Joint Meeting for the Rules and Open Government Committee and Committee of the Whole
TL;DR
This joint committee meeting reviewed agendas for upcoming City Council meetings and approved several consent items including a Lick Observatory anniversary event and District 4 Stars Gala. The committee also directed the City Manager to work on expanding children's services to new neighborhoods, developing a marketing strategy to attract businesses to employment lands, streamlining housing approvals under Assembly Bill 130, and exploring factory-built modular housing construction methods.
Key Decisions
- Lick Observatory 150th Anniversary Celebration Approved for April 28 Council vote
- District 4 Stars Gala (retroactive approval) Approved for April 28 Council vote
- Priority Neighborhoods Expansion for Children and Youth Services Directed to Manager for cost estimate and implementation plan
- Employment Lands Marketing Strategy Directed to Manager to develop targeted strategy, return by Q3 2026-2027
- Modular Factory-Built Housing Exploration Directed to Manager to analyze opportunities and provide recommendations
Agenda
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- 1) Cable Channel 26, 2) https://www.sanjoseca.gov/news-stories/watch-a-meeting, or 3) https://www.youtube.com/CityofSanJoseCalifornia 4) By phone 888 475 4499. Webinar ID: 941 1478 1397. Alternative phone numbers are: US: +1 (213) 338-8477 or +1 (408) 638-0968 or (877) 853-5257 (Toll Free) 5) By online https://sanjoseca.zoom.us/j/94114781397 Use a current, up-to-date browser: Chrome 30+, Firefox 27+, Microsoft Edge 12+, Safari 16+. Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer.
- How to submit written Public Comment for items on the agenda:
- 1) By email to city.clerk@sanjoseca.gov by 8:00 a.m. the day of the meeting.
- How to provide spoken Public Comment during the Committee Meeting:
- Fill out a Yellow Speaker's Card and submit it to boxes at the bottom of the Chambers.
- City Council (City Clerk)
- Review Final Agenda
- ROGC 26-167 Review April 28, 2026 Final Agenda. a. Add New Items to Final Agenda b. Assign "Time Certain" to Agenda Items (if needed) c. Review of Notice of Waiver Requirements for Agenda Items or Documents (if needed)Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals Consent
- Review Draft Agenda
- ROGC 26-168 Review May 5, 2026 Draft Agenda. a. Add New Items to Draft Agenda b. Assign "Time Certain" to Agenda Items (if needed) c. Review of Notice of Waiver Requirements for Agenda Items or Documents (if needed)Review Draft Agenda
- Notice to the public: There will be no separate discussion of individual Consent Calendar items as they are considered to be routine and will be adopted by one motion. If a member of the Committee requests debate, separate vote or recusal on a particular item, that item may be removed from the Consent Calendar by the Chair and considered separately. The public may comment on the entire Consent Calendar and any items removed from the Consent Calendar by the Chair.
- Consent Calendar
- 1. The Public Record for April 9, 2026 - April 16, 2026. (City Clerk)Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals Consent
Receive and file the Public Record for April 9, 2026 - April 16, 2026.
- 2. Approval of "Free Use" of the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda on August 22, 2026 for the Lick Observatory's 150th Anniversary Celebration Sponsored by the Office of Mayor Matt Mahan as a City Council Sponsored Special Event to Expend City Funds and Accept Donations of Materials and Services for the Event. (Mayor)Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals Consent
1. Adopt a resolution authorizing “Free Use” of the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda for the private, invitation-only Lick Observatory’s 150th Anniversary Celebration held on August 22, 2026. 2. Approve the 150th Anniversary Celebration as a City Council Sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds. 3. Approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the event. 4. Place the item on the April 28, 2026 City Council Agenda for action.
- 3. Retroactive Purchase of District 4 Gala Awards and Approval of the Annual D4 Stars Gala Sponsored by Council District 4 as a City Council Sponsored Special Event to Expend City Funds and Accept Donations of Materials and Services for the Event. (Cohen)Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals Consent
1. Retroactively approve the purchase of awards for the District 4 Stars Gala. 2. Retroactively approve the D4 Stars Gala scheduled on February 16, 2026 as a City Council sponsored Special Event and approve the expenditure of funds. 3. Approve and accept donations from various individuals, businesses or community groups to support the event. 4. Place the item on the April 28, 2026 City Council Agenda for action.
- END OF CONSENT
- Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals
- 1. Identification and Assessment of Priority Neighborhoods. (Campos, Ortiz, Doan, Candelas, and Casey)Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals
In addition to recommending how to spend the $500,000 to advance Children and Youth Services Master Plan priorities as allocated in the Mayor’s March Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2026-2027, direct the City Manager to provide a cost estimate in the forthcoming Manager’s Budget Addendum (MBA) for the following scope of work: 1. Identify the next set of potential priority neighborhood expansion sites for the Children and Youth Services Master Plan; 2. Subject to the availability of funds, begin to assess community capacity, and convene neighborhood leaders and stakeholders for future expansion of Children and Youth Services Master Plan implementation; and 3. Initiate preliminary service delivery coordination.
- 2. Attracting Investment in Employment Lands. (Candelas, Mahan, Campos, and Casey)Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals
Direct the City Manager to develop and implement a targeted marketing strategy to attract companies to build and expand on designated employment lands throughout San José, and to return to City Council by the third quarter of FY 2026-2027. This work should be considered as a near-term goal in alignment with the Business Development Strategy to be developed under the Growing Our Economy Focus Area for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and should include: 1. Proactive industry targeting focused on high-value sectors such as advanced manufacturing, clean technology, and high-tech industries; 2. Coordinated outreach and partnerships with commercial developers and site selectors; 3. Promotion of available employment sites and development opportunities through digital platforms and national industry events; 4. Clear communication of the City’s competitive advantages. The strategy should also incorporate permitting coordination, strategic incentives where appropriate, and collaboration with economic partners to position San José as a premier location for business investment.
- 3. Ministerial Approval for Assembly Bill 130 Qualifying Projects. (Tordillos, Campos, Cohen, and Kamei)Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals
Direct the City Manager to return to Council by September 2026 with an ordinance to expand ministerial approval citywide to projects that meet the eligibility criteria for an AB 130 exemption.
- 4. Prefab Factory-Produced Housing Structures. (Foley, Ortiz, Tordillos, and Candelas)Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals Consent
1. Direct the City Manager to explore opportunities for the City of San José to support the advancement of modular, factory-built housing construction methods that deliver housing more efficiently while maintaining strong labor standards comparable to traditional construction and return with an information memorandum that includes, but is not limited to, the following considerations: a. Analysis of the opportunities and challenges to utilizing modular factory-built housing with labor standards b. Comparative evaluation between modular factory-built housing with labor standards and standard stick-built construction c. Methodologies for incentivizing the use of modular factory-built housing in the City’s Gap Financing Program rolling request for proposal process
- Open Forum
- Members of the Public are invited to speak on any item that does not appear on today’s Agenda and that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Committee.
- Adjournment
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