San José City Council District Five encompasses much of East San José and the East Foothills, including the neighborhoods of Capitol/Goss, Dobern, Cassell, Dorsa, Lyndale, Mayfair, Mt. Pleasant, Park Pleasant, Plata Arroyo, San Antonio Unidos, Sierra and Warner Heights.
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Over 92,000 residents live in District Five, 53,000 of which are Latinos and compose 58% of the District. For this reason, East San José is often viewed as the center of Latino culture in the Bay Area. Also, over 30% of District Five's residents are under the age of 18, making the District one of the youngest in San José. Council District Five features several parks, such as Overfelt Park Gardens, Emma Prusch Farm Park and Lower Silver Creek, and is the gateway to Alum Rock Park, the State of California's oldest municipal park.
As one of the younger Council Districts, education is of great importance in Council District Five. The District is home to three school districts; Alum Rock Union Elementary School District, Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District and East Side Union High School District. Additionally, Council District Five is home to the National Hispanic University, founded in 1981 by Dr. B. Roberto Cruz as a school dedicated to providing quality education for Latinos, women and minorities.
District Five is also home to several community facilities that not only serve to provide educational resources to residents of all ages, but also foster a sense of community by providing gathering places and space for a variety of recreational activities. Two of these were recently constructed facilities funded through the Measure O Library Bond that was overwhelmingly passed by voters in 2000; the Dr. Roberto Cruz Library and the Hillview Branch Library. These facilities have been designed to accommodate the needs and desires identified by the community and incorporate beautiful local art. District Five has two community centers, Hank Lopez for the District’s senior residents and the Mayfair Community Center, which is currently being rebuilt and scheduled for completion in December 2008.
 
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The Mayfair Community Center will provide programs for residents of all ages and includes banquet facilities, a multi-purpose room, a children’s room, a computer room, a lounge, a full catering kitchen, a fitness room, a playground and a new swimming pool.
Council District Five has three Strong Neighborhood Initiative (SNI) areas: Gateway East, East Valley/680 and Mayfair. The District Five Council Office works very closely with the Neighborhood Action Coalitions (NACs) in these areas to direct funding toward capital and beautification projects identified as community priorities in order to improve local infrastructure and enhance these long-established and neglected neighborhoods. As a Councilmember, I have been extremely successful in partnering with these groups and our partnership continues to be a priority for me and my office. In addition to our neighborhoods, District Five is home to two thriving business districts, the Alum Rock Village Business Association and the Story Road Business Association. My office works closely with the San José Redevelopment Agency to fund revitalization projects and attract national, regional, and local retailers to these areas.Through our efforts and partnership with the Redevelopment Agency, the intersection at Story and King has transformed into a booming retail center filled with local entrepreneurs offering residents a large variety of stores to shop at while restoring an enormous sense of pride into the community.
Often seen as the center of Latino culture in the Bay Area, the intersection of Story and King Roads is now known for its diverse mix of retail stores and for its inviting, family-friendly atmosphere. Plaza de San José is a $73.5 million shopping center revitalization project that has become a gateway to the Story Road Business District. Major retailers once had little interest in East San José, but now many operate side-by-side with local and ethnic businesses. I will strive to continue the reemergence of East San José as a retail and cultural destination, where families from around San José and the Bay Area can come enjoy a day of great food, shopping and entertainment; where local merchants can successfully employ their entrepreneurial spirit.
  
The Mexican Heritage Plaza (MHP) stands at the corner of Alum Rock Avenue and King Road as a monument to the rich heritage of the residents of East San José. One of the many cultural events hosted at MHP is the annual International Mariachi Festival, which draws spectators to East San José from all over Northern California for a weekend filled with music, food and various types of art and entertainment.
In addition to the Mariachi Festival, District Five hosts many other exciting events that provide families the opportunity to gather and celebrate the diversity of our community. Each year, District Five hosts the the Alum Rock Jazz Festival and the Lighting up the Alum Rock Village event. Attracting our local families to these cultural events has fostered a strong sense of community and multiculturalism in East San José. I look forward to continuing to promote East San José as a vibrant center of Latino arts and culture in an effort to attract even more entertainment events for families and to provide opportunities to exhibit the energy of East San José to residents from around the Bay Area.
   
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