The Welcoming San José Plan 2025-2030 outlines the City of San José’s commitment to fostering a warm welcoming environment to those who arrive, including immigrants, helping them feel like they belong and have a valued place within our community. Building upon the successes and lessons learned from previous Welcoming Plans, this plan is guided by the Welcoming America framework and aligns with the City’s Racial and Social Equity Ordinance and Equity Values and Standards Policy. The Office of Racial and Social Equity (ORSE) plays a central role in driving this work, ensuring that policies, programs, and practices are designed to eliminate institutional barriers and create a welcoming environment for all.

• Welcoming San José Plan 3.0 (2025-2030) in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
• Welcoming San José Plan 2.0 (2021-2024)
• Welcoming San José Plan (2016-2019)

Principles

The rapidly-evolving US political context following the 2024 Election had a significant influence on the conversation, analysis, and thinking about action steps for this iteration of the Welcoming plan. Input from both internal staff stakeholders as well as community partners who participated in the development of this plan underscored the necessity of highlighting a set of Strategic Imperatives that reflect key differences from previous years’ plans and clarify the mindset for moving forward. 

1. Acknowledge Urgency: The context for this Welcoming Strategy is not about “nice-to-have” engagement with immigrant communities; while political discourse may change over time, the City is in a moment where it must clearly name and take clear action to live its values. How can San José, CA continue to be both the “Capital of Silicon Valley” AND the “Crossroads of the World,” simultaneously?
2. Stand in Appreciative Inquiry: Currently, many programs for immigrant populations treat the work as a “problem to be solved” and not the “opportunity to unleash” an unparalleled economic and social engine for positive growth and long-term resilience. While there are social challenges to consider, approaching them with curiosity and openness allows the City to recognize and build upon the strengths of its residents, fostering growth and enhancing what is already working well.
3. Mind the Narrative: Across Community and City engagement processes, many noted the negative narrative frame of people who have migrated to our community as “criminal,” or being otherwise wrong or bad for taking the journey. Intentionally, this plan centers its approach on the systems and processes that immigrant communities must navigate—aiming to clarify and simplify them—while deliberately steering away from emphasizing interpersonal differences or reinforcing notions of “otherness.” 
4. Assume Trust Must Be Earned: Much of the design and communications about different programs and interaction forums assume a baseline of trust in hosting organizations’ authority or good intentions. Many are noticing that the City has an opportunity to be more forward-looking—and actions and communications must be developed accordingly. 

Welcoming Week

Welcoming Week is an annual campaign and celebration to showcase the movement of communities striving to be more welcoming places for all, including immigrants. Launched in 2012 by Welcoming America and its members, Welcoming Week provides individuals and communities the opportunity to proclaim welcoming values through events and local initiatives that foster mutual understanding between immigrants and non-immigrants, as well as deeper belonging for all.

Welcoming Month 2025

This September, San José celebrates Welcoming Month—an expanded, month-long version of the national Welcoming Week, honoring inclusive communities during a time of polarizing discourse. In partnership with San José Jazz, the City is hosting events that showcase the diversity and vibrancy of our community. The celebration kicks off with a display of handheld alebrijes, colorful sculptures rooted in Mexican folk art—now on view in the City Hall lobby. Eight monumental alebrijes, each over 20 feet tall, are also installed at Plaza de César Chávez, bringing bold color and imagination to the heart of downtown. Whether you’re new to San José or have long called it home, you’re invited to help shape a city where everyone belongs. Visit alebrijes.sanjosejazz.org/calendar for the full lineup and visit the Welcoming Week Events calendar to see all local and national events!

read, watch, and listen

• TIMELINE: Citizenship in the United States, 1781 – Present, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees
• Seeking Asylum (film)
• Liquor Store Dreams (film)