Joint Meeting for the Rules and Open Government Committee and Committee of the Whole

Agenda

1. For live translations in over 50 languages, please go to https://attend.wordly.ai/join/FAYU-7105
2. How to observe the Meeting (no public comment):
3. 1) Cable Channel 24 2) https://www.sanjoseca.gov/news-stories/watch-a-meeting 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.
4. How to submit written Public Comment for items on the agenda:
5. 1) By email to city.clerk@sanjoseca.gov by 8:00 a.m. the day of the meeting.
6. How to provide spoken Public Comment during the Committee Meeting:
7. Fill out a Yellow Speaker's Card and submit it to boxes at the bottom of the Chambers.
8. City Council (City Clerk)
9. Review Final Agenda
10. ROGC 26-194 Review May 12, 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
11. Review Draft Agenda
12. ROGC 26-195 Review May 19, 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
13. 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.
14. Consent Calendar
15. 1. Monthly Report of Activities for April 2026. (City Auditor)
    Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals Consent

    Approve the Auditor’s Office Monthly Report of Activities for the month of April 2026.

16. END OF CONSENT
17. Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals
18. 1. Policy Analysis of Vacant Commercial Storefront Activation Tools. (Tordillos, Cohen, Ortiz, Mulcahy, and Doan)
    Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals

    Direct the City Manager’s Office to work with appropriate departments, including but not limited to, the Departments of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement (PBCE), Economic Development and Cultural Affairs (OEDCA), and the City Attorney’s Office, to return with an analysis and options for potential administrative, regulatory, and programmatic actions to support the activation of vacant commercial storefronts and reduction of blight citywide. This referral is intended to initiate policy analysis and return with recommendations. The analysis should include identification of workload impacts, fiscal implications, and alignment with existing departmental work plans. The analysis should include, but not be limited to, evaluation of the following: 1. Evaluate potential amendments to San José Municipal Code Section 20.150, as well as any other relevant ordinances, Municipal Code sections, or Council policies, to extend the allowable period for reestablishing a legal nonconforming use without requiring a new Special Use Permit from six months to up to three (3) years. Additionally, evaluate appropriate limitations, safeguards, or categorical exclusions that may be necessary to address potential impacts associated with such an extension. 2. Evaluate existing restaurant and small business programs within OEDCA and PBCE to identify opportunities to strengthen interdepartmental coordination and better align program resources toward the activation of vacant storefronts. The analysis should assess program effectiveness, administrative feasibility, fiscal impacts, and policy implications and return with recommendations and implementation direction informed by these considerations. 3. Evaluate potential amendments to San José Municipal Code Section 20.80 and relevant Council Policies, including 6-28, 6-29, and 8-14, to determine whether establishing a ministerial stand-alone demolition permit process for certain vacant industrial and commercial buildings is legally feasible and advisable. This evaluation should consider applicability only where CEQA permits ministerial approval and where the building is not a designated or potentially historic resource, and should preserve environmental screening requirements for PCBs (as referenced in Council Policy 6-28) and maintain waste diversion obligations under Section 9.10 of the San José Municipal Code. a. The analysis should be options-based and may identify and assess a range of potential regulatory and implementation approaches for Council consideration, without presuming a preferred outcome. Such options may include, but are not limited to, alternative post-demolition site management pathways and compliance or monitoring frameworks. The analysis should assess legal, fiscal, workload, and policy implications before recommending any amendments.

19. 2. Prefab Factory-Produced Housing Structures. (Foley, Ortiz, Tordillos, and Candelas)
    Rules Committee Reviews, Recommendations and Approvals Consent

    1. Direct the City Manager to: a. Explore opportunities for the City of San José to support the advancement of modular, factory-built housing construction methods for both single-family and multi-family housing that deliver housing more efficiently while maintaining strong labor standards comparable to traditional construction. b. Return with an information memorandum that includes, but is not limited to, the following: i. An analysis of the opportunities and challenges to utilizing modular factory-built housing with labor standards; ii. A comparative evaluation between modular factory-built housing with labor standards and standard stick-built construction; iii. Recommendations on potential methodologies for incentivizing the use of modular factory-built housing in the City’s Gap Financing Program rolling request for proposal process; iv. An assessment of opportunities to support the development of modular housing manufacturing facilities within San José, including potential economic and workforce benefits; and v. An analysis of challenges and opportunities around steel-framed modular construction to achieve taller, denser multifamily housing than can be achieved through traditional wood-framed modular construction. [Referred from 4/22/26 - Item C.4 (ROGC 26-180)]

20. Open Forum
21. 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.
22. Adjournment
23. The Code of Conduct (https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/12901/636670004966630000) is intended to promote open meetings that welcome debate of public policy issues being discussed by the City Council, their Committees, and City Boards and Commissions in an atmosphere of fairness, courtesy, and respect for differing points of view. The City of San José is committed to open and honest government and strives to consistently meet the community's expectations by providing excellent services, in a positive and timely manner, and in the full view of the public. The City Code of Ethics may be viewed online. The Levine Act requires a Party in a Proceeding before the City of San José that involves any action related to their contract, license, permit, or use entitlement to disclose any campaign contributions to City elected or appointed officials totaling more than $500 within the 12 months prior to the City decision. A Participant to a Proceeding may voluntarily report a campaign contribution. Please visit https://www.sanjoseca.gov/your-government/appointees/city-clerk/levine-act for updated forms and information.
24. All public records relating to an open session item on this agenda, which are not exempt from disclosure pursuant to the California Public Records Act, that are distributed to a majority of the legislative body will be available for public inspection at San José City Hall, Office of the City Clerk, 200 E. Santa Clara Street, 14th Floor, San José, CA 95113 at the same time that the public records are distributed or made available to the legislative body.
25. To request an accommodation or alternative format for City-sponsored meetings, events or printed materials, please call the Office of the City Clerk 408-535-1260 as soon as possible, but at least three business days before the meeting/event.
26. Access the video, the agenda and related reports for this meeting by visiting the City's website.