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Record of Proceedings

Joint Meeting of San Jose City Council and Santa Clara Valley Water District on August 19, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, August 19, 2025
BodySan Jose, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, August 19, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:26:48

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:10

Good afternoon once again.

0:12

It's my pleasure to call to order this special joint meeting between the city of San Jose and Santa Clara Valley Water District for the afternoon of August 19th.

0:22

Tony, would you please call the role on the city council side?

0:25

Come here.

0:26

Campos?

0:27

Tortillos?

0:28

Here.

0:28

Cohen?

0:29

Here.

0:29

Ortiz.

0:30

Present.

0:30

Okay.

0:31

Here.

0:33

Kendallas.

0:34

Here.

0:34

Casey?

0:35

Here.

0:36

Foley.

0:36

Here.

0:36

Mayhem.

0:37

Here.

0:38

You have a quorum.

0:38

Thank you so much.

0:39

And I'll turn things over to Cheris Tremera to do the same.

0:42

Thank you, Mayor.

0:43

Madam Clerk, please call the role.

0:45

Director Ballard.

0:46

Director Bell.

0:48

Director Eisenberg.

0:49

Director Shua here.

0:51

Vice Chair Santos.

0:53

Director Varela.

0:55

Chair Estramera.

0:56

Aye.

0:56

You have a quorum.

0:58

Thank you.

0:59

Great.

0:59

Thank you.

1:00

All right.

1:00

We will now do the Pledge of Allegiance if you would stand and join us in that.

1:04

If you're able, thank you.

1:08

Aye.

1:14

And to the Republic, which is stands.

1:17

One nation.

1:18

Under God.

1:21

Liberty and Justice Raw.

1:28

Thank you.

1:30

Under orders of the day, I just wanted to note uh two things, and I'll I'll make sure Chair Estremera is on board with both of these.

1:37

Uh first, we are going to have uh given the size of our joint meeting here, we'll give each elected a five-minute opportunity on rotation just so we can hear from everyone.

1:48

If anyone really needs more time, we can come back around and offer an additional five minutes.

1:52

But on each item, we're gonna try to limit uh ask folks to be concise because there are a lot of us and we want to be able to hear from everyone.

2:00

Uh for speaking time for public comment, I I would suggest one minute, and then I would also like to note that uh we had a discrepancy in ordering the agenda items.

2:11

We will go with the Valley Water Ordering, which has item 6.2, status report on Purified Water heard before item 6.1 status report on Anderson Dam seismic retrofit.

2:24

Uh that was how it was originally printed on the Valley Water Agenda, and then we will move open forum to the end of the meeting instead of having it heard before our agendized items.

2:34

Chair Estramero, if that's okay with you, that'll be our plan.

2:39

I don't think any of those items require a vote.

2:42

Any other questions or comments on the printed agenda, orders of the day?

2:47

Okay, not seeing any.

2:49

Excellent.

2:50

Well, I'll just say by way of brief um welcome and introduction.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Climate and Environment█████████████████████21%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████21%
Miscellaneous████████████████████20%
Procedural████████████12%
Technology and Innovation█████████9%
Community Engagement██████6%
Homelessness██████6%
Land Use██2%
Municipal Finance██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Joint Meeting on Water Infrastructure and Safety

The joint meeting between the San Jose City Council and Santa Clara Valley Water District on August 19, 2025, focused on updates and discussions regarding key water infrastructure projects, including the Direct Potable Reuse Project, Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit, Coyote Creek Flood Protection, and the Safe Clean Water Program. Collaborative efforts and public outreach were emphasized throughout the meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Item 6.2: Status Report on Purified Water (Direct Potable Reuse Project)

    • Staff presented progress on the Direct Potable Reuse Project, including a timeline with a demonstration facility by 2028 and full-scale operations by 2035. The project aims to provide a drought-proof water supply.
    • Councilmembers and directors expressed support. Councilmember Kamei thanked staff for years of work, Councilmember Campos highlighted the importance of reducing reliance on imported water, and Councilmember Casey inquired about speeding up the process.
    • Discussions included collaboration with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), regulatory hurdles, and public education efforts, particularly targeting older adults.

  • Item 6.1: Status Report on Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit, Coyote Creek Flood Protection, and Encampment Cleanup

    • Staff provided updates on the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project, with the tunnel construction nearing completion and dam reconstruction scheduled from 2027 to 2033. The Coyote Creek Flood Protection Project phase one is complete, enabling stage one diversion flows.
    • Encampment cleanups along the creeks were discussed, with coordination between city and water district staff. Over 200 individuals were provided outreach, and 120 accepted housing solutions. No-encampment zones have been established to prevent re-encampment.
    • Councilmember Condelas raised concerns about encampment relocation to adjacent areas and emphasized continued collaboration. Director Ballard discussed the water district's role in addressing housing issues.

  • Item 6.3: Status Report on Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program

    • Staff overviewed the Safe, Clean Water Program, including its structure, change control processes, and funding prioritization. Proposed improvements aim to increase transparency and stakeholder engagement.
    • Mayor and councilmembers expressed concerns about project delays, such as the Upper Guadalupe Flood Protection Project, which is dependent on Army Corps of Engineers timelines. They stressed the need for city involvement in funding changes and honoring voter-designated projects.
    • Director Eisenberg argued that voter will should be prioritized, opposing the reshuffling of funds without adequate public input.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to accept the status report on Item 6.2 passed unanimously on both the city council and water board sides.
  • Motion to accept the status report on Item 6.1 passed unanimously on both sides.
  • Motion to accept the status report on Item 6.3 passed unanimously on both sides.
  • Directives included continued support for collaborative projects, enhanced coordination on encampment cleanups and housing solutions, and implementation of improved change control processes for funding reallocations.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon once again. It's my pleasure to call to order this special joint meeting between the city of San Jose and Santa Clara Valley Water District for the afternoon of August 19th. Tony, would you please call the role on the city council side? Come here. Campos? Tortillos? Here. Cohen? Here. Ortiz. Present. Okay. Here. Kendallas. Here. Casey? Here. Foley. Here. Mayhem. Here. You have a quorum. Thank you so much. And I'll turn things over to Cheris Tremera to do the same. Thank you, Mayor. Madam Clerk, please call the role. Director Ballard. Director Bell. Director Eisenberg. Director Shua here. Vice Chair Santos. Director Varela. Chair Estramera. Aye. You have a quorum. Thank you. Great. Thank you. All right. We will now do the Pledge of Allegiance if you would stand and join us in that. If you're able, thank you. Aye. And to the Republic, which is stands. One nation. Under God. Liberty and Justice Raw. Thank you. Under orders of the day, I just wanted to note uh two things, and I'll I'll make sure Chair Estremera is on board with both of these. Uh first, we are going to have uh given the size of our joint meeting here, we'll give each elected a five-minute opportunity on rotation just so we can hear from everyone. If anyone really needs more time, we can come back around and offer an additional five minutes.

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