New COVID-19 Dashboards, Schools Update, Planning for Budget Impacts

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe during this challenging time. The social isolation and economic uncertainty we’re currently experiencing are stressful, so I just want to reiterate that there is a lot of support in our community for those who need it. Please reach out if you’re struggling to make ends meet, feeling lonely or otherwise need help. I’m proud of the way we’ve pulled together as a community and I know we’ll continue to help one another to get through this crisis.

Here are a few updates on relevant topics:

COVID-19 Testing & Data Transparency

Two weeks ago I updated you on the lack of COVID-19 testing in Santa Clara County and my (and many others’) push for greater transparency. Since then, the Public Health Department has released three data dashboards that track new COVID-19 cases, hospital capacity and testing. I appreciate this new level of transparency and I’m glad to share that thanks to an early and successful rollout of the shelter-in-place order:

• the daily new case count does not appear to be accelerating;
• our hospital system continues to have surge capacity; and
• testing has ramped up significantly (see chart below).

We will need to continue increasing testing capacity because most epidemiologists believe that we need a robust “test and trace” system in order to relax the shelter-in-place order without putting people at risk. If you are interested, physician and former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottleib, MD has written a helpful “road map to reopening” essay that outlines the high-level steps that will be necessary for the US to return to something resembling normalcy. Until then, shelter in place continues to be our most important strategy for reducing the spread of COVID-19.

Schools & Distance Learning

On April 1st, Governor Newsom and California State Superintendent of Education Tony Thurmond announced that public schools will not physically reopen this school year. However, this does not mean that the school year is over. In a letter signed by all 32 local school district superintendents, Santa Clara County’s Office of Education set the expectation that schools will continue to provide instruction through distance learning options.

I’m very glad to see local districts commit to continuing to educate our children. We will need to work together in the weeks ahead to ensure that distance learning options provided are robust and accessible to all students. Districts will need to work with public and private sector partners to deliver devices and broadband internet to families who lack access and they will need to support teachers who are balancing work and childcare from home. If you have private sector relationships that might be able to help provide access to devices and/or internet service for local low-income families, please email me directly (matt@mahanforsanjose.com).

COVID-19’s Fiscal Impact

Tragically, over the last two weeks more than one million Californians filed new unemployment claims. In addition to the fear and uncertainty faced by so many members of our community, it’s clear that COVID-19 will have a profound impact on our city budget.

Sales tax revenue, for example, typically accounts for about one-fifth (projected at $258 million in FY 2019–2020) of the City’s revenue, but will be significantly lower than expected this year. Various business taxes and fees, the City’s transient occupancy tax on hotels and short-term rentals, and other sources of revenue will shrink significantly as well. Here is a summary of expected revenue sources and their contribution to the budget, pre-pandemic:

City staff are now updating their projections for FY 2020–2021 to take into account the likely impact of COVID-19. City Manager Dave Syke’s submitted a memo on April 3rd estimating a $110 million (or about 10%) reduction in revenue due to the shelter-in-place order, though Mayor Liccardo cautioned that we should prepare for a larger shortfall.

For context, a $110 million revenue reduction would be equivalent to nearly 25% of City spending on public safety (police, fire, etc.) or 100% of spending on parks, recreation, street maintenance and libraries. We should be prepared for significant cuts to city services, at least in the short-term. I will be following this conversation closely and will keep you updated as city staff update budget assumptions and discuss potential service cuts, staffing reductions and other trade-offs.

In the meantime, if you’d like to get an overview of the City’s revenues and costs under normal circumstances, take a look at this new interactive tool the City is using to help residents participate in budgeting decisions.

In closing, I’d like to share a few online resources that may be useful to you or your neighbors:

• Councilmember Johnny Khamis, who will continue to represent District 10 through the end of this calendar year, has turned his biweekly office hours into live virtual sessions on Facebook.
• He and his staff have also updated the District 10 website with a lot of useful information for the general public and small businesses.
• The Almaden Valley Community Association has compiled a list of local community members who are offering free tutoring, online classes or other forms of academic support for local students.
• Almaden community members Kairong Qian and Jing Ma have organized a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for local health care workers and seniors who need basic supplies. You can contribute or ask for support.
• Silicon Valley Strong is a valuable hub for information and volunteer opportunities.

All the best to you and your loved ones. Please reach out anytime with feedback, issues you’d like me to address and your ideas and questions. It’s been a pleasure to be in touch with so many members of the community as we all figure out how to navigate our new reality. We will get through this together!

Sincerely,

Matt

Councilmember-elect, San Jose District 10; matt@mahanforsanjose.com; 408–891–9708

Matt Mahan is Councilmember-elect for San Jose District 10, which includes the Almaden, Blossom Hill, Santa Teresa and Vista Park neighborhoods. You can subscribe to Matt’s updates here: https://forms.gle/ycvcf3fbKSFU2JfA6