San Jose town hall addresses mental illness, homelessness, crime and repeat offenders

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Arrest, release and repeat. It's the cycle community leaders, business owners and residents want to change in the heart of San Jose.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan spoke with downtown business owners on Friday about the city's approach to homelessness and public safety.

"My store vandalized five times in five years and State Farm discontinued by business policy for next month," said Ajay Patel, who owns San Jose Candy Kitchen.

On Friday, the San Jose Downtown Association hosted a public town hall. Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong and Mayor Matt Mahan addressed questions surrounding homelessness and mental illness.

MORE: San Jose files restraining orders against repeat drug offenders from city park

"And I have a question for our judges. Why it is that someone can fail to appear in court, or be on bail and commit another serious crime and be right back in the same place 24 hours later," Mahan said.

They discussed and committed to helping roughly 30-40 individuals that are known to repeatedly cause minor lower-level crimes within the downtown area.

Adolfo Gomez has worked in downtown for 22 years. He's the operations partner for Mezcal Restaurant.

"Is downtown getting more dangerous than before? I don't think so, I think situations happen in every city. But I think we don't have the resources for the minor crimes that can become bigger crimes, so you know repeat offenders three or four times," Gomez said.

EXCLUSIVE: Repeat SF car burglar rearrested month after being released from jail by judge

Supervisor Duong said when it comes to medical treatment and substance abuse treatment on the county side, it's only going to get more challenging with looming federal cuts.

"Medical treatment beds, the city of San Jose demanded we built and we are building. And we're adding and we're in this full momentum forward, propulsion of adding more beds, of adding more beds every month. We're adding more beds. Right. Now, once we fall off this financial cliff in 2027, where do those beds go? That is my waking nightmare," Duong said.

And the mayor emphasized his push to find the appropriate way to intervene for people who refuse help.

"If you're addicted to meth or fentanyl, you may not be able to make a rational decision in that moment. Doesn't mean we lock you up with harden criminals, doesn't mean we put you in a mental health hospital and throw away the key in a decade, but look I have a cousin who spent who spent two years on the streets here with addiction. We had to physically intervene to get him home," Mahan said.