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San José marks MLK day with tree planting
The effort included mulching, weeding and other park beautification work in an underserved neighborhood.
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Staff Reporter - Tue, 20, Jan 2026
- 16:11 EST
- 16
Glimpses of the event / Handout
More than 150 volunteers, students and public officials gathered at Rainbow Park in San José, California, on Jan. 19 for a tree-planting and park restoration drive to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
City, county and state leaders joined local residents, along with AmeriCorps and California Climate Action Corps service members, in the effort, which was organized by California-based nonprofit Our City Forest.
Also Read: Indian Americans hold free MLK Day health camp in Boston
People planting trees during the event / Our City ForestThe activity included planting trees, mulching, weeding and other park beautification work in an underserved neighborhood.
The event was held as part of Our City Forest’s annual MLK Day of Service. Since 1994, the nonprofit has marked the day by bringing volunteers together to plant trees and restore public spaces across Silicon Valley, with a focus on improving access to green areas and strengthening neighborhood resilience.
City, county and state leaders joined local residents, along with AmeriCorps and California Climate Action Corps service members / Our City Forest
Elected officials and community leaders who attended the event included San José Mayor Matt Mahan; San José State University president Cynthia Teniente-Matson; California State Senator Dave Cortese; Assemblymember Marc Berman; Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg; and San José City Councilmembers Rosemary Kamei of District 1, Anthony Tordillos of District 3 and David Cohen of District 4. Kamei’s office helped fund the tree planting in her district.
San José Mayor Matt Mahan / Our City Forest“For more than 30 years, Our City Forest has honored MLK Day by bringing people together to take action,” said Rhonda Berry, founding president and chief executive officer of Our City Forest.
“Every tree planted is a commitment to our neighborhoods. Seeing students, families, volunteers and community leaders working side by side reminds us that climate resilience is about people rolling up their sleeves and showing up for one another,” he said.
Glimpse of the event / Our City ForestThe event also highlighted the work of the California Climate Action Corps, which was launched in 2020 with Our City Forest as an inaugural host partner under California Volunteers. The program began with 28 host partners and 63 fellows and has since expanded to more than 150 partners statewide, hosting about 1,400 fellows.
Organizers said the initiative has helped plant more than 428,000 native plants and trees, engaged over 50,000 volunteers, diverted 75 million pounds of organic waste from landfills and recovered 35 million pounds of edible food.
Our City Forest, focuses on tree planting, schoolyard greening, environmental education and workforce development. Since its founding in 1994, the organization has planted more than 75,000 trees with a reported 93 percent survival rate and has worked with hundreds of schools across Santa Clara County.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed in the United States on the third Monday of January each year to honor the life and legacy of the civil rights leader who was assassinated in 1968.
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