Mayor Matt Mahan says the June 1 event at Happy Hollow Park and Zoo will have shorter speeches, with councilmembers leading service projects around Kelley Park.
But as COVID-19 shuttered the popular San Jose attraction for most of the past year and several months this year when cases spiked, officials are exploring new ways to patch up an expected budget shortfall. Happy Hollow is now open with timed reservations Tuesday through Sunday, where visitors can walk through the zoo via a one-way path.
While city officials could not say exactly how much money the zoo has lost they’re still calculating it the most recent budget documents show a $525,000 reduction in the parks budget with part of that attributed to Happy Hollow.
The documents also show a loss of $70,000 from special events, face paintings and celebrations.