San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan will give his first State of the City address Saturday.
He gave the community a little preview of it Friday when he took to the streets, rolling along with a Beautify SJ crew to help clean things up.
"People wanna live in a city that's safe and clean, and if we get those basics right, everything else is possible,” said Magan.
He loaded a truck with discarded furniture and painted over graffiti, one day ahead of his annual State of the City speech that will stress the need for cleanup, safety, and housing.
"There are three priorities I've elevated above the others,” said Mahan. “It's being the safest big city in America again, having a clean and beautiful city, and ensuring that everyone is housed."
"Half of all the calls we received in the last 90 days were about our neighbors trying to remain housed,” said Kevin Zwick, CEO of United Way Bay Area.
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United Way Bay Area, which tracks the needs of the community, said more housing remains atop the list.
"From my perspective, at United Way Bay Area, and a San Jose resident, housing, the housing crisis, and the number of people struggling to stay housed is the number one challenge," said Zwick.
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The mayor says cleaning the streets, while trying to get people off the streets, are connected.
"This is all part of building that strong foundation that will allow us to have an economically vibrant city people can be proud of, to attract investment in the housing and jobs we need for our future population,” said Mahan.
