Public urges restoration of senior services and immigration funding as council weighs budget; city says one-time funds included

Dozens of residents and nonprofit representatives urged the San Jose City Council on May 15 to restore steep cuts to elder services and to preserve funding for immigration legal aid as officials work through a $53 million shortfall in the proposed 2026–27 operating budget.

Speakers including Linda Phillips of Source Wise and Marcelo Espiritu, director of Source Wise's Health Insurance, Counseling and Advocacy program, described programs that help older adults navigate Medicare and remain in their homes, and said those services faced a 42% cut last year. "These key prevention services help seniors stay stable and reduce reliance on costly safety-net supports," Phillips told the council during the public comment period.

The public also pressed the council to maintain at least $1 million for immigration legal services, a funding level advocates say enabled last year’s rapid-response work and access to attorneys for detained residents. "Investing in migration services doesn't just help individuals. It helps the whole city," Joanna Becerra said, asking the council to "prioritize at least $1 million for immigration services."

City Manager's office staff acknowledged the fiscal squeeze but said the proposed budget includes $500,000 in one-time funding for immigration services in the manager's proposal. The city manager told the council that increasing support beyond that level in this year’s budget would require "very painful trade-offs" elsewhere, and said staff will keep working with councilmembers and philanthropy to identify additional resources.

The budget hearing also surfaced community worries about proposed changes to fire department equipment and staffing in wildland urban interface areas. After residents from the Villages HOA and other foothills neighborhoods urged preservation of wildland engine staffing, the city manager clarified that the proposal is a "wildland engine staffing reconfiguration" that would replace a type 6 engine with a larger type 3 engine and "is not expected to adversely impact our operational readiness at all," the manager said, while acknowledging trade-offs in access on narrow terrain.

Councilmembers responded to testimony by saying they are pursuing offsetting funds where possible. Vice Mayor Foley said she had worked to identify budget offsets in prior cycles and is "hoping to find those dollars again this year," while Councilmember Ortiz and others pledged to continue conversations with community groups and the city manager about priorities.

The council did not take a final budget vote at the hearing; members said further hearings and a June 8 meeting will provide opportunities to refine the proposal, weigh trade-offs and consider contingency plans if revenues fall further.