Once upon a time in San Jose, the annual State of the City event was a fairly passive affair. You’d sit back and listen to a boosterish address from the mayor and see councilmembers give out a handful of community awards. There was no audience participation required beyond the expected applause.
It’s quite different under Mayor Matt Mahan.
For his second State of the City on June 1, Mahan has eschewed giving the address at City Hall, or any of the downtown theaters where it’s been held before. Instead, he’ll deliver his speech that Saturday morning al fresco on the big lawn at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo. And that’s not the only change he’s got in store.
“It’s a place that really brings people together,” said Mahan — who, as the father of two young kids, is a frequent Happy Hollow visitor. “And surrounding the area, there are a number of opportunities for service projects.”
While the mayor will still deliver an address on San Jose’s status, and councilmembers will still give out awards at 9 a.m., residents will have the opportunity to join their elected officials in rolling up their sleeves and getting some work done after that.
“We’re going to take this jewel in the center of our city and polish it a bit,” said Mahan.
Volunteer groups led by councilmembers will be planting trees, cleaning up Coyote Creek in a couple of spots, beautifying the Japanese Friendship Garden and Vietnamese Heritage Garden, painting and weeding in Kelley Park and picking up litter on Story Road and Roberts Avenue. There will be food pop-ups in the park for lunch — including the San Jose Police Department ice-cream truck — and music. You can RSVP to attend — or volunteer without attending the ceremony — at qrco.de/SOTC2024.
Jon Cicirelli, director of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, said it’s really helpful to get the community more involved in the State of the City event, especially centered around big open space like Kelley Park, where park department staff have plenty of upkeep to do.
“It’s wonderful to have that extra help,” he said.
Mahan said the city has seen a 300 percent increase in the number of people volunteering in clean-up and beautification efforts his office has helped organize on Saturday mornings, often with members of the city council, neighborhood associations and faith-based groups.
“That’s been part of this revolution in service that we’ve seen, and it’s an amazing community builder,” Mahan said. “People aren’t just picking up trash, they’re taking some ownership and control over the condition of their neighborhood. They’re able to see the impact they’re having together, and a lot of important conversations happen out there when we’re working side-by-side.”
DECADE OF HEALTHY WALKING: Mayor Mahan was actually at Happy Hollow Park & Zoo on Thursday morning, where he was joined by Councilmembers Bien Doan and Pam Foley to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Senior Safari walks.
On the fourth Thursday of the month, from May to October, visitors 50 and older get to walk around the park and zoo for an hour before its younger visitors arrive. Kaiser Permanente and other organizations provide resources and information for older adults at various spots throughout the park. More than 1,000 people pre-registered to attend Thursday’s free event.
They took walking tours of the park, interacted with peccaries, got into the groove with hula hoops and listened to tunes by the U-Kool-Ladies ukulele band. It didn’t look like anyone was getting on the Pacific Fruit Express roller coaster Thursday morning, but you never know.
“We like to say you don’t ever have to age out of Happy Hollow,” said Rhonda Nourse, executive director of Happy Hollow Foundation. You can get more info at www.happyhollow.org/seniorsafari.
LEVITT SERIES RETURNS: The spring edition of the Levitt Pavilion Concert Series kicks off a four-week run this Sunday, bringing family-friendly entertainment back to downtown San Jose’s St. James Park.
Amayo, the former frontman of Antibalas, will bring his Afrobeat sound to kick things off May 26; on June 2, Noah and the Arkiteks will fill the park with the Blues and Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose will honor late board member Rick Holden. The final two concerts will feature Bay Area hip hop star Lyrics Born on June 9 and the Jack Moves on Father’s Day, June 16.
The all-ages concerts run 3:30 to 7 p.m., with food trucks and a beer-and-wine garden every week. Don’t forget to bring a blanket or lawn chair.
Of course, the spring and fall concert series the past few years have been part of an ongoing effort to build a permanent Levitt Pavilion concert stage at the park. You can find out more about that at levittsanjose.org.
