San Jose Neighborhood Services and Education Committee Meeting – December 11, 2025

On December 11, 2025, the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee (NSE) met to discuss five major agenda items, including updates on unsheltered homelessness, neighborhood cleanup, parks funding, park fees, and animal care services. The meeting featured extensive public testimony, particularly on animal shelter operations.

Consent Calendar

• The committee pulled item 1 (Senior Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission annual reports and work plans) for a brief discussion. Staff confirmed the work plan was approved by a 9-1 vote after three meetings. The consent calendar was then adopted unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Christian Greco (Winchester Orchard Neighborhood Association) showed photos of illegal dumping at Cypress Community Center and urged a city partnership to address the issue using innovative methods. He referenced city policy 0-40.
• 17 speakers addressed animal care and services, including:
  • Mike Wagner criticized the calculation of the live release rate, alleging TNR cats were counted as return-to-field to inflate numbers.
  • Fatima, a foster volunteer, cited mismanagement and asked the committee to listen to first-hand reports.
  • Kathy (volunteer) requested soundproofing, secure dog walking access, and private volunteer entrances.
  • Ann DeShane noted a lost pet reporting gap and criticized a spay surgery death (cat Betty).
  • Rebecca Davis Matthews demanded a community action committee and financial audit of donations.
  • Anna reported ethics violations by an ACO and lack of disciplinary action.
  • Courtney, former staff, described a dog (Lola) left unattended with IV lines and leash, leading to its death, and blamed systemic failures.
  • Dinah and others advocated for prevention-focused strategies, reopening the TNR request list, and low-cost spay/neuter.
  • Elena Gaffney asked for a public commission and criticized opaque decision-making.
• Open Forum: Courtney discussed a whistleblower report lack of follow-up. Elena urged adoption of ordinances on illegal breeding and mandatory microchipping. Kristina requested stronger breeding laws.

Discussion Items

1. Reducing Unsheltered Homelessness – Focus Area Status Report

• Staff (Lee Wilcox, Eric Sullivan, John Cicerelli) presented an update on the council focus area. Key points:
  • Currently 2,150 shelter beds across 22 sites; last site (Cerrone) coming online early 2026.
  • Aim to achieve functional zero by optimizing shelter operations, sustainable funding (CalAIM), and data forecasting.
  • 125 re-encampments occurred in the first three months of the fiscal year, with two-thirds in the first 30 days.
  • Cost reduction efforts include RFP for security ($1.3M savings) and food ($1M projected).
• Councilmember Campos questioned prevention, 20% cost reduction target (not on track), McKinney‑Vento data integration, and site performance variations.
• Councilmember Candelas asked about the status of cost reductions and impact of encampment movement on neighborhoods. He urged coordinating with the county on prevention.
• Vice Chair Dwan expressed concern about HMIS data integration and CalAIM revenue sustainability. Staff acknowledged system complexity and need for county collaboration.
• Chair Ortiz noted the need for sustainable funding and thanked staff.
• The committee voted unanimously to accept the report.

2. Cleaning Up Our Neighborhoods – Focus Area Status Report

• Staff (Angel Rios, Rachel Roberts, John Cicerelli, Deputy Chief Sanchez, Valerie Osmond) reported:
  • 48% of residents rated their neighborhood as clean/very clean (up from 33% in Q1 2024).
  • Code enforcement cases increased; a new Chronic Offender Resolution and Enforcement (CORE) pilot begins January 2026.
  • Graffiti enforcement: 2 officers assigned to gang graffiti resulted in 33 arrests; graffiti removals declined for the first time.
  • Illegal dumping: Over 5,000 tons collected in FY24-25. Coordinated strategy with cameras yielded 73 referrals, 18 warnings, 17 citations.
  • Community education reached 2,800 youth; junk pickup participation up 66%.
• Councilmember Campos highlighted multifamily outreach and jurisdictional challenges with Caltrans/Union Pacific.
• Councilmember Candelas emphasized education and enforcement; noted a 66% increase in junk pickup.
• Vice Chair Dwan suggested using savings from enforcement to fund more code enforcement.
• Chair Ortiz praised the CORE pilot and asked about pilot selection criteria and scalability.
• The committee voted unanimously to accept the report.

3. Parks and Recreation Master Plan and Community Impact Report

• Staff (John Cicerelli, Amanda Rodriguez) updated on park maintenance funding:
  • San Jose ranks last among 15 largest California cities in park maintenance spending ($37/resident).
  • Polling showed 75% of voters support more funding; 54% support a two‑cent parcel tax concept; 21% undecided.
  • Exploring a sugar‑sweetened beverage tax (SSB) estimated to raise $27M/year.
  • Master plan to redistribute park fees equitably (District 6 generated $55M, District 3 $88M, others $1-7M over 10 years).
• Councilmember Candelas praised volunteer hours (130,000 hours worth $5.2M) and raised concerns about regressive taxes. He asked staff to consider corporate taxes.
• Vice Chair Dwan supported equity and urged proactive corporate partnerships.
• Councilmember Cohen asked about the parcel tax polling (average lot 6,000 sq ft: 1¢ = $60/year). He supported leveraging undecided voters.
• Chair Ortiz emphasized disparities (District 5 generated only $1.9M) and expressed excitement for equitable master plan.
• The committee voted unanimously to accept the report.

4. Park Impact Ordinance and Parkland Dedication Ordinance – Annual Report

• Raymond Costantino presented the five‑year CIP ($423M for 180 projects). FY24-25 park fees collected $9.8M (including interest). CNC tax revenue was $39M (down from $64.5M in 2021).
• Chair Ortiz asked about deferring impact fees. Staff responded that they currently defer on a case‑by‑case basis but warned of delays in building parks.
• The committee voted unanimously to accept the report.

5. Animal Care and Services Annual Report

• Staff (Matt Lesh, Kiska Icard, Dr. Cather, new Deputy Director Monica Wiley) reported:
  • 4,600 animals adopted, 3,000 fostered, 1,141 strays reunited. 43% dog redemption rate.
  • Live release rate: 89% overall (95% dogs, 86% cats, 94% small animals).
  • Average daily animal count dropped from 822 to 408 over the past year due to capacity management.
  • TNR surgeries: 6,990 last year; now offering owned‑pet spay/neuter (dogs Wednesdays, cats Thursdays).
  • Audit: 24 of 36 recommendations submitted; target to submit all by Dec. 31, 2025; next audit report March 2026.
  • Staff described euthanasia criteria and tools (FAS scale, behavior assessments) and confirmed they do not euthanize for space.
• Councilmember Campos asked about funding allocation ($17.5M annual budget), audit timeline, and community engagement. Monica Wiley noted top priorities: training, protocols, community collaboration.
• Councilmember Candelas asked about the community action committee; Matt Lesh clarified it evolved into focus groups for specific audit recommendations. He also asked about TNR capacity; staff explained current three days of TNR plus owned cat/dog days and noted they do more TNR than comparable shelters.
• Councilmember Cohen asked about contract reimbursement from other cities (Milpitas contract renewal in spring 2026) and welcomed Monica Wiley.
• Vice Chair Dwan urged focusing on progress and allowing new director time. He emphasized mental health challenges for staff.
• Chair Ortiz asked about dogs placed on “final,” staff described criteria and collaborative decision-making. He also asked about resource‑based euthanasia; staff confirmed no space‑based euthanasia. He raised backlog in TNR list and asked about reopening. Staff noted capacity management and dedicated staff for communication.
• Chair Ortiz requested a supplemental direction for a financial breakdown in the next annual report; staff agreed.
• The committee accepted the report unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• All five agenda items were accepted unanimously by the committee.
• Staff directed to include a detailed financial breakdown in the next Animal Care annual report to clarify resource allocation.
• Staff to continue developing a community engagement framework for the animal shelter, as requested by the chair.
• The next audit update on animal services will be presented to the full City Council in March 2026.
• The committee will receive a status report on the CORE pilot for code enforcement at the April 2026 NSE meeting.