San Jose Audit: 98% of About 10,000 Vehicle Abatement Cases Closed Within 14 Days, but Patrols Covered Only 57% of Streets
An audit report (Report 26-06) submitted to the City Council by San Jose City Auditor Joe Rois in Santa Clara County, California, shows that from July 2025 to March 2026 the city handled about 10,000 abandoned and illegally parked vehicle cases reported by residents through SJ311 or found on proactive patrols, and closed 98 percent of them within 14 days. The City Council accepted the report at its October 27 meeting.
According to the report, the average case took six days to close, and 80 percent of cases were closed after vehicle owners voluntarily complied following notice. Both the timeliness and voluntary-compliance measures met the performance goals the city set for the program.
The report also found, however, that between October 2025 and April 2026, proactive patrols by the Department of Transportation covered on average only 57 percent of city streets within a 14-day cycle, short of the goal of patrolling all streets. The auditors listed the coverage gap as an area needing improvement: in neighborhoods where no resident complains, abandoned vehicles can sit unaddressed for long periods.
The report makes eight recommendations in three areas — timeliness and resources, documentation and supervisory review, and customer communications — including updating towing guidance, reassessing the patrol coverage goal and updating performance metrics. One finding notes that warning notices sent to vehicle owners were not fully translated into all languages required under the city's Language Equity Policy, and recommends translating the notices in full so that owners who do not speak English can understand the requirements and their appeal options.
San Jose is the seat of Santa Clara County and the most populous city in Silicon Valley. The Office of the City Auditor is an independent audit office under the City Council; the audit examined the vehicle abatement program run by the Department of Transportation, which handles vehicles that are abandoned, long-parked or illegally occupying city streets.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 圣何塞市政厅大楼与圆形大厅。CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / San Jose City Hall tower and rotunda. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
