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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, JUNE 3, 2026
The Committee meeting was held in the Council Chambers and convened at 2:00 p.m.
Present: Councilmembers - Cohen, Foley, Doan (arrived after roll call), Candelas.
Absent: Councilmembers - Kamei.
Staff: Lee Wilcox, Assistant City Manager, City Manager’s Office; Kevin Fisher, Assistant City Attorney, City Attorney’s Office; Joy Rodriguez, Assistant City Clerk, City Clerk’s Office; Rachelle Blattman, Senior Executive Analyst, City Manager’s Office; and Daniel Aguilar, Deputy City Clerk, City Clerk’s Office.
A. City Council (City Clerk)
1. Review June 9, 2026 Final Agenda
a) Add New Items to Final Agenda
b) Assign "Time Certain" to Agenda Items (if needed)
c) Review of Notice of Waiver Requirements for Agenda Items or Documents (if needed) Public Comment: None provided.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Domingo Candelas, seconded by Vice Mayor Pam Foley, and carried unanimously, the Committee approved the final agenda for the City Council meeting on June 9, 2026; including the add sheet, and with Item 6.1 to be heard immediately after the Consent Calendar. (4-0-1; Absent: Kamei)
2. Review June 16, 2026 Draft Agenda
a) Add New Items to Draft Agenda
b) Assign "Time Certain" to Agenda Items (if needed)
c) Review of Notice of Waiver Requirements for Agenda Items or Documents (if needed) Public Comment: None provided.
Action: Upon motion by Vice Mayor Pam Foley, seconded by Councilmember Bien Doan, and carried unanimously, the Committee approved the draft agenda for the City Council meeting on June 16, 2026. (4-0-1; Absent: Kamei)
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B. Consent Calendar
Public Comment: None provided.
Action: Upon motion by Councilmember Bien Doan, seconded by Councilmember Domingo Candelas, and carried unanimously, the Consent Calendar was approved as a whole, with the following actions taken as indicated. (4-0-1; Absent: Kamei)
1. Retroactive Approval of "Free Use" of the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda on June 7, 2026 for the African American Community Service Agency's Juneteenth Power 50 Freedom Ball Sponsored by the Office of Mayor Matt Mahan as a City Council Sponsored Special Event to Expend City Funds and Accept Donations of Materials and Services for the Event. (Mayor)
1. Adopt a resolution retroactively authorizing “Free Use” of the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda for the private, invitation-only Power 50: Juneteenth Mayors Freedom Ball scheduled on June 7, 2026.
2. Retroactively approve the Power 50: Juneteenth Mayors Freedom Ball as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds.
2. Retroactively approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the event.
3. Place the item on the June 9, 2026 City Council Agenda for action.
Action: "Free Use" of the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda on June 7, 2026 for the African American Community Service Agency's Juneteenth Power 50 Freedom Ball sponsored by the Office of Mayor Matt Mahan, was retroactively approved for placement on the June 9, 2026 City Council Agenda for action. (4-0-1; Absent: Kamei)
2. Monthly Report of Activities for May 2026. (City Auditor)
Approve the Auditor’s Office Monthly Report of Activities for the month of May 2026.
Action: The Auditor’s Office monthly report of activities for the month of May 2026 was approved. (4-0-1; Absent: Kamei)
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 6/17/26 PER ADMINISTRATION
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:
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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 Affairs and the Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Department to identify opportunities to strengthen interdepartmental coordination and better align program resources towards 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 Action: 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)]
[Deferred from 5/20/26 - Item C.1 (ROGC 26 -224)]
DEFERRED TO 6/17/26 PER ADMINISTRATION
D. Open Forum
No public comment provided.
E. Adjournment
Chair David Cohen adjourned the Committee meeting at 2:05 p.m.
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Minutes Recorded, Prepared, and Respectfully Submitted by,
DRAFT
______________________________________
Daniel Aguilar
Deputy City Clerk, City of San José
Approved at Council on:
Number of actions: 3
Attest by:
______________________________________
Toni J. Taber, MMC
City Clerk, City of San José