Item 5.2 - Response to Santa Clara
County Civil Grand Jury Report
City Council
August 11, 2026
John Ristow
Director , DOT
Matthew Tolnay
Senior Deputy City Attorney, CAO
Sara Davis
City Forester , DOT
Response to Santa Clara County
Civil Grand Jury Report
Grand Jury Finding City's Position
1. No clear accountability for Community Forest
Management Plan (CFMP) implementation.
Disagrees. DOT and the City Forester already serve as
the lead agency responsible for coordination,
implementation, and reporting.
2. Community Forest Advisory Committee lacked
direction and regular meetings.
Partially disagrees
. Meeting interruptions in 2024–2025
but notes the Committee's purpose is well defined and
quarterly meetings have resumed (3 in 2026).
3. Planting 2,000 trees annually is insufficient to
achieve 20% canopy by 2051.
Disagrees
. The CFMP requires five-year evaluations and
adjustments; success depends on many factors beyond
annual tree counts.
4. CFMP lacks interim benchmarks and contingency
planning.
Disagrees
. Interim benchmarks, annual reporting,
performance monitoring, and adaptive planning already
exist and have produced measurable progress.
5. City has not fully evaluated assuming greater
responsibility for street trees and sidewalks.
Disagrees
. Previous analyses have been completed and
provided, and the U.S. Forest Service grant will provide additional cost data to inform future policy decisions.
6. Limited proactive education and outreach to
residents about trees.
Disagrees
. The City conducts outreach and is expanding
education through new grant-funded programs, updated
webpages, and multilingual materials, including free
tree program and community partnerships
Progress Since Adoption
New approved street tree list
2,073 new trees planted on
average since FY 2022-2023
(7000+ total)
4,100 trees pruned per year
Pruning cycle reduced from 30
years to 11 years
Active Response to Invasive
Shot Hole Borer
3 Expanding the Tree Canopy
Free Trees for All!
Any property owner can request a free tree
263 Applications processed (planting in
fall)
Inflation Reduction Act Community Forest
Investment project goals over two years
Plant 2,800 new trees
Prune 5,000 existing trees
Establishment costs for new trees
Workforce Development Partners
Our City Forest
San Jose Conservation Corps
4 Community Partnerships
Our City Forest
Engaged 2,500 volunteers
Hosted 57 events
Materials published in five
languages
6 Moving
Forward
Continue to advance goals in CFMP
Revisit planting goals every 5-years per CFMP
Expand tree planting and maintenance
Continue and strengthen community partnerships and
public outreach
Monitor progress and report regularly to the Community
Forest Advisory Committee and T & E Commitee
1 Item 5.2 - Response to Santa Clara
County Civil Grand Jury Report
City Council
August 11, 2026
John Ristow
Director , DOT
Matthew Tolnay
Senior Deputy City Attorney, CAO
Sara Davis
City Forester , DOT