Mahan discusses committee roles

By Mat Bejarano STAFF WRITER

San Jose City Council met on Tuesday for a priority setting session to discuss the committees created by newly inaugurated Mayor Matt Mahan.

The mayor laid out a committee focused on addressing houselessness, community safety and city cleanness.

The five focus reports proposed by Mahan are the Clean Neighborhood Committee, Community Safety Committee, Downtown Vibrancy Committee, Homelessness Committee and Planning & Permit.

The Clean Neighborhood Committee, led by councilmember Peter Ortiz, plans to help keep the city clean. The committee plans on prioritizing their 311 app and adding new city-contracted organizations such as nonprofits and private corporations to better support the project.

The 311 app is a tool that has been implemented by the city, containing access to resources such as eviction prevention. It also allows residents to report safety hazards such as illegal fireworks, road potholes and illegal dumping.

“Hiring and recruiting for all vacant positions is critical to cleaning up San Jose,” Ortiz said.

The Community Safety Committee plans on getting more officers back on patrol. Councilmember Bien Doan said he wants to increase police department staffing to accommodate the community’s needs.

“I would love to see our police