This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
The September 2025 Viva CalleSJ drew over 150,000 people. A study by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State found the economic impact of that single event was $4.7 million. Nearly 80% of attendees discovered a local business they hadn't visited before, and 78.5% planned to spend money along the route that day. That kind of neighborhood activation is genuinely hard to replicate through other means.
The community numbers are just as striking. 93% of participants said the event increased their sense of belonging in San Jose. 84% said they talked to someone they otherwise wouldn't have. These aren't abstractions. This is a program that makes people feel like they live somewhere worth caring about.
Viva Parks matters for a different reason. It was designed specifically for neighborhoods with the fewest resources, using the Healthy Place Index to target where free wellness programming is needed most. Cutting 25 events doesn't distribute the loss evenly. It falls hardest on people who don't have alternatives.
There's also a cost-of-living dimension worth naming directly. San Jose sits inside one of the wealthiest metro areas in the world, and yet a large share of its residents are priced out of most of what that implies. Going out as a family costs money a lot of households don't have. Viva Calle is one of the only large, free events where kids can move around safely and families can spend a full day together without spending anything. That gap between what Silicon Valley projects and what many San Jose families can actually afford is exactly why this program matters.
The total savings from these cuts is $301,984. In the context of a $1.72 billion General Fund, that is less than two hundredths of one percent. I'd respectfully ask whether that tradeoff is worth it.
Please protect full funding for Viva CalleSJ at three annual events and Viva Parks at 75 events.
Thank you for your time.
A Concerned San Jose Resident
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Sincerely,
Patrick Kottinger, district 3
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. sighted decision, especially as San José prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2027. I ask you to protect the California Room, preserve public access to our shared history, and demonstrate that San José values its cultural heritage and civic memory.
Sincerely,
Connie Rogers, former Gilroy Council Member
and past President of the Gilroy Historical Society
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. - Community & Equity: Viva Parks serves high-need areas identified by the Healthy Place Index. These events foster a sense of belonging for 93% of participants and provide rare, free wellness programming in a high-cost region.
Please protect full funding for these essential programs.
Sincerely,
Mary Frances Lynch
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
The September 2025 Viva CalleSJ drew over 150,000 people. A study by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State found the economic impact of that single event was $4.7 million. Nearly 80% of attendees discovered a local business they hadn't visited before, and 78.5% planned to spend money along the route that day. That kind of neighborhood activation is genuinely hard to replicate through other means.
The community numbers are just as striking. 93% of participants said the event increased their sense of belonging in San Jose. 84% said they talked to someone they otherwise wouldn't have. These aren't abstractions. This is a program that makes people feel like they live somewhere worth caring about.
Viva Parks matters for a different reason. It was designed specifically for neighborhoods with the fewest resources, using the Healthy Place Index to target where free wellness programming is needed most. Cutting 25 events doesn't distribute the loss evenly. It falls hardest on people who don't have alternatives.
There's also a cost-of-living dimension worth naming directly. San Jose sits inside one of the wealthiest metro areas in the world, and yet a large share of its residents are priced out of most of what that implies. Going out as a family costs money a lot of households don't have. Viva Calle is one of the only large, free events where kids can move around safely and families can spend a full day together without spending anything. That gap between what Silicon Valley projects and what many San Jose families can actually afford is exactly why this program matters.
The total savings from these cuts is $301,984. In the context of a $1.72 billion General Fund, that is less than two hundredths of one percent. I'd respectfully ask whether that tradeoff is worth it.
Please protect full funding for Viva CalleSJ at three annual events and Viva Parks at 75 events.
Thank you for your time.
Cassie Kifer
Resident of San Jose District 3
Naglee Park neighborhood
95112
I understand this budget cycle is difficult. But I'd ask you to consider what these programs actually do before reducing them.
The September 2025 Viva CalleSJ drew over 150,000 people. A study by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State found the economic impact of that single event was $4.7 million. Nearly 80% of attendees discovered a local business they hadn't visited before, and 78.5% planned to spend money along the route that day. That kind of neighborhood activation is genuinely hard to replicate through other means.
The community numbers are just as striking. 93% of participants said the event increased their sense of belonging in San Jose. 84% said they talked to someone they otherwise wouldn't have. These aren't abstractions. This is a program that makes people feel like they live somewhere worth caring about.
Viva Parks matters for a different reason. It was designed specifically for neighborhoods with the fewest resources, using the Healthy Place Index to target where free wellness programming is needed most.
Cutting 25 events doesn't distribute the loss evenly. It falls hardest on people who don't have alternatives.
There's also a cost-of-living dimension worth naming directly. San Jose sits inside one of the wealthiest metro areas in the world, and yet a large share of its residents are priced out of most of what that implies. Going out as a family costs money a lot of households don't have. Viva Calle is one of the only large, free events where kids can move around safely and families can spend a full day together without spending anything. That gap between what Silicon Valley projects and what many San Jose families can actually afford is exactly why this program matters.
The total savings from these cuts is $301,984. In the context of a $1.72 billion General Fund, that is less than two hundredths of one percent. I'd respectfully ask whether that tradeoff is worth it.
Please protect full funding for Viva CalleSJ at three annual events and Viva Parks at 75 events.
Thank you for your time.
A Concerned San Jose Resident
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Please consider the family values and bonding time benefits to firmly reject cuts to Viva CalleSJ and Viva Parks.
A hopeful mother,
Kim Castro
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Sincerely,
Regina, Sonoma County
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
-Celina M. Vasquez
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
I am writing as a user of Arcadia Ballpark to share concerns about the proposed FY2026-27 budget changes that would significantly alter how the facility operates. I am also copying the Parks and Recreation Commission liaison and would appreciate it if this message could be shared with commission members and included in any relevant public correspondence ahead of the budget cycle.
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management.
What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city- managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks. Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season. Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation
- With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain. Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system. Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
Melinda Sheehan, Adult Rec player for more than 45 years
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Sent from my iPhone
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Vannessa Limosnero
Sent from my iPhone
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Francis Lopez
Sent from my iPhone
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs.
Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management.
What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter who values her time on the field as it impacts my physical and mental health as a 40 year old woman who enjoys staying active.
Kind regards,
Corina Gonzales
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city.
While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks. Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model.
They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Sent from my iPhone
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs.
Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management.
What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
Tricia Creason-Valencia
Speaker | Founder | Filmmaker
Tricia Speaks! | PowerHouse | FLACAFILMS
www.tricia-speaks.com
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. you to protect the California Room, preserve public access to our shared history, and demonstrate that San José values its cultural heritage and civic memory.
Sincerely,
Suzanne Avila, District 4
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways. Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today. City- managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city- managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks. Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season. Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise. Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access. Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system. Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone. Thank you for your time and public service. A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
The September 2025 Viva CalleSJ drew over 150,000 people. A study by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State found the economic impact of that single event was $4.7 million. Nearly 80% of attendees discovered a local business they hadn't visited before, and 78.5% planned to spend money along the route that day. That kind of neighborhood activation is genuinely hard to replicate through other means.
The community numbers are just as striking. 93% of participants said the event increased their sense of belonging in San Jose. 84% said they talked to someone they otherwise wouldn't have. These aren't abstractions. This is a program that makes people feel like they live somewhere worth caring about.
Viva Parks matters for a different reason. It was designed specifically for neighborhoods with the fewest resources, using the Healthy Place Index to target where free wellness programming is needed most. Cutting 25 events doesn't distribute the loss evenly. It falls hardest on people who don't have alternatives.
There's also a cost-of-living dimension worth naming directly. San Jose sits inside one of the wealthiest metro areas in the world, and yet a large share of its residents are priced out of most of what that implies. Going out as a family costs money a lot of households don't have. Viva Calle is one of the only large, free events where kids can move around safely and families can spend a full day together without spending anything. That gap between what Silicon Valley projects and what many San Jose families can actually afford is exactly why this program matters.
The total savings from these cuts is $301,984. In the context of a $1.72 billion General Fund, that is less than two hundredths of one percent. I'd respectfully ask whether that tradeoff is worth it.
Please protect full funding for Viva CalleSJ at three annual events and Viva Parks at 75 events.
Thank you for your time.
A Concerned San Jose Resident
Jennifer Jennings
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, I fear a shared district model may mean Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. With your plan, how can users expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, NOT be slower than they are today?
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration (meaning- many may back out), but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise. This directly impacts regular leagues running, and having rainouts- needing to reschedule games.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be made aware this is uncertain, as transparency is how trust is built.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
California Room, preserve public access to our shared history, and demonstrate that San José values its cultural heritage and civic memory.
Sincerely,
Joseph Saperstein
SJSU Student
District 6 Resident
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. simply cannot be replicated online or elsewhere. The specialized knowledge of its staff is itself an invaluable public asset.
Closing public access to the California Room would be a devastating loss. It would undermine historical research, public scholarship, civic memory, and community identity at precisely the moment San José approaches its 250th anniversary. As preservation advocates have noted, this proposal would save only a tiny fraction of the overall city budget while permanently diminishing one of the region’s most important historical collections.
What is especially troubling is that such a consequential decision appears buried as a relatively minor line item within a much larger budget proposal. A change of this magnitude deserves public attention, transparent debate, and serious reconsideration. The proposed closure must be foregrounded and stopped before the city suffers an irreversible cultural and educational loss.
I respectfully ask that you speak out against this proposal during the budget meeting and advocate for maintaining full public access and staffing for the California Room.
Thank you for your attention and for your service to the residents of District 3 and the broader San José community.
Sincerely,
Anthony Raynsford
--
--
http://www.anthonyraynsford.net/
Anthony Raynsford (he/him/his)
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Support for Recovery: For those in addiction recovery, Arcadia provides a structured, joyful environment at a critical and sensitive stage of their lives. It is a lifeline that keeps people busy and engaged with their community during their most difficult moments.
I urge this session to recognize that cutting funding for Arcadia isn’t just a budget adjustment it is the dismantling of a community cornerstone. I ask you to fully restore the proposed funding and ensure that Arcadia Ballpark remains a staffed, safe, and thriving resource for all of San Jose.
Sincerely,
Sierra Lincoln
describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs.
Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management.
What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Karyn Liensdorf
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Sincerely,
Emma Thomas, D3 Resident
describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs.
Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. public access to our shared history, and demonstrate that San José values its cultural heritage and civic memory.
Sincerely,
Dr. Charles Rettner
https://almadenquicksilver.org/history.html
and civic memory.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Urbach
District 5
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources. of these groups in meaningful ways. Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today. City- managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city- managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks. Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season. Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise. Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access. Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system. Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone. Thank you for your time and public service. A Concerned Arcadia Supporter Thanks,
Josie Lai
describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs.
Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management.
What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Megan Pajarito- District 12
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Martha Heinrichs and
Whitney Heinrichs
San Jose District 6
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Mike
Sent from my iPhone
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Suzanne Morrone
D 3
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
The September 2025 Viva CalleSJ drew over 150,000 people. A study by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State found the economic impact of that single event was $4.7 million. Nearly 80% of attendees discovered a local business they hadn't visited before, and 78.5% planned to spend money along the route that day. That kind of neighborhood activation is genuinely hard to replicate through other means.
The community numbers are just as striking. 93% of participants said the event increased their sense of belonging in San Jose. 84% said they talked to someone they otherwise wouldn't have. These aren't abstractions. This is a program that makes people feel like they live somewhere worth caring about.
Viva Parks matters for a different reason. It was designed specifically for neighborhoods with the fewest resources, using the Healthy Place Index to target where free wellness programming is needed most.
Cutting 25 events doesn't distribute the loss evenly. It falls hardest on people who don't have alternatives.
There's also a cost-of-living dimension worth naming directly. San Jose sits inside one of the wealthiest metro areas in the world, and yet a large share of its residents are priced out of most of what that implies. Going out as a family costs money a lot of households don't have. Viva Calle is one of the only large, free events where kids can move around safely and families can spend a full day together without spending anything. That gap between what Silicon Valley projects and what many San Jose families can actually afford is exactly why this program matters.
The total savings from these cuts is $301,984. In the context of a $1.72 billion General Fund, that is less than two hundredths of one percent. I'd respectfully ask whether that tradeoff is worth it.
Please protect full funding for Viva CalleSJ at three annual events and Viva Parks at 75 events.
Thank you for your time.
A Concerned San Jose Resident
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
I ask you to protect the California Room, preserve public access to our shared history, and demonstrate that San José values its cultural heritage and civic memory.
Sincerely,
Emily Cardenas
District 3
--
Emily Cardenas
History Teacher
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs.
Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management.
What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone. Thank you for your time and public service.
Sincerely,
Cole Maston
Vintage Softball VP
describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs.
Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management.
What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks. Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone. Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Virus-free.www.avast.com
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district. *Not only am I an adult softball player who just started playing because I was too scared to try as a child, but also my two young sons play for Santa Teresa Little League who I also serve on the Little League Board. Our league has Friday night lights because the league fields don’t want to disturb the neighbors, so Arcadia is the perfect option.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
Alecia Carvalho
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
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The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues The on site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks. Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation With on site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone. Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs.
Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management.
What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Sent from AT&T Yahoo Mail for iPhone
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Room, preserve public access to our shared history, and demonstrate that San José values its cultural heritage and civic memory.
Sincerely,
Lucille Boone
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
The September 2025 Viva CalleSJ drew over 150,000 people. A study by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State found the economic impact of that single event was $4.7 million. Nearly 80% of attendees discovered a local business they hadn't visited before, and 78.5% planned to spend money along the route that day. That kind of neighborhood activation is genuinely hard to replicate through other means.
The community numbers are just as striking. 93% of participants said the event increased their sense of belonging in San Jose. 84% said they talked to someone they otherwise wouldn't have. These aren't abstractions. This is a program that makes people feel like they live somewhere worth caring about.
Viva Parks matters for a different reason. It was designed specifically for neighborhoods with the fewest resources, using the Healthy Place Index to target where free wellness programming is needed most. Cutting 25 events doesn't distribute the loss evenly. It falls hardest on people who don't have alternatives.
There's also a cost-of-living dimension worth naming directly. San Jose sits inside one of the wealthiest metro areas in the world, and yet a large share of its residents are priced out of most of what that implies. Going out as a family costs money a lot of households don't have. Viva Calle is one of the only large, free events where kids can move around safely and families can spend a full day together without spending anything. That gap between what Silicon Valley projects and what many San Jose families can actually afford is exactly why this program matters.
The total savings from these cuts is $301,984. In the context of a $1.72 billion General Fund, that is less than two hundredths of one percent. I'd respectfully ask whether that tradeoff is worth it.
Please protect full funding for Viva CalleSJ at three annual events and Viva Parks at 75 events.
Thank you for your time.
A Concerned San Jose Resident
Shari Hall (she/her)
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
That said, I urge you to maintain funding for the California Room at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in the 2026–27 budget. For more than a century, the California Room and its dedicated librarians have preserved the history of San José and Santa Clara Valley through an irreplaceable collection of books, photographs, maps, archives, and historical records explored by thousands of students, educators, researchers, and community members every year.
Specifically from a racial justice lens, direct public access to the California Room resources ensures that this and future generations will be able to learn from and therefore apply powerful lessons now from our rich yet checkered past with respect to the involvement, exclusion, erasure, and power of people of color in this State.
Closing this invaluable public resource to save just 0.6% of the overall City Library budget would be a devastating and short-sighted decision, especially as San José prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2027. I ask you to protect the California Room, preserve public access to our shared history, and demonstrate that San José values its cultural heritage and civic memory.
Sincerely,
Karen Matsueda
--
“We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.” -Gwendolyn Brooks
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city.
While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks. Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system.
The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone. Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Here is the message to copy and paste:
Dear Mayor Mahan, City Manager Maguire, and Members of the City Council, I am writing as a user of Arcadia Ballpark to share concerns about the proposed FY2026- 27 budget changes that would significantly alter how the facility operates. I am also copying the Parks and Recreation Commission liaison and would appreciate it if this message could be shared with commission members and included in any relevant public correspondence ahead of the budget cycle.
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city.
While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks. Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
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Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system.
The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone. Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whet concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that a particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsib under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of serv rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the o parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its st leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone. Than your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Here is the message to copy and paste:
Dear Mayor Mahan, City Manager Maguire, and Members of the City Council, I am writing as a user of Arcadia Ballpark to share concerns about the proposed FY2026-27 budget changes that would significantly alter how operates. I am also copying the Parks and Recreation Commission liaison and would appreciate it if this message could be shared with comm members and included in any relevant public correspondence ahead of the budget cycle.
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenan incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch p The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, th bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of m facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response tim issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be elimina this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. W city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Ar fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alter local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is h it looks. Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, a all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff m process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolv quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. W field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it h secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whet concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that a particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsib under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of serv rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the o parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its st leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone. Than your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
Reply
I also ask that the City Clerk include this message in the public comment record for the Neighborhood Services Budget Study Session.
The proposal (Parks Maintenance Redistricting, Citywide Sports Programming, and Lease Management) in the FY27 Proposed Budget would transition Arcadia from what the City itself describes as a "full onsite operations model with dedicated reservation and programming, concessions, and maintenance staff" to a facility where reservations are managed through the Citywide Sports Program field reservation system and maintenance is incorporated into a park maintenance district.
Arcadia serves a wide and diverse community, including youth baseball, senior softball, adult recreational leagues, and competitive fastpitch programs. The proposed changes could affect all of these groups in meaningful ways.
Facility upkeep and on-site presence - Today, Arcadia has staff on site who are accountable for the condition of the fields, the playground, the bathrooms, and the surrounding landscaped areas. Under the proposed model, maintenance would be handled by a park maintenance district responsible for multiple parks across the city. While those teams do important work, a shared district model means Arcadia would be one of many facilities competing for attention rather than having a dedicated team whose primary focus is this facility. Users should expect that response times to issues, including field conditions, restroom maintenance, and equipment problems, may be slower than they are today.
City-managed leagues - The on-site coordination and programming staff who currently run Arcadia's city-managed leagues would be eliminated under this proposal. That includes the adult slow pitch softball league, which currently costs $900 per team for a season of 10 guaranteed games. Without a city-run option, teams would need to turn to private leagues, where comparable programs currently charge approximately $1,100 per team for 6 guaranteed games. That is a significant difference in both cost and value, and there is no guarantee a private league would have access to Arcadia's fields under the new reservation model. It is also worth considering that the private league filling this void may not be a reliable long-term alternative. The local adult slow pitch league has changed hands three times in the past decade, a sign that operating a sustainable program in this market is harder than it looks.
Players who lose access to the city league may find themselves with an option that is not only more expensive and shorter in duration, but potentially uncertain from season to season.
Reservations and scheduling - Moving to the Citywide Sports Program reservation system means scheduling would be managed centrally, alongside all other parks and fields across San Jose. Users who currently benefit from on-site coordination and direct communication with facility staff may find the process less responsive. Centralized systems, while efficient at scale, can increase the risk of scheduling conflicts and make it harder to resolve issues quickly when they arise.
Field time allocation - With on-site programming staff no longer overseeing Arcadia's calendar, there may be less active management of how field time is distributed across user groups. Today, that oversight helps balance access between youth, senior, recreational, and competitive programs. Without it, field time could shift based on demand and revenue rather than community balance, and groups with less organizational capacity may find it harder to secure consistent access.
Concessions - The proposal notes that current concessions are part of the "full onsite operations model" being eliminated. It is not clear whether concession services would continue under the new model, be offered less frequently, or be discontinued. Users and families who rely on that amenity, particularly during full-day tournaments and youth events, should be aware this is uncertain.
Arcadia is one of the finest publicly operated sports facilities in San Jose. These concerns are not about the staff who would take on responsibilities under the new model. They are about what is structurally possible when a dedicated facility team is replaced by a shared, citywide system.
Arcadia Ballpark works. The fields are well-maintained, the leagues are affordable and in demand, and the on-site team delivers a level of service that is rare in a city park system. The proposed changes would dismantle that model to achieve savings that amount to a fraction of a percent of the overall parks budget. We ask the Mayor and City Council to reject this proposal and preserve Arcadia's current operating model in its entirety — its staff, its leagues, its concessions, and its on-site management. What exists today took years to build and will not be easily rebuilt once it is gone.
Thank you for your time and public service.
A Concerned Arcadia Supporter
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This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.