In This Newsletter: Recap: National Night Out // BOS + August Ceremonials // PolitiBeat Panel // Get ready for Day on the Bay // Community Spotlight: HomeFirst // Intern Reflections // Upcoming BOS + Commission Meetings // Upcoming Events

Many thanks to our team for showing up for so many great events, and to all of YOU, our friends and neighbors, for making the evening so enjoyable. We already cannot wait until next year!

If you are looking forward to more D3 events soon, keep reading below. We have a very fun Save the Date for you to keep on the calendar!

Otto Lee

Board President

Santa Clara County Supervisor, District 3

The July recess has officially ended, and we are BACK and ready for meetings!

This past week, the Board of Supervisors had our first official meeting of FY26-27 on Tuesday, August 11. At the meeting, the Board received multiple reports with updates regarding Santa Clara County programs, including:

• A report on the Microenterprise Home Kitchen operation (MEHKO) program
• State and Federal budget developments
• Early Learning Workforce development
• Expanding home visits for newborns and families at risk of homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity
• Mental health and substance use as a public health crisis

The day before, on August 10, the Board and County Administration celebrated August Ceremonials, including:

It's always an honor to be able to speak out about impactful issues happening in our County, and last Friday offered a special opportunity to do just that.

On Friday, August 7, I had the special privilege of joining a panel at the 4th annual PolitiBeat event, hosted by San José Spotlight at Hammer Theatre. For our panel, I was in community and conversation with a number of terrific local partners:

• Tony LoPresti, County Counsel for the County of Santa Clara
• Greg Bozzo, Mayor of Gilroy
• Rebeca Armendariz, Movement Building Director for Working Partnerships USA

The conversation -- moderated by Senior San Jose Politics Reporter Keith Menconi -- was an opportunity for all of us to bring our expertise to the forefront on how the proposed ICE facility in South Santa Clara County could have impacts on the County as a whole.

As an immigrant supervisor on the Board, this topic is an impactful one for me -- we at the County MUST continue protecting our community members, and its work like those of Tony, Greg, and Rebeca that make sure we CAN continue protecting our immigrant neighbors.

Many thanks to all who joined us for this important conversation, and we hope for many more to come!

It’s almost that time of year again! The County Parks Department and our office are proud to present Day on the Bay 2026: A Healthy Earth, A Healthy Life!  

The D3 team is launching our Community Spotlight initiative, and first up is HomeFirst! This organization has spent more than 45 years working to end homelessness and support people on their journeys toward permanent housing.

HomeFirst serves individuals and families who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, offering low-barrier programs that meet people where they are. Their work spans homelessness prevention, outreach, shelter, interim housing, permanent housing, and housing-focused support services. Beyond direct services, HomeFirst also works alongside cities and counties to strengthen and improve homelessness response systems across our community.

We’re proud to spotlight HomeFirst and the important work they do every day to help our neighbors find stability and a pathway home. 

This past summer, the D3 office was lucky enough to host a total of 7 interns. Next year, we'll have to get a basketball game between staff and interns, I think!

As they wrap up their time with us and get ready to go back to school, here are some of their insights from being with our office for the last few weeks.

Ryan, rising Senior at Crystal Springs Uplands School -- worked with The-vu & Grace

"Though it was already incredibly fulfilling just to gain experience in local government, the opportunity to chat with and learn from the talented and hardworking D3 team members was my favorite part of this internship."

Peter, rising Sophomore at Stanford University -- worked with Gabe

"During my time at the office, I got to dive into projects involving TAY Housing and ADUs, and my day-to-day was a mix of research, meetings, and learning directly from people on the front lines of local government."

Victoria, rising Senior at The Harker School -- worked with Jordan

"My favorite part of the internship was engaging in one-on-ones with fellow staff on the D3 team and learning about everyone’s path to local government and how they found their policy areas of interest. I also enjoyed hosting the Fairwinds foundation delegation visit."

Chloe, rising Senior at Monta Vista High School -- worked with Jasmine

"I especially enjoyed attending events, such as National Night Out and the Intern & Earn 10-Year Celebration, where I got to meet more of the community and see more about the county’s impact. I also loved attending meetings with D3 team members, County Parks representatives, international delegations, and more, as I got to see how the county operates day-to-day."

Satya, rising Junior at Homestead High School -- worked with Daniel

"A lot of things surprised me during this internship, however how different departments work together is something that really showed me how Santa Clara County tries its best to fill in any gaps and be proactive in the community."

Lucas, rising Senior at Lynbrook High School -- worked with Grace & Emily

"One of the biggest takeaway was the behind the scenes operations and stuff. I've realized how much planning, coordination, and stuff like that goes into public events and initiatives."

Mahika, rising Junior at Milpitas High School -- worked with Grace, The-vu, Nhi & Elijah

"My favorite part of the internship was connecting with everyone on our team, both interns and staff to interact with them on a daily basis, and being able to expand my knowledge and take actionable steps towards topics I’m passionate about."

A big thank you to all of our amazing interns for spending their summer with us, and cheers to a great deal of public service careers for your futures! 

70 West Hedding

10th Floor

San Jose, CA 95110
(408) 299-5030
Email Supervisor Lee

District 3 Website

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