San Jose council approves 2025 weed-abatement commencement report after county staff describes one-time inspection approach

San Jose City Council on Feb. 11 approved the 2025 weed-abatement commencement report and removal of weeds, after a public hearing in which Santa Clara County staff outlined how the county inspects properties and enforces abatement.

The vote was unanimous. The action authorizes the county-led weed-abatement program to proceed with the list of properties submitted for abatement in San Jose for the 2025 fire season.

County weed-abatement manager Garrick Ioselebski, joining the council by Zoom, told the council the countys standard practice is to visit each property on the list at least once during the fire season. "We typically only visit each property one time per season," Garrick said, adding that the countys San Jose season runs "from March 1 and ends on October 31." He described three limited circumstances in which inspectors return for follow-up: when a property owner appears to be mid-abatement (a "check second"), after a failed inspection when a 15-day courtesy notice has been issued, or when the county receives a complaint.

Garrick said capacity is constrained: "We have 3 people. It's 2 inspectors and myself, and we have over 2,000 properties throughout the entire county that we need to inspect." He told the council that because the program is cost-recovery, fees must cover work and administrative costs.

Council members pressed county staff on timing and whether later or additional checks would reduce risk from regrowth during a long fire season. Garrick said the county has accommodated requests from some cities to start later in the spring (he cited a request from the city of Santa Clara to push a start date to April 15) but said the county generally prefers not to delay too far because valley-floor vegetation can dry out earlier. Assistant City Manager Lee Wilcox and other city staff said the city coordinates its priorities around the wildland-urban interface and may refer public-property issues to the agency that manages that land.

Councilmember Dolan asked about financial assistance for property owners who cannot afford abatement. Garrick said the county program does not provide a forgiveness program but noted the Santa Clara County Fire Safe Council runs a SNAP program that property owners can apply to for assistance. He also said property owners may contest abatement charges at a separate public hearing later in the year and that the council has the authority to remove fees from a tax bill if it deems that appropriate.

City and county staff discussed how public properties are handled: the county does not conduct routine inspections of public properties through the weed-abatement program but will refer overgrown public property to the responsible agency (for example, county roads and airports or county parks). The county said it is exploring agreements to provide abatement services directly to other public agencies.

The council moved approval of the commencement report; the clerk recorded the vote as unanimous. The council and staff said they will follow up before summer with more information on interagency maintenance cycles and possible additional checks later in the season.