San Jose IT team reports $46M in active projects, touts AI training and three major launches

Khalid Tawfiq, the city’s chief information officer and information technology director, told the committee the project management office (PMO) oversees a portfolio focused on large, cross‑department initiatives and currently manages roughly $46 million in active projects.

Jesse Juarez, division manager for the PMO, said 22 of 24 projects are on green status and that the office’s role is to ensure projects are delivered "efficiently, transparently, and in a way that best serves our residents." He said the PMO connects more than 15 departments and provides structured oversight to reduce duplication and control public spending.

Project manager Shirley Jung highlighted three major launches in the current year: a new business tax system launched in January 2026 that the presentation said supports about $30 million in annual revenue; a constituent relationship management platform that has consolidated nine of 11 council and mayor’s offices; and the SGA learning portal that offers more than 150 training courses.

On artificial intelligence, Tawfiq said the city is pursuing a cautious, pragmatic approach. "We are approaching it in a practical and a responsible way," he said, adding that staff training and data governance are central to the effort. Staff described three impact levels for AI — individual (helping staff draft memos and summaries), system (automating invoices and help‑desk workflows) and operational (supporting partial automation of 311 requests and permit reviews).

Presenters said the city has completed three data upskilling cohorts (21 participants) and trained about 800 staff through a one‑hour baseline program, with a goal to exceed 1,000 employees by the end of June. The memo referenced a data governance policy adopted last May and cross‑department working groups to support AI adoption while emphasizing privacy and transparency.

Council Member Kamei asked about the department’s 70% customer‑satisfaction baseline. Staff said the figure reflects averages observed in comparable government surveys and that no single industry standard was definitive. On interagency 311 integration, staff said the city currently bridges calls to other agencies manually and is exploring offering its 311 system to neighboring jurisdictions for a fee if systems can interoperate.

The committee voted to accept the status report.