OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Jose City Council Meeting Summary - November 18, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, November 18, 2025
BodySan Jose, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, November 18, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:50:25
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

All right, good afternoon.

0:12

I'm going to apologize in advance for my voice, which is pretty shot here.

0:16

If it gets bad enough, I'll ask the vice mayor to take over.

0:19

But we will.

0:20

Oh, I'm also going to share that we are joined by our new city attorney, Suzanne Alcala-Wood,

0:25

if you'd join me in welcoming her.

0:30

Susanna comes to us from a very extensive career in public service.

0:36

Municipal law has served in city attorney's offices in a number of cities, most recently

0:43

as the city attorney of the city of Sacramento.

0:45

We're very lucky to have her on the team, now leading our city attorney's office.

0:49

I know she's going to do a fantastic job and is already settling in.

0:53

I think it's now actually week two on the job.

0:55

So welcome to the city.

0:56

We're excited to work with you, Susanna.

0:58

Okay, Tony, would you please call the roll?

1:00

Kamei?

1:01

Here.

1:02

Campos?

1:03

Here.

1:04

Tordios?

1:05

Here.

1:06

Coen?

1:07

Here.

1:08

Mulcahy?

1:09

Here.

1:10

Duan?

1:11

Here.

1:12

Candelas?

1:13

Here.

1:14

Casey?

1:15

Here.

1:16

Foley?

1:17

Here.

1:18

Mahan?

1:19

Here.

1:20

You have a quorum.

1:21

Great.

1:22

Thank you so much.

1:23

Now, if you're able, stand and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:27

and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

1:38

Thank you.

1:40

Today's invocation will be provided by Reverend Steve Pinkston,

1:45

who I know is Mr. Pinkston from our days at Bellarmine College Prep together,

1:51

of New Beginnings Community Church.

1:53

And Council Member Casey will tell us more.

1:56

Thank you, Mayor.

1:57

Just some brief preparatory remarks before I read his bio.

2:02

Mr. Pinkston and I are connected all the way back to 1986 when I was a freshman at Bellarmine.

2:08

And I can tell you more than a few times, figuratively, Mr. Pinkston had to grab me by the ear and set me straight.

2:15

And I appreciate him. Our motto at Bellarmine is to be a man for and with others.

2:21

And I can think of no one in my 53 years on this planet that embodies that motto more than Mr. Pinkston.

2:28

His impact as a mentor and a father figure to thousands of folks, I mean, it's unprecedented and much appreciated.

2:36

And you will be hard-pressed to find anyone that's walking this planet that has a negative word or bad word to say about Mr. Pinkston.

2:43

And with that, I'll read some of this information here on this background.

2:46

Reverend Pinkston has been a high school teacher in biology, math, social science, and religious

2:53

studies for over four decades, famously teaching at Bellarmine College Reparatory School from

2:58

1980 to 2020.

3:00

He was also their Christian service director and moderated the Black Student Union and

3:04

Agape Service Club.

3:06

Reverend Pinkston was ordained in 1984 at Antioch Baptist Church, where his father was

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development██████████████████████████████████34%
Community Engagement███████████████████19%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████11%
Public Safety██████████10%
Climate and Environment███████7%
Procedural█████5%
Transportation Safety█████5%
Homelessness████4%
Parks and Recreation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

San Jose City Council Meeting Summary - November 18, 2025

The San Jose City Council met on November 18, 2025, to discuss a wide range of items including ceremonial proclamations, consent calendar approvals, the police department's military equipment annual report, the Climate Smart San Jose zero waste element, easements for Microsoft at the Regional Wastewater Facility, the selection of a developer for 159 acres at the wastewater facility, and preparations for major sporting events in 2026. Public comments were heard on several items, and all votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent calendar was approved, including a resolution authorizing new operators and grant agreements for the motel program (Item 2.17). The Mayor noted variability in per-bed costs across operators, ranging from under $10,000 to over $19,000, and asked about plans to standardize food, security, and property management services. Housing Director Eric Silleywan outlined completed and upcoming RFPs expected to generate savings, with security changes beginning in January, food in February, and property management by March.
  • Item 2.24 (appointments to the Federated Retirement Board and Civil Service Commission) was approved with noted supplemental election results: Brian Chee for the Federated Retirement Board and Gary DeQuisto for the Civil Service Commission.
  • Land use consent items 10.1A and 10.1B were approved together.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • On consent calendar item 2.16, a speaker described her brother's medical condition and homelessness after an encampment abatement, stating he lost his trailer due to towing and that the city has no shelter or safe parking available.
  • On the military equipment item (4.1), a speaker opposed the purchase of robotic dogs and pepper bullets, arguing the funds should be used for social services, and recounted being injured by a less-lethal munition during a protest.
  • On the zero waste element (6.1), a speaker (Jordan Muldow, District 3) supported the plan, emphasized waste reduction and repair, and urged the city to reduce promotional swag.
  • On items 8.1 and 8.2 (Microsoft easements and developer selection), multiple speakers appeared:
    • Alina raised concerns about cumulative impacts, lack of community engagement, water and energy sustainability, and questioned Prologis' experience with hyperscale data centers.
    • Jack McGovern (South Bay Labor Council) supported the project and urged strong union construction jobs and local hiring.
    • Will Smith (IBEW Local 332) supported Prologis, citing their partnership with labor.
    • Danny Mangan (Sprinkler Fitters Local 483) supported the project and highlighted apprenticeship programs.
    • Doug Block (Silicon Valley MEPS) noted Prologis' history of project labor agreements and supported the memo on labor standards.
    • Huascar Castro (Working Partnerships) supported the Cohen memo and called for community benefits.
    • Oscar Masariegos (Carpenters Union) requested inclusion of the NorCal Carpenters in negotiations.
    • Kenneth Doe (NorCal Carpenters) urged Prologis to commit to labor standards.
    • Dashiell Leeds (Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter) opposed the project, citing contradiction with the 2013 plant master plan, habitat destruction, and risks of sea level rise.
    • Linda Hutchins-Knowles (Mothers Out Front Silicon Valley) opposed, calling it a risk to climate resilience and a burden on the Alviso community.

Discussion Items

  • Item 3.1 – City Manager Report on Holiday Shopping: The Office of Economic Development is promoting local shopping through the Shop San Jose campaign, highlighting over 300 small businesses in 13 business districts, with Small Business Saturday on November 29.
  • Item 4.1 – Military Equipment Annual Report: Captain Randy Torres presented the report covering 189 events in 2024 with 246 deployments, and 671 drone flights (505 for police activity). Zero complaints or violations were reported. The department requested approval to purchase additional drones, bomb robots, and a chemical agent deployment system for FY2025-26. The chief noted the equipment is for safety of officers and the community. The report and purchase authorization were approved unanimously.
  • Item 6.1 – Climate Smart San Jose Zero Waste Element: Staff presented the element, which aims for 90% diversion from landfill by 2030. San Jose's current diversion rate is 62%. Strategies include waste prevention, repair, reuse, and expanded composting. Community feedback was incorporated. Councilmembers discussed textile waste, school partnerships, public trash receptacles, enforcement of bans on disposable plastics, and the compost hub pilot. The element was accepted and directed to be incorporated into the Climate Smart San Jose plan.
  • Item 8.1 – Master Easements and Site Works Agreement with Microsoft: The item authorizes easements on Regional Wastewater Facility land for Microsoft’s data center, generating $9.27 million. Councilmember Cohen noted the revenue benefit to the wastewater plant. The motion passed unanimously, with Vice Mayor Foley recused due to stock ownership.
  • Item 8.2 – Developer Selection for 159 Acres at the Regional Wastewater Facility: Staff recommended selecting Prologis as the preferred developer and Catalyst DEC as the backup. The site, with 250 megawatts of power from PG&E, is envisioned for data centers and advanced manufacturing. Prologis representative Ali Herandi highlighted the company's local roots and commitment to union labor and sustainability. Councilmembers discussed environmental concerns (water, energy, burrowing owl habitat), labor standards, and tax benefits (estimated $30 million annually at full build-out). Three memos were offered: a group memo on environmental safeguards, a memo from Councilmember Cohen on labor and community benefits, and a joint memo from Councilmember Cohen and others on workforce agreements. The motion passed unanimously to accept staff recommendations and the memos, with direction to negotiate an exclusive negotiating agreement.
  • Item 8.3 – 2026 Major Events Status Report (SJ26): Staff provided updates on branding, wayfinding, small business outreach, art installations, and public safety planning for Super Bowl, NCAA March Madness, and FIFA World Cup events. Councilmembers asked about equity across districts, safety for immigrant communities, human trafficking prevention, and funding for neighborhood activations. A joint memo from Councilmembers Kamei and Ortiz was approved, emphasizing safety, transparency, and local business support. The report was accepted.

Key Outcomes

  • All votes were unanimous.
  • Consent calendar (including motel program contracts and appointments) approved.
  • Police military equipment annual report accepted and purchase authorization approved.
  • Zero waste element accepted and incorporated into Climate Smart San Jose.
  • Microsoft easement agreement approved.
  • Prologis selected as developer for the Regional Wastewater Facility land; city manager authorized to negotiate exclusive negotiating agreement.
  • SJ26 status report accepted and memo approved.
  • The meeting was adjourned in memory of Rudolph “Rudy” Tenes.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good afternoon. I'm going to apologize in advance for my voice, which is pretty shot here. If it gets bad enough, I'll ask the vice mayor to take over. But we will. Oh, I'm also going to share that we are joined by our new city attorney, Suzanne Alcala-Wood, if you'd join me in welcoming her. Susanna comes to us from a very extensive career in public service. Municipal law has served in city attorney's offices in a number of cities, most recently as the city attorney of the city of Sacramento. We're very lucky to have her on the team, now leading our city attorney's office. I know she's going to do a fantastic job and is already settling in. I think it's now actually week two on the job. So welcome to the city. We're excited to work with you, Susanna. Okay, Tony, would you please call the roll? Kamei? Here. Campos? Here. Tordios? Here. Coen? Here. Mulcahy? Here. Duan? Here. Candelas? Here. Casey? Here. Foley? Here. Mahan? Here. You have a quorum. Great. Thank you so much. Now, if you're able, stand and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Today's invocation will be provided by Reverend Steve Pinkston, who I know is Mr. Pinkston from our days at Bellarmine College Prep together, of New Beginnings Community Church. And Council Member Casey will tell us more. Thank you, Mayor. Just some brief preparatory remarks before I read his bio. Mr. Pinkston and I are connected all the way back to 1986 when I was a freshman at Bellarmine. And I can tell you more than a few times, figuratively, Mr. Pinkston had to grab me by the ear and set me straight. And I appreciate him. Our motto at Bellarmine is to be a man for and with others.

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