Joint Meeting for the Rules and Open Government Committee and Committee of the Whole
City of San José
Agenda
City of San José
200 East Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA 95113
Committee Members
David Cohen, Chair
Rosemary Kamei, Vice Chair
Pam Foley, Member
Bien Doan, Member
Domingo Candelas, Member
Committee Staff
Lee Wilcox, Assistant City Manager
Joy Rodriguez, Assistant City Clerk
Kevin Fisher, Assistant City Attorney
Rachelle Blattman, City Manager's Office
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 2:00 PM Council Chambers
For live translations in over 50 languages, please go to https://attend.wordly.ai/join/FAYU-7105 How to observe the Meeting (no public comment):
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Fill out a Yellow Speaker's Card and submit it to boxes at the bottom of the Chambers.
City of San José Page 1 Printed on 5/20/2026
Joint Meeting for the Rules and May 20, 2026
Open Government Committee and
Committee of the Whole
Agenda
A. City Council (City Clerk)
1. Review Final Agenda
ROGC Review May 26, 2026 Final Agenda. - Cancelled.
26-214
2. Review Draft Agenda
Review June 2, 2026 Draft Agenda.
a. Add New Items to Draft Agenda
b. Assign "Time Certain" to Agenda Items (if needed)
c. Review of Notice of Waiver Requirements for Agenda Items or Documents (if needed)
ROGC
26-215
Attachments Agenda
Notice to the public: There will be no separate discussion of individual Consent Calendar items as they are considered to be routine and will be adopted by one motion. If a member of the Committee requests debate, separate vote or recusal on a particular item, that item may be removed from the Consent Calendar by the Chair and considered separately. The public may comment on the entire Consent Calendar and any items removed from the Consent Calendar by the Chair.
B. Consent Calendar
Update to the January - June 2026 Neighborhood Services and Education Committee Work Plan. (City Manager)
ROGC
26-222
1. Recommendation: Approve an amendment to the January - June 2026 Neighborhood Services and Education Committee Work Plan to drop the following item scheduled from the June 11, 2026, Committee meeting agenda.
Animal Care and Services Status Report.
Purpose: Provide a status report on the Animal Care and Services Division's provision of services. (Public Works)
Attachments Memorandum
City of San José Page 2 Printed on 5/20/2026
Joint Meeting for the Rules and May 20, 2026
Open Government Committee and
Committee of the Whole
Agenda
ROGC Rules and Open Government Committee Work Plan. (City Clerk) 26-225
2. Recommendation: Approve the Rules and Open Government Committee work plan for the period of August 2026 through June 2027 and set its meeting schedule as every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers.
The agendas will be posted as the Joint Rules and Open Government Committee and Committee of the Whole.
Attachments Memorandum
Retroactive Approval and Approval of Various Events Sponsored by Council District 8 as City Council Sponsored Special Events to Expend City Funds and Accept Donations of Materials and Services for the Events. (Candelas)
ROGC
26-223
3. Recommendation: 1. Retroactively approve the Music in the Villages event scheduled on April 30, 2026 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
2. Approve the Music in the Square events scheduled on June 5, 12, 19, and 26; July 10, 17, 24, and 31; and August 7, 14, 21, and 28, 2026 as City Council sponsored Special Events and approve the expenditure of funds.
3. Approve the July 4th Celebration at Lake Cunningham scheduled on July 4, 2026 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
4. Approve the Indian Flag Raising scheduled on August 14, 2026 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
5. Approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the events.
6. Place the item on the June 2, 2026 City Council Agenda for action.
Attachments Memorandum from Candelas
C. Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals City of San José Page 3 Printed on 5/20/2026
Joint Meeting for the Rules and May 20, 2026
Open Government Committee and
Committee of the Whole
Agenda
Policy Analysis of Vacant Commercial Storefront Activation Tools. (Tordillos, Cohen, Ortiz, Mulcahy, and Doan) - RECOMMEND DEFERRAL TO 6/3/26 PER COUNCILMEMBER MULCAHY
ROGC
26-224
1. City of San José Page 4 Printed on 5/20/2026
Joint Meeting for the Rules and May 20, 2026
Open Government Committee and
Committee of the Whole
Agenda
Recommendation: Direct the City Manager’s Office to work with the appropriate departments, including but not limited to, Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement, the City Manager's Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, and the City Attorney’s Office, to return with an analysis and options for potential administrative, regulatory, and programmatic actions to support the activation of vacant commercial storefronts and reduction of blight citywide. This referral is intended to initiate policy analysis and return with recommendations. The analysis should include identification of workload impacts, fiscal implications, and alignment with existing departmental work plans.
The analysis should include, but not be limited to, evaluation of the following:
1. Evaluate potential amendments to San José Municipal Code Section 20.150, as well as any other relevant ordinances, Municipal Code sections, or City Council policies, to extend the allowable period for reestablishing a legal nonconforming use without requiring a new Special Use Permit from six months to up to three years. Additionally, evaluate appropriate limitations, safeguards, or categorical exclusions that may be necessary to address potential impacts associated with such an extension.
2. Evaluate existing restaurant and small business programs within the City Manager's Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affair and the Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Department to identify opportunities to strengthen interdepartmental coordination and better align program resources toward the activation of vacant storefronts. The analysis should assess program effectiveness, administrative feasibility, fiscal impacts, and policy implications and return with recommendations and implementation direction informed by these considerations.
3. Evaluate potential amendments to San José Municipal Code Section 20.80 and relevant City Council Policies, including 6-28, 6-29, and 8-14, to determine whether establishing a ministerial stand-alone demolition permit process for certain vacant industrial and commercial buildings is legally feasible and advisable. This evaluation should consider applicability only where California Environmental Quality Act permits ministerial approval and where the building is not a designated or potentially historic resource, and should preserve environmental screening requirements for polychlorinated biphenyls, commonly known as PCBs (as referenced in City Council Policy 6-28) and maintain waste diversion obligations under Section 9.10 of the San José Municipal City of San José Page 5 Printed on 5/20/2026
Joint Meeting for the Rules and May 20, 2026
Open Government Committee and
Committee of the Whole
Agenda
Code.
a. The analysis should be options-based and may identify and assess a range of potential regulatory and implementation approaches for City Council consideration, without presuming a preferred outcome.
Such options may include, but are not limited to, alternative post-demolition site management pathways and compliance or monitoring frameworks. The analysis should assess legal, fiscal, workload, and policy implications before recommending any amendments.
[Referred from 5/6/26 - Item C.1 (ROGC 26-201)]
Attachments Memorandum from Tordillos, Cohen, Ortiz, Mulcahy, and Doan D. Open Forum
Members of the Public are invited to speak on any item that does not appear on today’s Agenda and that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Committee.
E. Adjournment
The Code of Conduct (https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/12901/636670004966630000) is intended to promote open meetings that welcome debate of public policy issues being discussed by the City Council, their Committees, and City Boards and Commissions in an atmosphere of fairness, courtesy, and respect for differing points of view.
The City of San José is committed to open and honest government and strives to consistently meet the community's expectations by providing excellent services, in a positive and timely manner, and in the full view of the public. The City Code of Ethics may be viewed online.
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All public records relating to an open session item on this agenda, which are not exempt from disclosure pursuant to the California Public Records Act, that are distributed to a majority of the legislative body will be available for public inspection at San José City Hall, Office of the City Clerk, 200 E. Santa Clara Street, 14th Floor, San José, CA 95113 at the same time that the public records are distributed or made available to the legislative body.
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City of San José Page 6 Printed on 5/20/2026