Dear Neighbor,

On Friday, the US Supreme Court issued a landmark decision on homelessness that clarifies that cities can enforce bans on public camping.  

This ruling reinforces the approach we’ve started taking in San Jose: investing in basic, dignified shelter and requiring that people use it when available. As we’ve added shelter capacity, we’ve already introduced camping bans within a two-block radius around each shelter and in more of our public spaces, including parks.

This fiscal year, we will move over 1,000 people out of unmanaged encampments on our streets and along our waterways by building additional interim housing units, safe sleeping sites and safe parking sites, and then expanding no-encampment zones. 

It’s not cruel to get people out of unsafe, unmanaged conditions — it’s compassionate. And in San Jose, the good news is that we’ve found that the majority of people accept shelter when it’s offered. In fact, we currently have hundreds of people waiting to get a bed at one of our interim housing sites. 

But this ruling raises two critical additional points for our city: 

First, if we are serious about ending the era of encampments in San Jose, we need our County and State governments to significantly expand in-patient treatment centers as another alternative to the streets. Basic shelter and managed safe sleeping and parking sites are not an appropriate first stop for individuals on our streets who are grappling with severe addiction and other forms of mental illness. 

Because the City does not have the legal jurisdiction, funding or technical expertise to provide mental health services, the County must increase treatment beds as we increase shelter beds for those who do not require intensive health services. Our County is currently short hundreds of in-patient treatment beds. You can help me advocate to our partners at the County by emailing your County Supervisor: https://board.sccgov.org/home

Second, building shelter and in-patient treatment beds and requiring that people use them won’t work if only a few big cities embrace this approach. This Supreme Court ruling increases the likelihood that smaller, neighboring cities and towns will effectively ban homelessness within their city limits and simply push homeless individuals into larger cities and unincorporated county land.

We can’t just outlaw homelessness and think it will disappear–that is wishful thinking on many levels. First of all, the homeless population in California is roughly the size of the currently incarcerated population in California. Moreover, jails are extremely expensive (over $130,000 per inmate per year to run), generally ineffective at rehabilitation, and inappropriate for someone whose primary challenge involves economic and/or mental health issues. 

While jails are an important solution for preventing malicious actors from harming our community, they will continue to play only a peripheral role in addressing our homelessness crisis (by creating accountability for accepting shelter and treatment in the toughest cases). 

Therefore, every city and county in California will need to step up and expand shelter capacity and treatment beds so that we can finally end the crisis of homelessness, instead of just moving homeless residents from place to place or thinking that our jails are the answer. 

I’m calling on our State to establish a framework for holding each city and county accountable for doing its fair share on homelessness. The right approach — the common sense solution — is to mandate that cities and counties build sufficient and high-quality shelters and treatment centers for those who need them, and then require that they use them. 

We need to address this crisis head on, with both compassion and pragmatism. And this Supreme Court decision is just one more sign that we can. 

Sincerely,

Mayor Matt

At a sideshow a couple weeks back, several people stood in the way of a police vehicle attempting to help someone who had been hit by a joyrider. 

These bad actors put social media fame above the safety of the community. Now, thanks to our police department, they will pay the price. 

As will anyone who planned, participated or helped proliferate this dangerous event.

If you drive to San Jose for a sideshow, you'll be going home on a bus or heading to jail in handcuffs. Because in San Jose, not only is sideshow participation and promotion illegal - spectating is too.

We’ll have more updates in the days ahead as our detectives meticulously track down all those responsible. Stay tuned! 

The Y kept me out of trouble as a kid, and now it’s doing the same thing for the next generation of San Joseans — for free! I enjoyed a tour of the East Valley Family YMCA from some of the teens who are taking advantage of the free summer programming (available at all 9 YMCA locations). They crushed me in basketball, asked me their toughest questions and showed me the many facilities and classes they have to choose from. It’s not too late to get in on the fun! Find more info here.

The state of our creeks and streets is unacceptable. And it's exactly why our budget this year urgently addresses the situation along our creeks and far too often on our streets. We are going to move over 1,000 people out of unmanaged conditions to create a better life for them, increase our collective quality of life and end the pollution of our waterways. Grateful to Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, Councilmember Doan, and dedicated volunteers from across the city for coming out last weekend, rolling up their sleeves and making a difference! We have a long way to go — but we aren't giving up until we end the era of encampments here in San Jose and clean up our waterways. Join us here.

Each year, neighborhoods across the city come together to celebrate Independence Day! While fireworks are illegal in San Jose, there’s several spectacular, professional firework displays to watch. Stop by Almaden Lake, Excite Ballpark, or Lake Cunningham Park and enjoy the show with your friends and family!

Summer of Soccer and Music: Brazil vs. Colómbia Watch Party

Tuesday, July 2nd at 6:00 PM

San Pedro Square, 87 N San Pedro St, San Jose, CA 95110

Celebrate soccer all summer long at our free Copa América and UEFA EURO watch parties! The San Jose Earthquakes, the City of San José and the San Jose Sports Authority will host viewing parties for every single matchday during both tournaments. All ParkSJ garages offer 90 minutes of free parking, including the Market & San Pedro Square garage. Learn more and view the full list of watch parties here.

Rose, White, and Blue Parade and Festival

Thursday, July 4th at 9:45AM

1100 Shasta Avenue, San Jose, CA 95126

Start your 4th of July celebrations at the annual Rose, White, and Blue parade! Performers and parade attendees will be singing, dancing, skating, and cruising down the Alameda. And, the festivities don’t stop there! After the parade, swing by the festival for food vendors, local artists, family-friendly entertainment, and more. Learn more about the parade route and schedule here. 

San Pedro Square Block Party

Thursday, July 18th at 5:00 PM

San Pedro Square, 87 N San Pedro St, San Jose, CA 95110

Stop by the next Downtown Block Party in San Pedro Square! Bring your family and friends for a night filled with live music, food and drinks, over 40 local vendors, and more Downtown San Jose fun. Learn more here.

CityDance San Jose: Bollywood

Thursday, July 18th at 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Circle of Palms, 127 S Market St, San Jose, CA 95113 United States

Dance the night away at CityDance San Jose! Enjoy an evening of socializing, music, and open-air dancing at the Circle of Palms, located in the heart of Downtown San Jose. With live bands and a professional dance instructor, you can learn something new or finetune your Bollywood dancing skills! Learn more here.

San Jose Flea Market: Spicy Food Fest 2024

Friday, July 19th at 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM

San Jose Flea Market, 1590 Berryessa Rd. San Jose, CA 95133

The San Jose Flea Market is bringing the heat! This food fest is a celebration of all things spicy, featuring local food trucks with specialty dishes, live music, a beer garden, local vendors, and more. Learn more here. 

Councilmember Ortiz and I stopped by Vito’s Pizza for a quick bite and my Snack with Matt townhall! Neighbors asked their toughest questions about homelessness and mental health care while supporting a local small business. Don’t miss out on our next Snack with Matt townhall by signing up here.

Thank you to the San Jose African American Community Service Agency for bringing us together for the annual Juneteenth celebration in Downtown San Jose, highlighting the perseverance, beauty and impact of our Black community. Juneteenth reminds us of how far we as a nation have come, but also how much work remains. San Jose’s African American population is 20% lower than it was thirty years ago as the high cost of living has pushed more and more families out of our region, which is why I’m so committed to building housing, supporting small businesses, and creating greater educational and economic opportunities for all of our residents.

Summer in San Jose! Thanks to sanjosefoos for bringing the energy to Discovery Meadow. Stay updated on their next festival here.

Last Monday, we broke ground on phase one of a new all-inclusive playgarden at Almaden Lake Park — a project I was proud to work on when I served as District 10’s Councilmember after the project was launched by Councilmember Khamis and Almaden/Willow Glen Rotary with critical funding from a County initiative launched by Supervisor Joe Simitian. Smooth surfacing, custom-designed climbing, sliding and swinging areas will allow people of all ages and abilities to play and make memories at the Lake! Thanks to all of the other partners who have helped make this playgarden a reality: Councilmembers Batra, Davis, and Foley, Congressman Panetta, Almaden Valley Kiwanis, Almaden Senior Association, Almaden Super Lions Club, and the Almaden Valley Women’s Club.