OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Jose NSE Committee Meeting: BeautifySJ Blight Report & Library Commission Report – August 14, 2025

City Council — Thursday, August 14, 2025
BodySan Jose, California
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, August 14, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 49:32

Transcript — Verbatim
0:10

The committee members and members of the public to please follow our code of conduct at meetings.

0:15

This includes only commenting on the specific agenda item and addressing the entire body.

0:22

Public speakers will not engage in a conversation with the chair, council members, or staff.

0:28

All members of the committee, staff, and the public are expected to refrain from abusive language, failure to comply with the code of conduct, which will disturb, disrupt, or impede the orderly conduct of this meeting, will result in the removal from the meeting.

0:44

This meeting of the neighborhood services and education committee will now come to order.

0:49

Can the clerk please call roll?

0:52

Complos.

0:53

Present.

0:54

Candelas.

0:55

Here.

0:55

Cohen, absent.

0:57

Vice Chair Duan absent.

0:58

Chair Ortiz.

1:00

Present.

1:00

You have a quorum.

1:02

Great.

1:02

Thank you so much.

1:03

And then looking at review work plan doesn't seem we have anything to review, so uh we will go to the consent calendar.

1:11

Uh there's only one item Library and Education Committee Commission annual report and work plan.

1:16

Do we have a motion?

1:17

So move.

1:18

Second.

1:19

All right.

1:19

We have a motion from Councilmember Condelis and seconded from Councilmember Campos and let's vote.

1:25

Public comment.

1:26

Oh, do we need public comment?

1:27

Yeah.

1:29

No public comment.

1:30

All right.

1:32

Let's vote.

1:36

That passes unanimously.

1:38

Great.

1:38

Thank you.

1:39

Now we're going to uh item D, reports to committee.

1:43

Um, for the first item, it's beautify SJ Neighborhood Blight Reduction Status Report with a presentation from Olympia Williams, Paul Pereira, and Hilda Morales.

1:54

Good afternoon, Chair Ortiz and honorable council members.

1:58

I am Olimpia Williams, Deputy Director of the Community Services Division.

2:01

Joining me today are Paul Pereira, interim division manager for Beautify SJ and Hilda Morales, program manager overseeing our neighborhood blight reduction programs.

2:11

We're here to share the progress the beautify SJ team has made this past year in reducing blight, engaging with neighborhoods, and enhancing the beauty and livability of our city.

2:21

From removing graffiti and illegal dumping to partnering with residents and community groups, our work aims to create cleaner, safer, and more welcoming public spaces for all who live, work, and visit San Jose.

2:33

We are proud of what we've accomplished.

2:36

We know there is more to do, though.

2:38

We continue to refine our service delivery model, strengthen partnerships, and seek innovative approaches to keep San Jose's public spaces vibrant and free of blight.

2:47

With that, I turn the presentation over to Paul to walk you through this year's results and our vision for the future.

2:54

Thank you, Olympia.

2:56

Good afternoon.

2:57

Beautify San Jose uses a three Ease model to address blight and illegal dumping.

3:02

These three E's, education, eradication, and enforcement, serve as a holistic and effective way of addressing these complex issues.

3:10

Some of our 24-25 highlights are noted on the slide being presented.

3:14

After several years of focusing on eradication, we have shifted and placed a renewed emphasis on education and enforcement.

3:23

Some highlights to the education component of our three E's approach include the launch of an environmental stewardship strategy.

3:30

This program is at three schools in Council District 7, 3, and 8.

3:35

This program engaged over 970 youth at these three schools and provided more than 1,100 hours of volunteer service by the youth and their families.

3:44

This element of education proves to be a positive multiplier because we can educate our youth and then enroll them in volunteer service that almost always brings out an additional volunteer in the form of a parent, sibling, or caregiver.

3:57

Part of our education strategy also involves marketing and outreach.

4:01

Beautify San Jose launched a multilingual ad campaign to raise awareness and promote community engagement in bus shelter and on bus ads for 12 weeks.

4:10

A digital ad is currently running at Eastridge Mall that you see on the slide here.

4:14

Hilda will now speak to the eradication component of our strategy.

4:18

Thank you, Paul.

4:19

Good afternoon, everyone.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████████████████████████████48%
Public Safety███████████████16%
Illegal Dumping██████████11%
Community Engagement█████████10%
Procedural█████5%
Recycling Economy█████5%
Youth Services█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

San Jose NSE Committee Meeting: BeautifySJ Blight Report & Library Commission Report – August 14, 2025

The Neighborhood Services and Education Committee (NSE) of the City of San José met on August 14, 2025, at 1:30 PM. The committee unanimously approved the Library and Education Commission's annual report and work plan for FY 2024-2025 and FY 2025-2026. The main discussion focused on the BeautifySJ Neighborhood Blight Reduction status report, including presentations from staff on graffiti removal, illegal dumping, dumpster days, education, enforcement, and community engagement.

Consent Calendar

  • Library and Education Commission Annual Report and Work Plan (CC 25-1111): The committee accepted the annual report on the commission's accomplishments for FY 2024-2025 and work plan for FY 2025-2026, complying with the City Municipal Code. The motion passed unanimously with no public comment. (Councilmember Candelas motioned; Councilmember Campos seconded.)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during the meeting. No written public comments were noted in the record.

Discussion Items

  • BeautifySJ Neighborhood Blight Reduction Status Report (CC 25-1121): Staff presented the report, led by Olympia Williams (Deputy Director, Community Services Division), Paul Pereira (Interim Division Manager, BeautifySJ), and Hilda Morales (Program Manager). The presentation covered the city's "three E's" model: Education, Eradication, and Enforcement.

Education Highlights

  • The environmental stewardship program engaged 970+ youth at three schools (in Council Districts 7, 3, and 8), providing 1,100+ hours of volunteer service.
  • A multilingual ad campaign ran for 12 weeks on bus shelters and buses; a digital ad currently runs at Eastridge Mall.
  • School presentations declined from 74 to 47 due to challenges obtaining MOUs with certain school districts. Staff plan to establish new MOUs to re-engage schools.

Eradication Highlights

  • Graffiti removal totaled 2.5 million square feet, a 14.73% decrease from the previous fiscal year. (Staff and Committee noted this was the first decrease in 10 years.)
  • 29% of reported graffiti was on private property, a significant increase from 6% last year.
  • The Rapid (removing and preventing illegal dumping) team collected 10.5 million of the 14 million pounds collected. The team's response time averages three business days, exceeding the five-business-day goal.
  • Volunteers contributed over $714,000 worth of volunteer time in the neighborhood litter program.
  • The Dumpster Day program hosted 155 events, collecting almost 3 million pounds of waste. Staff plan to pilot fixed-location dumpster days.

Enforcement Highlights

  • A blight enforcement working group (including Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, Code Enforcement, City Attorney's Office, SJPD, District Attorney's Office, and CHP) is developing a recommendation to update a municipal ordinance to allow impoundment of vehicles used in illegal dumping.
  • 12 surveillance cameras are deployed in high-volume illegal dumping hotspots. Connectivity issues, vandalism, and limited range have complicated maintenance, but illegal dumping decreased an average of 32% in areas with cameras.
  • SJPD arrested three prolific taggers in FY 2024-2025.
  • A new full-time position was created to review camera footage and refer cases to code enforcement. Citations require video evidence of both the act and a clearly identifiable violator (e.g., license plate).
  • Physical deterrents (gate-cleaning, landscaping, fencing, boulders, signage) were installed in high-rate areas.

Committee Member Questions and Comments

  • Councilmember Candelas: Praised the education component and asked about using $250,000 in one-time budget enhancements for FY 25-26. Staff responded they are exploring additional cameras, partnering with SJPD on automatic license plate readers, fixed-site dumpster days, and possibly a retiree rehire focused on illegal dumping and graffiti. He also asked about graffiti on private property; staff noted they provide free paint and courtesy abatements for hate speech and gang graffiti, and are working with code enforcement to educate property owners.
  • Vice Chair Doan: Noted District 7 constituents feel the district is getting cleaner. He asked about helping to facilitate MOUs with East Side Union High School District and the school district to allow school presentations. He also asked about graffiti on Caltrans and Union Pacific Railroad property (e.g., the trestle near Mabury Road). Staff explained freeway graffiti removal is complex (requires lane closures, CHP involvement) and a major cleanup is planned for early 2026 ahead of the Super Bowl. On the BeautifySJ grant program, staff reported 77 awards in FY 24-25 and 88 planned for FY 25-26, with increasing demand. He also expressed concern about a dumpster day worker safety issue (no lift gate on a truck); staff responded that lift gates are being added to vehicles.
  • Councilmember Campos: Asked about average response times across jurisdictions (Caltrans, Valley Water, etc.). Staff noted a monthly interagency coordination call and a strong fee-for-service partnership with Santa Clara County. She asked about trends in illegally dumped items; staff stated 8,000+ mattresses are collected annually, along with household items, furniture, and construction debris. She highlighted the importance of a circular/recycling economy and suggested community ambassador programs. Staff agreed that education efforts need to expand to reach housed residents who often dump bulky items.
  • Chair Ortiz: Queried how to strengthen engagement with schools. Staff identified the MOU barrier and noted any additional funding would help expand the environmental stewardship program. Chair Ortiz also asked about the warning notice program for illegal dumping; staff committed to providing data on warning notices. He asked about the use of the California Healthy Places Index to prioritize resources; staff gave an example in District 5 along Story Road where proactive pickups and vendor services are being focused. He also asked about holding apartment property owners accountable; staff are working with code enforcement to educate owners and with Environmental Services to assess dumpster needs at multifamily units.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Accept Staff Recommendations (BeautifySJ Report): Councilmember Candelas moved to accept the staff recommendations (a) accept the status report on the BeautifySJ plan and results, and (b) cross-reference this report to the August 26, 2025 City Council meeting. Councilmember Campos seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
  • Referrals and Next Steps:
    • The BeautifySJ report and recommendations will be forwarded to the August 26, 2025 City Council meeting.
    • Staff will follow up on the number of warning notices sent since 2024.
    • The committee will work with the School/City Collaborative, the Youth Alliance, and the Children and Youth Services Master Plan to help facilitate MOUs with school districts for expanded education programs.
    • Staff will explore additional funding for the BeautifySJ grant program to meet increasing demand from neighborhood associations.
    • The committee expressed general support for exploring community ambassador programs and expanding the use of the circular economy to reduce blight.

Meeting Transcript

The committee members and members of the public to please follow our code of conduct at meetings. This includes only commenting on the specific agenda item and addressing the entire body. Public speakers will not engage in a conversation with the chair, council members, or staff. All members of the committee, staff, and the public are expected to refrain from abusive language, failure to comply with the code of conduct, which will disturb, disrupt, or impede the orderly conduct of this meeting, will result in the removal from the meeting. This meeting of the neighborhood services and education committee will now come to order. Can the clerk please call roll? Complos. Present. Candelas. Here. Cohen, absent. Vice Chair Duan absent. Chair Ortiz. Present. You have a quorum. Great. Thank you so much. And then looking at review work plan doesn't seem we have anything to review, so uh we will go to the consent calendar. Uh there's only one item Library and Education Committee Commission annual report and work plan. Do we have a motion? So move. Second. All right. We have a motion from Councilmember Condelis and seconded from Councilmember Campos and let's vote. Public comment. Oh, do we need public comment? Yeah. No public comment. All right. Let's vote. That passes unanimously. Great. Thank you. Now we're going to uh item D, reports to committee. Um, for the first item, it's beautify SJ Neighborhood Blight Reduction Status Report with a presentation from Olympia Williams, Paul Pereira, and Hilda Morales. Good afternoon, Chair Ortiz and honorable council members. I am Olimpia Williams, Deputy Director of the Community Services Division. Joining me today are Paul Pereira, interim division manager for Beautify SJ and Hilda Morales, program manager overseeing our neighborhood blight reduction programs. We're here to share the progress the beautify SJ team has made this past year in reducing blight, engaging with neighborhoods, and enhancing the beauty and livability of our city. From removing graffiti and illegal dumping to partnering with residents and community groups, our work aims to create cleaner, safer, and more welcoming public spaces for all who live, work, and visit San Jose. We are proud of what we've accomplished. We know there is more to do, though. We continue to refine our service delivery model, strengthen partnerships, and seek innovative approaches to keep San Jose's public spaces vibrant and free of blight. With that, I turn the presentation over to Paul to walk you through this year's results and our vision for the future. Thank you, Olympia. Good afternoon. Beautify San Jose uses a three Ease model to address blight and illegal dumping. These three E's, education, eradication, and enforcement, serve as a holistic and effective way of addressing these complex issues. Some of our 24-25 highlights are noted on the slide being presented. After several years of focusing on eradication, we have shifted and placed a renewed emphasis on education and enforcement.

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