County departments give year-end updates: road prep, parks events, animal donations and cold-weather shelter activity

Several county departments offered brief year‑end verbal updates to the committee covering maintenance, operations and program milestones.

Harry Freitas, speaking for County Roads, said crews are preparing for winter with storm-drain and roadway inspections and that four large capital projects — two expressway resurfacings and two bridges — will continue through winter at a slower pace. “On the maintenance side, we're getting ready for winter, doing a lot of prework in the field, getting our roads and storm drains ready,” Freitas said.

Joe Aguilera, acting director of Parks and Recreation, said the department’s annual Fantasy of Lights event (Dec. 7–8) was sold out and that staff piloted a neighborhood naturalist program in English and Spanish at the Mexican Heritage Plaza. Aguilera also said staff will host the department’s fifth park ranger academy in January.

Edgar Nolasco, director of the Consumer Environmental Protection Agency (which oversees animal services), reported a new fiscal partnership with Valley Health Foundation that allows the county to accept stock donations through a donor-advised fund or similar vehicle. “We recently just received 30 Google shares from an animal lover… that has a value of about $5,000,” Nolasco said, noting the new donation mechanism increases the department’s charitable funding options.

Hillary Armstrong of the Office of Supportive Housing gave brief operational updates on cold‑weather shelters: the Mountain View cold‑weather shelter housed 28 women and the North County shelter in Sunnyvale was transitioning to a families-focused model with capacity for 31 families. The Ochoa cold‑weather shelter opened with 34 of 35 family spots filled, and OSH staff said they will monitor forecasts and coordinate inclement‑weather activations with the county’s emergency management office and libraries serving as warming centers as needed.

Armstrong also announced three tax-credit awards for county-affiliated affordable projects, naming Distel Circle (noted as the first all-affordable housing project in Los Altos), Cooser Apartments (San Jose) and 525 North Capitol (San Jose). Staff said Veggielution will have on-site space at the North Capitol project. These projects will proceed through additional financing and development steps.