San Jose City Council Approves Budget Focusing Millions on ResidentsTop Concerns of Homelessness, Crime, and Blight
By a 10-1 Vote, the City Council Approves Mayor Matt Mahan’s June Budget Message
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 14, 2023
Media Contact:
Tasha Dean, Chief Communications Officer, Office of Mayor Matt Mahan, tasha.dean@sanjoseca.gov
SAN JOSÉ, CA - Today, San José Mayor Matt Mahan discussed the city budget’s historic investments in his top three “Back to Basics” priority areas. Last night’s approval of the city’s spending plan for the coming fiscal year doubles the rate at which San Jose hires police officers, increases investment into blight reduction initiatives, and moves $27 million toward immediate solutions to address the homelessness crisis. 71% of the dollars the Mayor asked for to address homelessness, safety, and blight were approved.
The Mayor, who pushed the council to make greater investments in reducing unsheltered homelessness, conveyed his disappointment with some colleagues’ unwillingness to make bolder changes around homelessness. His proposal to spend more Measure E dollars addressing the immediate crisis on our streets was rejected on a 5-6 vote, with the 10-1 Council majority instead allocating approximately half the funding he sought.
“I’m disappointed that several of my colleagues either don’t agree that homelessness is an emergency in San Jose or don’t agree on the action that an emergency requires,” said San José Mayor Matt Mahan. “The fight for change in San Jose is not over – it’s just beginning.”
The finalized budget includes over $50 million in new investments toward the issues at the forefront of residents’ minds.
These investments include:
New Investments Overall
Homelessness: $27,954,750
Blight: $6,515,809
Public Safety: $20,993,221
Specific Investments
Homelessness
$27,354,750 Toward Immediate Solutions: Address the crisis on City streets with urgent solutions proven to be effective. This year’s budget more than doubles the dollars available for these approaches – including Quick-Build Communities and Safe Parking Sites. While it isn’t enough to help the many people suffering on the streets, it is a historic investment in the right direction.
$350,000 to Enhance Services in EIH Neighborhoods: EIH communities have proven to be highly effective in reducing unsheltered homelessness and, fortunately, have coincided with reduced calls for service for crime and blight in host neighborhoods. That said, the City can and should do more to demonstrate to the community that neighborhoods that embrace immediate solutions to homelessness will be better, not worse off as a result. These dollars will enhance services for communities in the immediate vicinity of an EIH.
$250,000 Toward a Homeless Encampment Management System: While the City is investing in new solutions, it needs to be able to track our progress. These dollars implement a data-informed Homeless Encampment Management System to aid internal tracking of progress and resource allocation across the city.
Blight
$1,500,000 to Our Clean Gateways Program: The City needs to make sure the major access points to enter San José are clean and beautiful. These dollars go toward a new team within BeautifySJ that focuses on these gateways so that residents can take pride in their city and visitors will want to come back.
$1,600,000 to Our Waterways Team: San José needs to address the blight filling up its creeks. These dollars launch a pilot program to clean up waterways.
$650,000 to Launch Beautify Your Block: Build on the success of the Inaugur-Action series that empowered residents to clean up the City. This establishes the “Beautify Your Block” program to provide grants and capacity-building to community groups that want to take greater ownership of reducing blight and beautifying their corner of San José.
$500,000 to Upgrade 311: To further increase community involvement, the City needs to upgrade the tools that allow people to quickly aid the city in reducing blight. These dollars upgrade the city’s 311 system to give residents more accessible and reliable service delivery, including improved language accessibility, warm handoffs between departments, and better follow-up communication with service requestors.
$300,000 to Vehicle Abatement: Utilizes funding from the Vehicle Abatement Enhancement Program Reserve to prepare for an initiative that will enhance vehicle abatement program outcomes and community satisfaction.
[$12.3 million to BSJ] Note: While not new money, San José took a one-time funded program, BSJ (rapid response), and made them an ongoing commitment to the City
Public Safety
$7,376,250 to Double the Rate at Which the City Hires Officers: Currently live in a time where demand for police officers is high, and supply is scarce. These dollars go toward increasing the staffing of the police force.
$1,600,000 for Additional Lateral Firefighter Paramedics Recruitment Academy: To respond to the nationwide paramedic shortage, these dollars establish an additional Lateral Firefighter/Paramedic Recruitment Academy to help address the national paramedic shortage impacting our Fire Department and give local firefighters additional tools and equipment necessary to keep residents safe.
$3,260,000 Toward SJ YEA: All too often, youth in traditionally underserved areas are exposed to crime and gang violence. Increased investment into outreach and crime prevention strategies is crucial in ensuring they stay on a positive path. Formerly known as the Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force, YEA coordinates, funds, and monitors the City’s youth empowerment and violence reduction strategies and programs focused on young people aged 6 to 24.
As the nation enters uncertain economic times, this year's budget will help San José realign its limited resources with the community's most pressing needs. By prioritizing the basics, the city aims to enhance safety and cleanliness and create more opportunities for all residents.
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About the City of San José
With nearly one million residents, San José is the largest city in the Bay Area and one of the nation's most diverse and creative. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center in the heart of Silicon Valley has resulted in the world's greatest concentration of technology talent and development.