San Jose T&E Committee Briefing

Transportation and Environment Committee

Meeting Date: February 9, 2026 | Focus: District 10 / Almaden Valley

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Executive Summary

This T&E Committee meeting features four substantive items, headlined by the City's first Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CARP). The meeting is policy-focused rather than routine, with two major planning documents and an audit report requiring committee action.

Key Takeaways:

Climate Plan Adoption: City's first comprehensive climate adaptation plan identifies flooding, extreme heat, and wildfire smoke as top hazards
Road Funding Cliff Coming: Measure T expires in FY 2027-28, dropping annual pavement funding by $11.5M and threatening the City's "Good" road rating
Sewer Rate Transparency: Auditor finds Environmental Services needs to update 9-year-old rate assumptions and formalize reserve policies
Almaden Relevance: Wildfire smoke exposure, pavement conditions on local streets, and sewer rates all directly affect south San Jose residents

1. Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (CARP)

Item (d)2 | Action: Recommend adoption to City Council (March 3)

What It Is

San Jose's first comprehensive plan for adapting to climate change impacts. Funded by a $650,000 state grant, the CARP complements the existing Climate Smart San Jose plan (which focuses on reducing emissions) by addressing how to prepare for and respond to climate impacts.

Climate Hazards Identified

Hazard	Impact Level	Geographic Scope
Flooding	Highest	Citywide, especially near creeks
Extreme Heat	High	Citywide, health impacts on vulnerable
Sea Level Rise	Long-term	North San Jose/Alviso only
Wildfire Smoke	High	Citywide (from regional fires)
Drought	Moderate	Citywide

Plan Structure

19 measures across 4 categories (Knowledge, Governance, Structural, Communications)
62 implementation strategies with rough cost estimates
Focuses on improving data, strengthening coordination, investing in resilient infrastructure, and enhancing communication

Almaden Valley Impact:

Wildfire smoke is identified as "more impactful" than direct wildfire risk for most residents—air quality during fire season affects everyone
Extreme heat disproportionately impacts older adults and children—the plan includes resilience hubs and community facilities upgrades
Flooding assessment includes creek corridors—homes near Guadalupe Creek or Alamitos Creek may see updated vulnerability mapping
This is a planning document, not a funding commitment—implementation depends on future grants and budget decisions

Next Steps: If approved, goes to full City Council on March 3, 2026. Implementation will occur as funding is secured.

2. Citywide Pavement Conditions Report

Item (d)3 | Status Report

The Good News: San Jose's overall pavement condition remains "Good" at PCI 73 for the fourth consecutive year. Local streets improved to PCI 74, up from 61 in 2018.

The Problem: Measure T funding runs out in FY 2027-28.

Metric	Current	After Measure T Expires
Annual Funding	$66.1M	$54.6M
Funding Gap	$0.2M/year	$8.8M/year
Projected 2035 Backlog	$306M (by 2027)	$673 million

Key Finding: Without new revenue, road conditions will decline after 2028. The City needs $74.9M annually to maintain current PCI 73; it will only have $54.6M. Network PCI expected to drop below 70 ("Good" threshold) after 2030.

Almaden Valley Impact

191 miles of streets were maintained in 2025; 60 miles paused for weather will resume in February 2026
Three-year plan (2026-2028): 397 miles scheduled for maintenance—check the interactive map to see if your street is included
7.1 miles of bikeways added through pavement projects in 2025
Vision Zero safety improvements evaluated for all major streets under the pavement program

Watch Point: The City will need to find new revenue sources to maintain road quality. This could mean a future ballot measure or reallocation of existing funds.

3. Sewer Rate Setting Audit

Item (d)4 | Audit Report with 6 Recommendations

What It Is

The City Auditor examined how Environmental Services Department (ESD) calculates sewer rates. The audit found the process generally follows state guidelines but identified three areas for improvement.

Key Findings

Outdated Assumptions: A 2015 study found that actual wastewater strength didn't match what the rate model assumed—and field sampling to verify hasn't happened since. ESD should review and update these assumptions.
No Formal Reserve Policy: The Sewer Fund maintains reserves, but there's no formal policy defining target levels or intended uses. Other wastewater utilities have clear reserve policies.
Transparency Gaps: The sewer rate webpage lacks clear explanations of how rates are calculated. Peer agencies provide better public information.

What This Means for Residents:

Your sewer rate is currently $605.04/year for single-family homes (FY 2025-26)
Rates are based on assumed wastewater volume and pollutant strength—if assumptions are updated, rates could change
ESD agreed with all 6 recommendations; implementation expected over the next 1-2 years

Almaden Valley Impact: This is a citywide rate issue. All single-family residents pay the same flat rate regardless of location. The audit doesn't suggest rates are wrong—just that the process for setting them could be more rigorous and transparent.

4. Other Items

Climate Advisory Commission Work Plan

Item (c)1 | Consent Calendar

Routine approval of the Climate Advisory Commission's FY 2025-26 work plan. Two new items were added:

Second review of San Jose Clean Energy Integrated Resource Plan (long-term energy procurement strategy)
Evaluation of Energy and Water Building Performance Ordinance

No action needed from residents unless you're interested in commission meetings.

How to Participate

Written Comment	Email TEPublicComment@sanjoseca.gov by 8:00 a.m. on February 9
In-Person	Fill out a yellow Speaker's Card at Council Chambers
Watch Live	Cable Channel 26 City YouTube Zoom Webinar (ID: 955 0594 8261)

Document prepared: February 8, 2026

Prepared for: Almaden Valley Community Association

This briefing is for informational purposes.

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