San José adopts 2025 legislative priorities, adds request for state wildfire prevention support

San José City Council on Tuesday adopted the city’s 2025 legislative program and accepted the fall intergovernmental relations (IGR) report, with a unanimous vote to add a specific call for state support for wildfire prevention and suppression in urban-wildland interface areas.

Sarah Saturday, director of the Office of Administration, Policy and Intergovernmental Relations, presented the fall report and the proposed 2025 legislative priorities after a multi-department fall planning process. The priorities listed by IGR include reducing unsheltered homelessness; increasing affordable housing opportunities; enhancing community safety and Vision Zero; driving downtown revitalization; and pursuing equitable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure funding.

"These priorities inform how IGR focuses the city's advocacy resources," Saturday said as she introduced the program and noted the staff and partner coordination behind the legislative proposals.

The IGR team highlighted ongoing federal and state advocacy: the city has submitted five federal earmark requests totaling $5.5 million in the FY2025 appropriations process (including requests for Alum Rock corridor revitalization, park upgrades and a Happy Hollow microgrid) and supported the Valley Transportation Authority in securing a $5.1 billion Federal Transit Administration commitment for BART Silicon Valley phase 2. The presentation also flagged monitoring of more than 350 state bills and a focus on homelessness funding, downtown recovery and guardrails for artificial intelligence policy development.

State lobbying partner Steve Cruz emphasized the importance of preserving last year’s state HAP funding for homelessness prevention and steady attention to ERAF and other budget matters. "WIOA directly impacts the city's workforce development initiatives," Cruz said, referencing federal workforce funding the city monitors.

Councilmembers debated implementation and accountability for sizable new state programs such as Care Court and Proposition 36 (formerly Proposition 1), with Mayor Matt Mahan and staff stressing the need for clearer implementation timelines and county-level data-sharing agreements to track capacity and outcomes.

Councilmember David Cohen moved to accept the staff recommendations with an amendment adding explicit language seeking state support for fire prevention, vegetation management and resources for urban-wildland interface zones; the motion passed unanimously. Council also approved the fall intergovernmental relations report, 10–0.

The adopted legislative program lists potential city-sponsored bills—tax credits for production of new interim housing, changes to recover costs for abandoned shopping carts, remedies for copper theft affecting street lighting, and authorization to seek voter approval for a local sales tax—along with a three-tiered strategy prioritizing BART funding, sporting-event readiness for 2026, homelessness funding and monitoring other statewide and federal initiatives.

IGR will continue coalition work (Big City Mayors, League of California Cities, US Conference of Mayors) and return to council on controversial or polarizing bills for explicit direction where required by council policy.