Veterans Stand Down Serves South Bay as San Jose Sets Storm Emergency

Regional civic agencies and sports franchises across the South Bay and Peninsula rolled out major initiatives this week as Santa Clara County hosted its fourth annual Veterans Stand Down, the San Jose City Council declared a pre-emptive winter storm emergency, and the San Francisco 49ers acquired veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen.

At the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, San José Spotlight reported that more than 100 public and nonprofit organizations gathered on November 5 and 6 for the county's fourth annual Veterans Stand Down. The two-day event provided medical and dental care, housing assistance, DMV services, expungement clinics, and a resource room to veterans in a county home to nearly 40,000 civilian veterans—and 60,000 regionally—where veterans account for 3.5% of the unhoused population. Office of Veterans Services Director Darlyn Escalante, Col. Ray Watts, Social Services Agency Director Daniel Little, and Board of Supervisors President Otto Lee joined attendees including Navy veteran Carine Ndifon, Marine Corps veteran Mike Roosevelt, and 79-year-old Vietnam War Air Force veteran Thomas Bui.

In neighboring municipal government, ABC7 News reported that the San Jose City Council declared a pre-emptive state of emergency ahead of forecasted El Niño winter storms to unlock state and federal funding and streamline response logistics. Office of Emergency Management Director Ray Riordan outlined level 1, 2, or 3 round-the-clock 24-hour staffing plans developed after the 2023 atmospheric river floods, coordinating with CAL FIRE Santa Clara Unit Chief Marcus Hernandez, PG&E Vice President Angie Gibson, and the Red Cross on tree trimming, power restoration, and evacuation readiness.

Meanwhile, in Santa Clara, The San Francisco Standard reported that San Francisco 49ers General Manager John Lynch traded a 2027 sixth-round draft pick to the Indianapolis Colts for 14th-year NFL wide receiver and former Cal star Keenan Allen. Through 8 games with Indianapolis this season, Allen recorded 40 receptions for 351 yards and 1 touchdown. The deal follows last week's trade for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and mirrors Lynch's midseason 2019 trade for veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders.