Legislation, Memos and Policy
Climate and Sustainability
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One of my top priorities since joining the Council has been to protect our community from the impacts of climate change and ensure we build a sustainable, clean city for all San Jose residents. Last year, when the Council resolved to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, I successfully pushed for the inclusion of proven strategies to help us reach that goal. Earlier this month, Council adopted my memo to build on the progress we have made by considering innovative methods of reducing emissions from construction—which accounts for nearly a quarter of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions—expanding the use of rooftop space for solar power and green space, and creating a climate commission so that community members and residents can have a voice in building the climate solutions of the future.
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According to the Center for International Environmental Law, yearly greenhouse gas emissions from plastics are on track to reach nearly one and a half billion tons—that’s the equivalent of every single coal power plant in North America burning fossil fuels for an entire year. It’s clear that efforts to make our city safer, cleaner, and more sustainable must address the harmful impacts of plastics on our environment. For that reason, I worked with city staff and the Council to secure the city’s support for a state initiative that will reduce waste from single-use plastics, expand access to recycling, and generate billions of dollars each year for climate programs and environmental protections.
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It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
View The Memo
Public Safety
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Gun violence is a public health crisis that takes 40,000 lives across the country each year. It is clear we must do all we can to prevent the misuse of guns, reinforce responsible gun ownership, and ease the financial burden gun violence has on our communities. I coauthored a memo with the mayor and my Council colleagues to achieve those goals by creating a system of gun insurance, expanding access to gun violence restraining orders and suicide prevention, and prohibiting the manufacturing of illegal, untraceable ghost guns. We can no longer wait for others to take action; by adopting our gun harm reduction legislation, the Council has taken a bold step towards building a safer, stronger San Jose.
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When I was elected to the Council in 2020, I promised to work with my Council colleagues to end the planned Charcot Overpass in North San Jose, which had been pushed forward for years despite concerns from the community, from Orchard students and families, and from environmental advocates about the project’s health and safety impacts. After months of discussions within the city and with local partners like the county and VTA, the Council adopted my memo in January to end the Charcot Overpass project once and for all. The funds previously dedicated to the project were reallocated other projects that will support traffic needs in the North San Jose area.
View The Memo
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Recommended questions for prospective polic chief regarding de-escalation training, mental health training. Demand transparency on use-of-force personnel records.
Housing and Homelessness
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Hiring unhoused persons through San Jose Bridge to clean up streets and litter hotspots, prioritizing high-need neighborhoods
View The Memo
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Before resorting to abatement of encampments we should ensure availability of services and shelter. In addition, measures must be taken to avoid interrupting any services homeless may be receiving, ie: drug treatment, job training. Funding for more frequent clean ups.
Quality of Life
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Each day, hundreds of residents of all ages are served by the San José Public Library—whether online, at branch libraries, or through over 6,000 multilingual events and programs held across the city over the last year. Our libraries are critical to the health and well-being of our community, and as San José continues to work towards full resumption of city services, our residents are looking forward to visiting their local libraries the way they did before the pandemic. For that reason, I authored a memo to secure funding to restore San Jose's branch libraries pre-pandemic levels and adding Sunday hours. I was glad to see the mayor’s budget message include this request, and I look forward to the first 13 city libraries operating under the new schedule starting this summer and will push for the remaining 10 branches to join them next year.
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North San Jose is the economic engine of our city—and as one of the last places in Silicon Valley with land to build out, it is the key to solving our housing crisis. As North San Jose’s representative on the City Council, I have worked with the mayor and my Council colleagues since entering office to create a North San Jose strategy that brings housing and jobs, as well as key amenities like parks and libraries, to this crucial part of the District 4 community. In May, I coauthored a memo, adopted unanimously by the Council, that will help us accomplish this goal by bringing together thousands of affordable, transit-oriented housing units and job opportunities in North San Jose—laying the foundation for a strong, thriving community.
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The most fundamental principle of our democracy is that elections should reflect the will of the voters. To safeguard that principle, the Constitution prohibits foreign interference in US elections—but San Jose law has for years left loopholes through which foreign money has continued to flow into our elections, sometimes in massive amounts. To cover these loopholes and bring our laws in alignment with the Constitution, I led the charge to prohibit foreign-influenced corporations from spending money in San Jose elections. The memo I coauthored, passed by the Council in March, uses guidelines set by the nation’s preeminent corporate law and constitutional authorities to prevent foreign money from influencing city elections, without impacting local small businesses and San Jose residents.
Addressing Our Climate Crisis
No challenge demands action more urgently than climate change. We must be willing to act boldly and swiftly to protect our residents and ensure a sustainable future for our children, which is why I authored legislation to create carbon-neutral incentives, prioritize energy efficiency, and reduce our carbon footprint. My memo, which was adopted unanimously by the Council, sets our city on the path to carbon neutrality by 2030—a timeline that meets the urgency of the challenge before us.
Campaign Finance Reform
Our elections are the backbone of our democracy, and we have a responsibility to keep them fair and transparent. That’s why I co-authored a memo to reform the way our elections are financed by creating a model for public campaign financing and keeping foreign corporate money out of our elections— policies that will boost civic engagement and ensure San José elections are decided by San José residents.
Right to Legal Counsel for Tenants
Across the country, cities that have implemented a right to legal counsel for tenants have seen the same, universally positive results: lower rates of homelessness, decreased eviction rates for families, and millions of dollars in savings. In order to better understand how a right to counsel might help working families here in San José, I directed staff to conduct a cost-benefit analysis and develop a model for a program that replicates the success other cities have had.
Sustainable Solutions to Homelessness
According to some estimates, San José’s homeless population has soared from 7,000 in 2019 to nearly 10,000 today—a clear sign that our current blueprint simply isn’t working. We need lasting, compassionate solutions. In my first year in office, I have authored legislation to reform our city’s encampment management strategy, better connect unhoused residents with county services, and expand interim housing and shelter opportunities—while also improving the city’s response to blight and illegal dumping.
Preventing Youth Tobacco Use
E-cigarettes and flavored tobacco products are among the most serious health risks for our youths, with nearly eight in ten teens in our county who smoke using flavored products. I worked with my Council colleagues to protect the health and wellbeing of our youngest residents by prohibiting flavored tobacco products aimed at children and keeping tobacco retailers away from schools and other youth-focused areas.
Effective Council Discussion
As councilmembers, our role is to serve as a voice for the communities we represent—and to be that voice, we must ensure our meetings are built around consensus, discussion, and public engagement. One of my first memos as a councilmember aimed to improve the effectiveness of our Council by making our discussions more open and efficient—and I’m proud to say that, since it was approved, our Council meetings have brought together input from more voices and more perspectives.
Termination of the Charcot Avenue Extension
The Charcot Avenue Extension project was first identified in 1944, when it made sense to create an overpass through a largely industrial area. However, as the years have passed, the neighborhood has transformed from an industrial space to a residential area with thousands of homes and new schools. I worked with the community members and advocates to create a memo calling for the elimination of the project. The matter was voted on and passed by the Council, successfully avoiding any negative impacts that the project would have had on the neighborhood.
Creating Affordable Housing
San Jose is considered to be one of the most expensive California cities to live in. At the same time, it is reveled as the Heart of Silicon Valley where businesses flock to get their start. And so, the Commercial Linkage Fee was proposed to require a fee that developers would pay to fund affordable housing. My memo on this ensured that we would be maximizing the effectiveness of the Commercial Linkage Fee.