried unanimously, the prefab factory-produced housing structures item is directed to return to the Rules and Open Government Committee in two weeks with a Workload Analysis. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen) D. Open Forum
1. Brian Darby expressed frustration with the perceived lack of accountability and transparency among public officials and urged for higher standards.
2. Larry Ames requested that the General Plan update includes robust public engagement and safeguards for quality of life, infrastructure, and community character.
3. Brenda raised concerns about insufficient outreach and significant proposed upzoning in the General Plan update and urged for broader community engagement before such changes are approved.
4. David Heindel cautioned that the proposed General Plan changes may exceed state mandates and allow neighborhood density increases without adequate public awareness.
5. Doug A. emphasized the importance of inclusive representation in the General Plan process and called for meetings to be held in additional locations throughout the City.
6. Sandra expressed concerns about the proposed changes to single-family neighborhoods and urged for outreach to increase participation in the General Plan process.
7. Doris highlighted that residents are unaware of the General Plan’s long-term neighborhood impacts and urged the City to improve outreach through more accessible and publicized meetings.
8. Ken Hittleman requested improved public outreach for the General Plan update and emphasized that residents should receive direct notifications explaining the significance of the potential changes.
E. Adjournment
Vice Chair Rosemary Kamei adjourned the Committee meeting at 2:34 p.m.
Minutes Recorded, Prepared, and Respectfully Submitted by, ______________________________________
Daniel Aguilar
Deputy City Clerk, City of San José
Approved at Council on: 5/12/2026
Number of actions: 7
Attest by:
______________________________________
Toni J. Taber, MMC
City Clerk, City of San José