Community Wins: Let

• Support for First Responder Fee to fund paramedic services
• Advocacy for pedestrian safety improvements
• Promotion of neighborhood association involvement
• Engagement in Inclusionary Housing and Mobilehome Rent Ordinance discussions

• First Responder Fee implementation
• Inclusionary Housing Ordinance revisions
• Mobilehome Rent Ordinance updates
• Pedestrian safety improvements

• Budget Breakfast on February 21, 2026
• Mobilehome Rent Ordinance in-person meeting on January 12, 2026
• Mobilehome Rent Ordinance Zoom meeting on January 15, 2026
• Inclusionary Housing Ordinance in-person meeting on January 14, 2026

Council District 8 Newsletter Hi Neighbor, As we kick off 2026, I want to take a moment to reflect on what an incredible year 2025 was for District 8! Last year, my office and I were hard at work delivering results that strengthened our neighborhoods and brought our community together. From hosting exciting, free events across the district to advancing meaningful legislation at City Hall, our focus was to improve the quality of life for residents. In 2025, my team supported, organized, and attended more than 167 community events, including the City’s first-ever drone show, free concerts at the Evergreen Village Square, and a Fall Family Festival that brought hundreds of families to Lake Cunningham. At City Hall, I authored or coauthored 19 memorandums that were approved by the City Council! Additionally, my office addressed nearly 1,000 neighborhood cases addressing everyday concerns like illegal dumping, overgrown weeds, and streetlight outages. Together with our neighbors, we made meaningful progress—from cleanups and youth programming to 3 new neighborhood associations, pedestrian safety improvements, and securing over $570,000 to support District 8 projects and events. None of this work would be possible without the dedication and involvement of our residents. Thank you for being active, engaged, and invested in your community. I’m excited to build on this momentum as we move forward in 2026. P.S. Save the date for my annual Budget Breakfast: Saturday, February 21st at Grace Church! It is my pleasure and privilege to serve as your City Councilmember, Domingo Candelas City of San José District 8 Learn more about our community work and accomplishments in my past newsletters from February 2023 onward , which provide a wealth of information including updates on legislation, community events, and important issues like the City budget, public safety, homelessness and more. Please share this with your neighbors and let them know what's happening in my district. They can sign up by following this link . Upcoming Events In Our Community Welch Park Neighborhood Association Toy Giveaway Last month, the Welch Park Neighborhood Association partnered with Rohi Christian Church, the San Jose Police Officers' Association and Empower & Excel to give away 200 toys for the holidays! We were thrilled to bring smiles to so many families and children in our community. Vovinam Toy Giveaway Vovinam spread holiday cheer with their annual toy giveaway! Thank you to everyone who donated and volunteered for this special event. Evergreen Elementary Crossing Guards We're thrilled to welcome crossing guards to Evergreen Elementary, helping our students arrive and head home safely every day! Small Business Spotlight Taste of Persia Not in the mood to cook? We’ve all been there! Luckily, Taste of Persia at 2011 Tully Road has you covered with delicious dishes that hit the spot every time. With juicy kebabs and fluffy saffron rice, this local favorite makes dinner easy and tasty. Whether you’re grabbing a quick takeout meal or sitting down with family and friends, Taste of Persia is a go-to when you want great food without the hassle of cooking. Visit them today! City Hall Update On January 1, 2026, the City of San Jose implemented a new First Responder Fee to help recover rising costs associated with providing critical paramedic-level services. Other cities, like Sacramento and San Francisco , have also enacted fire service first responder fee programs to address sustainability and cost recovery for emergency medical services. Each year, the San Jose Fire Department responds to approximately 68,000 medical services, representing 62% of their total call volume. This fee is designed to help ensure SJFD has the personnel, training, equipment, and resources needed to respond quickly and effectively when our community calls for help. It's important to note that all patients, regardless of health insurance status, will receive emergency medical services from the fire department . Patients are not billed directly for these services. The bill will go to the patient’s health or automobile insurance company, depending on the incident type. If insurance information wasn’t collected at the time of treatment, the patient will receive a statement in the mail from Wittman Enterprises asking to submit their insurance details or indicate that they do not have coverage so the claim can be processed. The San José Fire Department has developed a comprehensive First Responder Fee Program webpage with approximately 20 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), as well as a feedback form to submit questions that have not been addressed. .. The Housing Department will be hosting multiple community meetings to discuss proposed changes to the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance and Mobilehome Rent Ordinance. 1.) Mobilehome Rent Ordinance – In-person Community Meeting Monday, January 12th 6:00 pm- 7:00 pm Leininger Community Center | Okayama Room, 1300 Senter Rd, San Jose, CA 95112 2.) Mobilehome Rent Ordinance – Zoom Community Meeting Thursday, January 15th 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Zoom Link: https://sanjoseca.zoom.us/s/96313897965 .. Inclusionary Housing Ordinance - In-person Community Meeting Wednesday, January 14th 6:00pm - 7:00 pm San José City Hall | Wing Rooms 118-120, 250 E Santa Clara St Activating Our Neighborhoods Building strong neighborhoods starts with you! Joining a neighborhood association not only builds community block by block, but it also brings critical information to the forefront as I draft policy and fight for dollars in the budget. As a councilmember, I rely on the eyes and ears of each resident, and your collective voices take shape in the form of neighborhood groups. Here is a list of active neighborhood associations in District 8: - Welch Park - Between Ocala Ave, King Rd & Tully Rd - Norwood - Between Tully Rd, Ruby Ave, Norwood Ave & S White Rd - Meadowfair - Between East Capitol, Aborn Rd, S King Rd & Rigoletto Dr - Creekside - Between San Felipe Rd & Cadwallader Ave - Brahms/Edgeview - Between Rigoletto Dr, S King Rd, Tully Rd & Quimby Rd - Silver Oak Estates - Silver Oak St, Rachaella Lane & Carmella Ct - Evergreen Leadership - Neighborhoods of Groesbeck, Hidden Glens, Pleasant Hills & Quimby - Thompson Creek - E Capitol Expwy, Aborn Rd, White Rd & Quimby Rd - Brigadoon - E Capitol Expwy, Aborn Rd, Nieman Blvd, Wendover Lane, Baronet Ct, Yerba Buena Road & Silver Creek Rd - District 8 Community Roundtable - District-wide If you would like to get involved in your neighborhood association, or you do not see your neighborhood listed and would like to activate your neighborhood, please reach out to sachin.radhakrishnan@sanjoseca.gov City Services To combat the rise of vehicles with expired registration, the City of San Jose has created a new team under the Department of Transportation that deals solely with citing and towing vehicles with expired registration for at least 1 year. Please be aware that they are currently completing their sweep of the city, citing and towing any vehicles that fit this criterion. To report vehicles with expired registration, please use the 311 app. If you are reporting a general vehicle concern, you can also use the 311 app. For DOT to cite or tow the vehicle, it must be one of these options highlighted and fit the requirements under each of the categories in the image below. DOT will conduct its investigation to determine if it meets the threshold to be cited or towed once you have filed a report. SJPD Non-Emergency 🚔 Report non-emergency police situations, such as noise disturbances, parking complaints, lost and found property and crimes NOT in progress by calling 408-277-8900 . The San José Police Department encourages residents to use their own judgment when determining the nature of their situation. When in doubt, however, SJPD recommends that residents call 9-1-1. TRUST Field Response Hotline ☎️ Support for individuals in Santa Clara County who are emotionally distressed by helping to stabilize them in the community. Call 988 for support with mental health-related distress, substance use situations, or thoughts of suicide. Once you’re in touch with TRUST, their call center can send a field response team to your location as needed. Park Concerns Form 🌳 Help keep our parks beautiful, healthy and safe. If you see any maintenance issues or other problems that are occurring in a San José park, call (408) 793-5510 or email Park.Concerns@sanjoseca.gov to report a concern. San Jose 311 🚦 Download the app and make an account to report issues such as abandoned vehicles, potholes, streetlight outages, graffiti, and illegal fireworks. Reported, but haven't heard back? Reach out to my office via email with the report number and we'll follow up! SJPD Traffic Enforcement Unit 🚨 Do you feel that there is a chronic traffic problem in your neighborhood or school area? Fill out the form to request enforcement during a specific time or day of the week. Keep in mind the City of San Jose only has 13 traffic officers to patrol a city of almost 1 million people! Code Enforcement Division 🏠 The Code Enforcement division works with residents and businesses in addressing issues like unpermitted construction, blight, and overgrown vegetation on private property, including businesses. Submit a service request here . Report an Encampment ⛺️ Once a report is made, the City's outreach teams are dispatched to encampment sites after concerns have been reported or before an abatement. The goal is to provide assistance to homeless individuals who are looking for support services FREE Junk Pickup 🗑 Have junk to get rid of? Don't wait for a Dumpster Day, schedule a curbside pickup appointment! Make sure to review the list of accepted household items before making your appointment. Construction & demolition material is not accepted To learn more about free legal services through the Elevate Community Center, click here! Announcements BeautifySJ Neighborhood Forum Date: Saturday, January 31 Time: 9:00-11:00 a.m. Location: Southside Community Center (5585 Cottle Road) Registration Link: bit.ly/sjforum2026 The morning will begin with a brief, large-group presentation providing context on our parks system, maintenance challenges, and funding opportunities. Participants will then break into small, facilitated roundtable discussions to share priorities and feedback. While we may not be able to solve every issue in one day, your input will directly inform how the City thinks about investing current and new resources to make parks better. We hope you’ll join and be part of the conversation. Cash for College Every student’s goals deserve support. Cash for College workshops offer free guidance to help complete the FAFSA or CADAA and unlock the financial aid students qualify for. Find the nearest workshop and take the next step! ... Las metas de cada estudiante merecen apoyo. Los talleres de Cash for College ofrecen orientación gratuita para completar la FAFSA o la CADAA y acceder a la ayuda financiera correspondiente. Busca el taller más cercano y da el siguiente paso. Become an Advocate Volunteer Working with children in foster care can be tough and demanding, but it's also very impactful. As an Advocate Volunteer, you have the ability to help a foster child overcome the effects of having experienced abuse, neglect and/or abandonment. This can completely alter the life trajectory of a child. SHOW UP for a foster child! Learn how you can make a difference in a foster child's life by attending a virtual volunteer info session . District 8 Website Office of Councilmember Domingo Candelas | 200 E. Santa Clara St. | San José, CA 95113 US | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice