San Jose City Council convened on Tuesday to recognize and proclaim a series of holidays and month-long awareness efforts for the month of May.
These holidays and awareness efforts include National Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Awareness Day, National Pet Month, Stroke Awareness Month and Arbor Day.
National Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Awareness Day
Mayor Matt Mahan called upon District 5 councilmember Peter Ortiz to declare May 5 as National Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Awareness Day.
Ortiz said indigenous people across the nation face the issue of being murdered and going missing, and that it’s an epidemic.
He waved up Sonya Tetnowski, chief executive officer at the Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley.
Tetnowski thanked San Jose’s city council for changing the color of the lights outside City Hall to the color red that represents victims who are indigenous people missing, murdered or trafficked from Tuesday to Friday in recognition of their memory.
“Far too long we’ve had this crisis happening in our communities without recognition and without response,” she said. “With 630,000 American Indians in the state of California, 5,712 have gone missing.”
Stroke Awareness Month
District 10 councilmember Arjun Batra declared the month of May as Stroke Awareness Month.
He said every 40 seconds, someone dies in the United States from a stroke, and that this is a great time to be aware of this illness.
“Even though I am sad about the number of stats I read to you, I’m really glad to say that the science of medicine and the systems of medical care have developed to the point [where] we are in a position to take care of this very, very, impactful illness,” Batra said. “What we have learned is through the science.”
Batra called up Dr. Harmeet Sachdev, a neurologist at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, to speak about strokes. He said every 40 seconds, someone dies in the United States from a stroke, and that this is a great time to be aware of this illness and its impact.
National Pet Month
Mahan declared May as National Pet Month along with members of the Humane Society Silicon Valley, an Amazon representative with two members of Amazon Pets, a member from the pet health organization PetIQ and a few dogs to officially set the declaration.
District 3 councilmember Omar Torres said the members of the Humane Society Silicon Valley helped 5,200 animals find homes in 2021 with over 900 active volunteers at its shelter.
Mahan gave a proclamation certificate to the animal care workers behind him, and a member from Amazon presented a large check for a $10,000 donation to the Humane Society Silicon Valley.
“As we celebrate National Pet Month, let us not forget the importance of responsible pet ownership,” Mahan said. “It’s our duty to ensure that our pets receive proper care, including regular veterinary check-ups, healthy nutrition and plenty of exercise to make sure they are happy and healthy so they can keep us happy and healthy.”
Arbor Day
District 4 councilmember David Cohen declared April 29 as Arbor Day, a secular day where people are encouraged to go outside and plant new trees.
He said over 100 volunteers from Santa Clara University, Boy and Girl Scout troops, downtown rotaries and the climate action committee met on Monday to plant 30 trees in Cataldi Park, which is located on the east side of Interstate 680 in northern San Jose near Milpitas.
“We’ve expanded our city arborists staff and they serve a vital role in the expansion and stewardship of our tree canopy,” Cohen said. “As we celebrate Arbor Day, please consider adding a tree to your home or neighborhood and participating in many community planning events we have across the city.”
