CALL TO ACTION
Attend the Nov. 19 City Council meeting (1:30 pm), fill out a speaker card and share your thoughts.
Send a short personalized email [or letter] to you Councilmember - with a copy to City Clerk Toni Taber.
We believe and are therefore recommending that you send an email as a very effective way to have your voice heard in the event that you cannot invest several hours in what may be a long Council meeting.
WHO WE ARE / THE ISSUE
We are an ad-hoc, grass-roots group of San Jose citizens from throughout San Jose. We are now organizing an effort to make our voices heard that District 3 Councilmember Torres' resignation (effective Nov. 27) is filled by Special Election and not by an appointment process managed by City Council members all of whom do not live in District 3.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Go to the 2024 SIGN UP tab ABOVE and fill in your information.
Alert everyone in your sphere of influence to this topic and recommend they sign up on the LetMeVoteSJ.org website to stay informed and learn about the process.
Check back on this website for updates from time to time.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT
The district structure of the San Jose City Council was put in place in recognition that each district has unique priorities. To ensure all residents have a voice, representation on the City Council is chosen by the citizens of each district. By using the appointment process to fill a vacancy, Council members chosen by residents of other districts decide who will represent the affected district. For the 30+ years that the appointment option has been available, prior City Councils have always chosen a Special Election in the event of a two-year vacancy. For the first time ever, the 2022 & 2023 City Council's chose to move forward with an appintment process. So the precedent has now been set for all future Councils to engage in a similar process disenfranchising every San Jose citizen in future Council vacancies in all ten Council Districts.
KEY UPCOMING DATES 11/13 - 11/19 - 12/27
On Nov. 19 the Council is now set for a discussion AND VOTE on whether to move forward with a 2-year appointment or a Special Election combined with a temporary appointment.
On 11/13, the City Council Rules Committee voted to forward two Council memos (A) Jimenez "1. Direct the City Clerk to agendize for the Nov. 19 City Council Meeting a conversation on an appointment process 2. ... schedule a special Council meeting on or before Dec. 27, ... [to] make an appointment" (B) Mahan, Foley, Cohen "1. ... agendize a discussion for Nov. 19, on the replacement method ... without pre-determining a preferred method or timing; [with] accompanying memos that outline the Council’s options for filling the vacant seat."