Transportation and Environment Committee Meeting - December 1, 2025

The Transportation and Environment Committee met on December 1, 2025, from 1:30 PM to 4:23 PM, chaired by Councilmember Cohen. The agenda included four major items: a parking enforcement status report, an airport asset preservation and expansion update, a regional transportation activities report (VTA Eastridge to BART connector), and a street sweeping performance status report. The committee heard public testimony on each item and voted to accept all reports.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Jordan Mouldau (District 3) spoke on multiple items. On parking enforcement, he asked for data on the impact of increased fines for bike lane parking, encouraged focusing on repeat business offenders, and criticized the difficulty of using the SJ311 app. He opposed the Olive program, calling it a poor use of funds that erodes trust. On the airport, he expressed concern about reliance on parking revenue and urged better transit connections. On street sweeping, he requested more granular citation data and supported expanding signage.

Discussion Items

Parking Enforcement Status Report

• Staff presented a comprehensive update on DOT's Parking Compliance Unit (PCU). Key statistics for FY 2024-25: 217,000 citations issued (60,000 street sweeping, 50,000 meter, 50,000 no parking/red curb, 40,000 miscellaneous), 3,200 tows, 7,400 proactive abatement investigations, 32,000 311 vehicle reports closed, 34 Olive temporary tow-away zones. Staffing increased from 48.5 to 55.5 FTE, but San Jose operates at 0.31 officers per square mile versus 1.25-7.32 in peer cities.
• New programs: Expired Registration Enforcement (launched July 2025) – in first 12 weeks, 527 tows and 552 citations, with 94% of tows being personal vehicles. Olive Supplemental Enforcement Program (OSEP) launching January 2026 will address lower-priority sites. A pilot temporary tow-away program for two street sweeping locations is planned for Q3/Q4.
• Councilmember Ortiz raised concerns about blighted vehicles in District 5, noting many neighborhoods have 10+ vehicles per week. He expressed frustration with the towing process and optimism about new strategies. Councilmember Campos asked about customer service improvements and the vehicle buyback program used at Columbus Park (69 vehicles purchased). Chair Cohen queried fee collection ($12 million to general fund), proactive patrol cadence (every 14 days), and the difficulty of reporting via SJ311. Vice Mayor Foley asked about fine collection (DMV hold, franchise tax board). The motion to accept the report carried 5-0.

Airport Asset Preservation and Expansion Status Report

• Director of Aviation Mookie Patel and Deputy Director Fai Ali presented. The airport’s master plan includes eventual expansion to 42 gates, but passenger growth has slowed from a budgeted 11.9 million to a projected 10.5 million in FY25, with further softening to 9.9 million. The focus has shifted to asset preservation: $30 million over five years for critical infrastructure (sanitary drainage, boarding bridges, electrical systems). A $1.8 billion Terminal C expansion is deferred until sustained passenger demand reaches ~14 million per year.
• Completed enabling projects: interim six-gate facility (2019, $58M), new ARF fire station, facilities campus, and PD air support hangar. The cargo facility and hotel are postponed. The FAA is replacing the air traffic control tower (construction start 2026).
• Vice Mayor Foley asked about funding (enterprise fund, airline revenue sharing) and the passenger decline. Chair Cohen inquired about international service (ZipAir to Japan), the hotel analysis (would target 4.5-star market, not cannibalizing existing hotels), and the status of parking garage billboards (RFP selection complete, memo coming to council January 2026). The motion to accept carried 5-0.

Regional Transportation Activities (VTA Eastridge to BART Connector)

• VTA staff presented the 2.4-mile light rail extension from Alum Rock to Eastridge. Construction is 50% complete, with major bridge work at Ocala, Cunningham, and Story intersections. The project is on schedule for completion end of 2027, revenue service early 2028. Budget: $652.9 million. Art installations are planned at Eastridge and Story stations.
• Councilmember Ortiz strongly criticized the impact on District 5 small businesses, reporting 40-50% loss of clientele. He noted a $500,000 board referral for business/home support but said it is insufficient and called for more accountability. VTA staff said a plan will be brought to the board in February 2026. The motion to accept carried 5-0.

Street Sweeping Performance Status Report

• DOT and contractor hybrid model: in-house sweeps arterials (46% curb miles), contractor (Green Waste, 15-year contract starting 2020) sweeps residential streets monthly. Route completion ~91% in FY23-24 and FY24-25. 66,000 street sweeping citations in FY24-25; 90% of cited vehicles received 1-2 citations. 72% of citations in equity areas 8-10.
• Barriers: parked cars (greatest impediment), large debris piles, low-hanging tree branches. Enhanced sweeps: 19 completed last year. Cost to add signage for 100 miles: $1 million one-time, $1 million annual ongoing.
• Vice Mayor Foley raised yard waste set-out timing and reported a sweeper speeding (geotab alerts used for in-house fleet; contractor speeds not systematically tracked). Councilmember Campos asked about customer satisfaction data and links to stormwater programs. Councilmember Ortiz said District 5 residents are unsatisfied and questioned contract quality. Chair Cohen suggested breaking signage costs by block for council office budget requests and emphasized that signs alone (without enforcement) could improve compliance. The motion to accept carried 4-0 (one absent).

Key Outcomes

• All four items were accepted by unanimous vote: Parking enforcement report (5-0), Airport report (5-0), VTA regional transportation report (5-0), Street sweeping report (4-0 with one absent).
• No new ordinances or referrals were made, but several directives and requests emerged:
  • DOT will provide data on citation revenue trends and bike lane fine collection rates (Chair Cohen, Vice Mayor Foley).
  • DOT will evaluate adding signage for street sweeping and develop a per-block cost estimate (Chair Cohen).
  • DOT will work with ESD to price yard waste bins for residents (Vice Mayor Foley).
  • VTA will bring a business/home support plan to its board in February 2026 (Councilmember Ortiz).
  • Airport will bring the parking garage billboard RFP selection to council in January 2026 (Chair Cohen).

Open Forum

• Jordan Mouldau expressed support for a clean energy pilot (item 6.2 on council agenda) and cited textile waste at events as an example of needed policy changes.