San Jose City Councilmember David Cohen addresses City Council

It’s An Honor to Serve the People of Alviso, Berryessa, and North San José.

I’m here to listen to your concerns, take action on your behalf, and do what’s best for our community. I hope you will reach out to me and my staff when you need help.

Berryessa Safe RV Parking: An In Depth Look

Last month, we opened the Berryessa Safe Parking site, with 86 spaces for people living in RVs. We visited this week to find out how it's going. This powerful video tells the story of the site and the impact is having on the lives of real people in our community. While the video is lengthy, it’s well worth your time. It's not a theoretical policy discussion; it shares the lived experiences of real people navigating incredibly difficult circumstances. These are our neighbors, each with a unique story, facing challenges with strength and dignity. Watching this video reminds us that behind every encampment or RV is a human being seeking stability and a path forward.

Supporting programs like the Safe Parking site is not just about providing a temporary solution—it’s about creating a bridge to long-term change. These programs help get people off the streets, but more importantly, they help keep them off the streets by connecting them with the resources they need to rebuild their lives whether that’s housing, employment, or other critical support services. I’m proud of the early success on this site and am proud to support initiatives like this. I hope this video moves you as much as it moved me!

Big thanks to Victoria and the entire WeHOPE team at the Safe RV Parking Facility for their incredible work getting the site up and running smoothly—and for being so welcoming during the filming of this video.

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I’m proud to have worked with the Mayor on his Budget Message which will be presented to the City Council on Tuesday, March 18, starting at 1:30pm. This marks the start of the annual budget cycle, leading to the adoption of the 2025-26 budget in June. The message keeps our focus on the city’s core services while ensuring a balanced budget.

Beyond budgetary matters, Mayor Mahan has included two significant policy proposals—one on homelessness and another on Council compensation. Given the complexity of these issues, I believe they deserve separate, in-depth discussions to fully assess their policy, implementation, and legal impacts. That’s why I’m proposing to remove these proposals from next week’s budget message and bring them back to the Council for a thorough review.

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Excited to welcome a new and innovative business to District 4! Dan and the NCM team have launched an AI-powered barista that not only makes great coffee but can chat in 4 languages—with more to come. In a district where over 65 languages are s

Huge thank you to all the incredible volunteers who came out for the Great American Litter Pick Up in District 4! Your time, energy, and commitment to keeping our neighborhoods clean is what makes our community so special. When we come together like

Join me for community office hours at Pizza My Heart (1477 Berryessa Road, Unit 10) on Wednesday, April 23rd from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. This is a great opportunity for us to connect in a relaxed, casual setting. Whether you have a specific concern, a q

This weekend I attended and judged at the WiDS Datathon hosted at the South Bay Yacht Club in Alviso. The day’s agenda included birdwatching, a park cleanup of Alviso Marina County Park, and workshops where the participants built predictive mod

Today we broke ground on the Taylor Street Navigation Center — another important step in expanding our tools to address homelessness in San José.
This new emergency interim housing site will provide 56 tents for safe sleeping that act as

David “Mike” Michel Flaugher was born on June 27, 1952, and passed away on February 22, 2025. A proud Purdue graduate, Mike served nine years in the U.S. Air Force and another six in the reserves before transitioning to a 20-year career a

Tram Cream Coffee just opened its 4th location — now serving Berryessa at 1621 N Capitol! Ms. Tram is a shining example of how passion, community, and quality can turn a small business into a beloved hometown success. Go show them some love and

As a longtime member of the Berryessa School Board, I know how imbalanced our school funding formulas are. Districts like Berryessa and East Side receive significantly less money per student than districts with a high property tax base. That’s

Opening on April 9th, the new Riverview Stormwater Garden will be a valuable addition to the River Oaks community, offering both environmental and recreational benefits. Designed to capture and filter runoff from all storm drains in River Oaks, the s

City Hall will be closed Monday, March 31st in observance of Cesar Chavez Day.

From Dumpster Days to Litter Pick-Ups, and even the Berryessa Art Festival, our office is always looking for folks who want to step up and help make a difference in their community.

Use the form below to get in touch with our team.

District 4 Map

District 4 is large and diverse, home to tech companies and boating marinas, bustling city centers, and lush mountainous parks. District 4 is home to our community. This map reflects the changes in boundaries made by the City of San José in February, 2022.
(click on the map to zoom in)