Rather than wait for the healthier trees to deteriorate, the city decided to take out all 32 at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision was made to not wait for those to also decline into worse health before taking them out, but to mobilize our contractor and remove all 32,\u201d Colin Heyne, spokesperson for the city\u2019s Department of Transportation, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight.<\/p>\n
The city has not determined what is killing the palms. Samples have been sent to a lab and results are pending, Heyne said. The city forester suspects it\u2019s due to more than one cause. The trees also sit in a difficult spot for anything trying to grow.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re basically in large planters, between the sidewalk above and a garage below, which can make them more susceptible to disease and pests,\u201d Heyne said.<\/p>\n
The city received an arborist report in late July and has been weighing what to do ever since.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a San Jose icon, we wanted to make sure we\u2019d fully understood the data before city leaders made the decision to move ahead with the removal,\u201d Heyne said.<\/p>\n
The city is carrying out the work as an emergency removal, a technical designation that lets crews skip the notice normally posted on a tree<\/a> slated to be cut down. That notice gives residents two weeks to protest. Heyne said the city bypassed the process because the palms pose an imminent risk of falling.<\/p>\n The Circle of Palms has been part of a California landmark since 1950 because it is located at the site where the first state capital was originally located. It wasn\u2019t until the late 1980s to early 90s when the area was redeveloped that the palm trees were planted.<\/p>\n The area has been a centerpiece of community in San Jose for quite some time, including its most recent feature \u201cGaiascope<\/a>,\u201d a public art piece by artist Brooke Einbender that was on display from May 22 through Aug. 18. It ended two days before crews began taking out the trees.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Circle of Palms has been the backdrop for countless community and cultural activities over the years,\u201d District 3 Councilmember Anthony Tordillos, who represents the downtown, told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cOur city crews will be working carefully to safely remove the dying trees so we can once again enjoy art installations like \u2018Gaiascope\u2019 and community events like City Dance in this beloved space.\u201d<\/p>\n What will replace the palms has yet to be determined. Heyne said the City Manager\u2019s Office and the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs are leading that conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cNo specific plans have been announced,\u201d Heyne said. \u201cBut I would be pretty confident that the community is going to be heavily involved in talking about the future of the plaza.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/interactive-321838904008.png\")
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