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MINUTES OF THE
JOINT MEETING OF THE RULES AND OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE AND
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
SAN JOSÉ, CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2026
The Committee meeting was held in the Council Chambers and convened at 2:00 p.m.
Present: Councilmembers - Kamei, Foley, Doan, Candelas.
Absent: Councilmembers - Cohen.
Staff: Angel Rios Jr., Deputy City Manager, City Manager’s Office; Kevin Fisher, Assistant City Attorney, City Attorney’s Office; Joy Rodriguez, Assistant City Clerk, City Clerk’s Office; Rachelle Blattman, Senior Executive Analyst, City Manager’s Office; and Daniel Aguilar, Deputy City Clerk, City Clerk’s Office.
A. City Council (City Clerk)
1. Review May 26, 2026 Final Agenda – Cancelled.
2. 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) Public Comment: Brian Darby offered public comment.
Action: Upon motion by Vice Mayor Pam Foley, seconded by Councilmember Bien Doan, and carried unanimously, the Committee approved the draft agenda for the City Council meeting on June 2, 2026. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen)
B. Consent Calendar
Public Comment: None provided.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Domingo Candelas, seconded by Vice Mayor Pam Foley, and carried unanimously, the Consent Calendar was approved as a whole, with the following actions taken as indicated. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen)
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1. Update to the January - June 2026 Neighborhood Services and Education Committee Work Plan. (City Manager)
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)
Action: The amendment to the January - June 2026 Neighborhood Services and Education Committee Work Plan was approved. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen)
2. Rules and Open Government Committee Work Plan. (City Clerk) 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.
Action: The Rules and Open Government Committee work plan for the period of August 2026 through June 2027 was approved. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen)
3. 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)
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.
Action: The various events sponsored by Council District 8 were approved for placement on the June 2, 2026 City Council agenda for action. (4-0-1; Absent: Cohen) [Page 3]
C. Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals
1. Policy Analysis of Vacant Commercial Storefront Activation Tools. (Tordillos, Cohen, Ortiz, Mulcahy, and Doan) - RECOMMEND DEFERRAL TO 6/3/26 PER COUNCILMEMBER
MULCAHY
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 standalone 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 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)]
Public Comment: None provided.
Action: Upon motion by Vice Mayor Pam Foley, seconded by Councilmember Bien Doan, and carried unanimously, the item was deferred to the June 3, 2026 Rules and Open Government Committee. (4-0- 1; Absent: Cohen)
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D. Open Forum
1. Brian Darby spoke to the costs of traffic safety issues in California and requested action to address dangerous driving behaviors.
E. Adjournment
Vice Chair Rosemary Kamei adjourned the Committee meeting at 2:07 p.m.
Minutes Recorded, Prepared, and Respectfully Submitted by, ______________________________________
Daniel Aguilar
Deputy City Clerk, City of San José
Approved at Council on: 6/16/2026
Number of actions: 3
Attest by:
______________________________________
Toni J. Taber, MMC
City Clerk, City of San José