[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6640780,"mediaKeyId","2549829-e82e6bbb92837cc601f7b5e8d7cdd9ef","parentId",2549829,"title","Dozens of San Jose speakers urge city to divest from companies tied to Israel; council asks staff to review investment policy","audioSeconds",2131,"startMs",1661804,"endMs",3793765,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2549829-e82e6bbb92837cc601f7b5e8d7cdd9ef&start=1661&end=3793","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2549829-e82e6bbb92837cc601f7b5e8d7cdd9ef/thumbnail_1661804.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6640780/San-Jose/Santa-Clara-County/California/Dozens-of-San-Jose-speakers-urge-city-to-divest-from-companies-tied-to-Israel-council-asks-staff-to-review-investment-policy","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6640780-949f178761719b5a7e64926e50a5ec3c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771209929&Signature=DXdeCECYxp7Ks5pHDM5Lsnesl7CwL1hn~uLbFN9LjujmJBLWoAJ7mH8c7lENqrPjeQqS52t0qmrdjXdagp9V0Op95rCidIsyN0x~yE-qhlQ6leNMpDWLVl2sIaA0SwH5akHunavNvEDIsSzNCq2l3sWemnJ93vRj0y~on1SV5LkZEPn05hr8mbj2V1W0QR6e4GEgz69ROXjUjJ0arp17luHGHCYw7sMSR3d59tE3t33tDEBbLqR5CVMIBuX09pa0OzwXH07VxhJLdt~E47Cu~StV3SmGg4tt63OiRU6gP9fKTustrgr2oc-7V53su-TtDMsnB1OiPSIKUhYPxZKuVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","San Jose CA","date","2025-03-11T22:55:57.243Z","article","Dozens of San Jose residents urged the San Jose City Council to adopt a divestment resolution removing city investments in companies they said are tied to Israel's campaign in Gaza and the West Bank. Speakers named Caterpillar, Alphabet and Microsoft and said the city's most recent quarterly investment report shows more than $50 million invested in those companies.

The call for divestment came during a lengthy public-comment period. Miranda Collett, a resident who opened the remarks on this topic, said, “Please counsel people. Divest from Caterpillar, Alphabet, and Microsoft. You have more than $50,000,000 invested in these companies.” Other speakers repeated that figure and asked the council to introduce a resolution for the March review of the city’s investment portfolio.

Why it matters: speakers framed divestment as a moral step San Jose can take—an action they said would be consistent with prior city decisions, including divestment from South African apartheid-era interests in the 1980s and fossil-fuel-related investments in 2020. Advocates also argued any local financial risk would be small because the cited holdings represent about 2% of the city's portfolio, and that divestment would increase pressure on companies they say enable human-rights abuses.

What the council did: the council did not adopt a divestment resolution at the meeting. Maria Olberg, the city’s finance director, described the existing investment policy's social-responsibility clause: when two investments are otherwise equal, the city may favor a green bond or similar option. Council members asked Olberg to investigate “any sort of concerns” about potential investments and to bring findings back to the council in advance of the March portfolio approval. One council member pulled item 2.7 from consent and recused themself from that item; the broader consent calendar passed and item 2.7 was later approved with two recusals recorded.

Public claims and council response: many speakers cited casualty counts and described direct observations from the West Bank and Gaza; the council recorded the comments but did not make policy on the spot. Council discussion focused on process: whether the city’s policy permits values-based screens, how other jurisdictions have implemented divestment, and the practical steps needed to change holdings. Maria Olberg said the investment policy already includes a “social responsibility clause” but that specific, formal changes would require a future agendized discussion.

Next steps: council members directed staff to look into the investment-policy options and to report back in advance of the March vote on the city’s portfolio. Speakers urged the council to act at that March review.

Ending: The public-comment period produced a sustained, multi-hour set of remarks urging divestment; the council pledged a staff review but took no immediate policy action on divestment at the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","MAR 11, 2025 | City Council","oneSentenceSummary","Dozens of San Jose residents urged the San Jose City Council to remove city investments in firms they say are tied to Israeli military actions, naming Caterpillar, Alphabet and Microsoft and citing about $50 million in holdings.","taxTitle","San Jose , Santa Clara County, California","taxId",2857,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6640770,"San Jose approves debt-policy changes to accommodate long-term energy prepayment bonds",285,4211739,4496830,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2549829-e82e6bbb92837cc601f7b5e8d7cdd9ef&start=4211&end=4496","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2549829-e82e6bbb92837cc601f7b5e8d7cdd9ef/thumbnail_4211739.jpg","/articles/6640770/San-Jose/Santa-Clara-County/California/San-Jose-approves-debt-policy-changes-to-accommodate-long-term-energy-prepayment-bonds","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6640770-5c46062fc0524b59073ca706a65ba18b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771209929&Signature=hWGcZedL0BSQjKaBYGAL7ePI9fpg1B5RcFLAfFqDQWDuwrTron1LGn67lGc~H2xNWIzCppIdgHSKlWq22RPAXKIAgxo6z~LfMmJCCAKyjpJv8hO5lz9lil0Pm2fU2xRNSJZ1Pq~dNqkja7rlDlgmH~xbpuTlYLHoNGmsmcFxyx0bx0e1Ms5ll9XPaVQ0sxJgFB5ewYTd0MB5w922Uv5xMylJBNeNVxMoZ6uBeIg1ajp7jmN8~eF9Vs768XuE3VJ9wCSaIm3QhJJxrMvEsUfvJOznapV-5ZS-vdWbatSm8IZ2sSl5UoJw0x-hvNkOt~1EgZ2r~VAXtPmpuhumm1WVsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The San Jose City Council approved revisions to Council Policy 1-15 (Debt Management Policy) to establish procedures and parameters for energy prepayment agreements and similar transactions. The amendment was approved during a joint hearing with the City of San Jose Financing Authority and the Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency; the council voted unanimously to accept the report and adopt the amended policy.

Maria Olberg, the city’s finance director, explained that the proposed policy changes formalize the process used last year when the city participated in a conduit issuance through the California Community Choice Financing Authority (CCCFA). That transaction closed on Nov. 4, 2024, for $1,240,000,000 and funded a prepayment that finance staff said would yield more than $66,000,000 in savings during the bonds’ initial eight-year term.

Key policy provisions adopted: the amendment sets parameters for energy prepayment agreements, including allowing bonds of up to 30 years in term with a mandatory tender at the end of the initial term (typically seven to ten years); it establishes a minimum 5% annual savings target during the initial term; and it clarifies that such energy-prepaid bonds are special, limited obligations of a conduit issuer and are payable solely from the related trust estate, with investors having no recourse to the city.

Why it matters: the policy formalizes a structure the city used in a large 2024 energy-financing transaction and creates standard guidelines and a process for similar future issuances. Supporters said having written standards will provide consistency and protect the city’s financial interests.

Council action: the council accepted the report and adopted the amended Council Policy 1-15. The financing authority and successor-agency boards acted in tandem as required for the conduit structure; no public comment was received on the item.

Ending: Finance staff said the policy changes will streamline future transactions like the 2024 CCCFA issuance while requiring the council’s approval of project-specific documents and continued reporting on savings and terms.","The council approved revisions to the city's debt-management policy to formalize guidelines for energy prepayment agreements after the city used conduit bonds in 2024 to prepay power contracts. Finance staff said the prior transaction saved the city more than $66 million over the first eight years of the bonds.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6640775,"San Jose expands downtown pedestrian-facilitation enforcement to 8 a.m.; council approves unanimously",1773,4515870,6289000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2549829-e82e6bbb92837cc601f7b5e8d7cdd9ef&start=4515&end=6289","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2549829-e82e6bbb92837cc601f7b5e8d7cdd9ef/thumbnail_4515870.jpg","/articles/6640775/San-Jose/Santa-Clara-County/California/San-Jose-expands-downtown-pedestrian-facilitation-enforcement-to-8-am-council-approves-unanimously","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6640775-785355feb499cb6ef0df3f7ddd9a86d5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771209929&Signature=ITOXqFnq646H9RjcaoQEQZ5WNBB4F9Zl6ckklghJl35wbQcVCmOdNaGcN5znEO5vs5Zepe47NqQkGRSzJqUiguBDqiShWf30y5jObgu9d701vq2bR53zT1AlWhgqr8OzjNiptHIPU11HXFZ6Fp0HffqxG-kpjD04XVZQ6FMjqdtGqwcZS9vrSulaD6hHnD4rvKAHsbuwK4EZ60v4cWOKHo3hN9yBdkrEL9jE~UdQLo925yswm1szkxZSfn13pvLEaYrYr1k6Bm9EHYn~hgZUVuf7oMduG6nZlcNZxg4dK6FWi5PAFzFTkb9Infe8fBjJY3JbPiTxvYbhy3AS8fKzRg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The San Jose City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s pedestrian facilitation ordinance to shift enforcement hours earlier, from 10 a.m.-midnight to 8 a.m.-midnight. The change was proposed by the San Jose Police Department and implemented through a municipal-code amendment the council adopted after a presentation and public comment.

Deputy Chief Gina Tibaldi of the San Jose Police Department said the department recommended the change “to coincide with the opening of businesses and foot traffic downtown associated to work, schools and businesses.” Tibaldi told council members that when the department resumed enforcement in 2023 it observed reduced open-air drug sales and related activity after issuing citations and conducting outreach. “When we keep those who are committing the illegal activities moving along it tends to minimize the illegal activity,” she said.

Why it matters: council members and downtown stakeholders said sidewalks see heavy use well before 10 a.m., when employees, students and transit users travel through the area. Alex Badinsky of the San Jose Downtown Association supported the change but urged combining enforcement with increased outreach, services and shelter options for people experiencing homelessness.

Implementation and supports: police staff said enforcement will rely on downtown “walking beat” officers, which the department noted begin shifts at 8 a.m. Many of those downtown resource costs are funded through the property-based improvement district (PBID), according to testimony. Council members asked staff to consider how the downtown model and its outcomes might inform other neighborhoods; police and city staff said expansion to other areas would require additional resources and implementation work, and cautioned about unintended migration of encampments.

Council discussion also included repeated calls from members to pair enforcement with services. One council member suggested routing funding requests for supportive services through the city budget process; the city manager’s office said that would be an appropriate avenue and that the mayor’s March message and the upcoming budget cycle would be the place to consider the resource questions.

Ending: The ordinance amendment passed unanimously. Staff said it will continue to coordinate enforcement with social-service providers, including PATH and Groundwork, and the council signaled interest in applying lessons from downtown to other “hotspot” areas over time.","The City Council amended the pedestrian facilitation ordinance to allow enforcement starting at 8 a.m. instead of 10 a.m., citing earlier morning foot traffic and business openings. Police and downtown stakeholders said enforcement will continue to be paired with outreach and service referrals.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Dozens of San Jose speakers urge city to divest from companies tied to Israel; council asks staff to review investment policy

San Jose approves debt-policy changes to accommodate long-term energy prepayment bonds

San Jose expands downtown pedestrian-facilitation enforcement to 8 a.m.; council approves unanimously