San José Springs into Action at Clean California Community Day

California Volunteers, Caltrans, San José officials and community members join together for Clean California effort.

California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday, San José Mayor Matt Manhan, San José State University Students, and local community based organization leaders gather together for Clean California Community Day in Ryaland Park.

SAN JOSÉ, Calif – Today, California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday and California Volunteers, Office of the Governor service members joined San José Mayor Matt Mahan, Caltrans officials, local leaders and volunteers to spring into action for a Clean California Community Day at Ryland Park.

“Clean California has created an incredible partnership between the State and local communities to empower everyone to keep California clean,” said California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday.

California Volunteers service members from the California Climate Action Corps, #CaliforniansForAll College Corps and #CaliforniansForAll Youth Jobs Corps participated in today’s event and work year round taking action to strengthen their communities.

“A clean city builds community. It builds civic pride. It transforms neighborhoods, increases safety and fuels economic investment,” said San José Mayor Matt Manhan. “And our partnership with Clean California helps us get there. I want to thank the Governor for investing in this cleanup effort to create stronger cities throughout our state.”

California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday and San José Mayor Matt Manhan participate in trash cleaning up along a San José highway for Clean California Community Day.

Clean California is the state’s beautification initiative aimed at transforming unsightly California roadways and improving local streets and public spaces. During the San José event, attendees reseeded the lawn, filled in paths, removed debris, trimmed shrubs and weeded.

“Governor Newsom has made Clean California a priority, aiming to transform unsightly roadsides throughout our state into places that all Californians deserve,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares.

Clean California is made possible through Governor Gavin Newsom’s sweeping $1.2 billion, multiyear cleanup effort led by Caltrans to remove trash, create thousands of jobs, and engage communities to transform public spaces. Clean California Community Days is an 11-day event series aimed at encouraging communities to get involved with local beautification efforts to clean up roadways, local streets and public spaces.

Since launching Clean California in July 2021, Caltrans and local partners have removed more than 1.4 million cubic yards of litter from state highways – the equivalent of more than 23,000 tons or enough trash to fill the Rose Bowl three and a half times. Caltrans has hired more than 840 team members and Clean California grants have funded 231 projects to revitalize and beautify underserved communities. Last month, Governor Newsom announced a new round of $100 million in grants for local beautification projects.

Visit the Clean California Community Days page to learn more. Find additional volunteer opportunities at CaliforniansForAll.ca.gov.

Interviews with Chief Service Officer Fryday are available.

PRESS CONFERENCE RECORDING: https://vimeo.com/811507287

BROLL FOOTAGE: https://vimeo.com/californiavolunteers/clean-ca-3-25-23

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About California Volunteers, Office of the Governor  
Led by California Chief Service Officer Josh Fryday, California Volunteers, Office of the Governor empowers Californians to take action to improve their communities. California Volunteers is the state office tasked with recruiting young Californians to engage in public service.