This year’s San Jose City Council elections could tip the scales of power in the city away from labor union allies and toward more business-friendly politicians.
Mayor Matt Mahan is running a virtually uncontested race for reelection, meaning the former tech executive, who is seen as pro-business, could serve two more four-year terms, in addition to the two years he’s already got under his belt.
His ability to push his agenda, however, is likely to depend on who wins the City Council elections, which could redistribute the power on the council. Currently heavy on labor allies, the election could give the mayor more business-friendly votes to implement his campaign goals, such as reducing street homelessness and fighting crime.
“The mayor currently has very few reliable allies — maybe one or two” said Terry Christensen, a professor emeritus of political science at San Jose State University. “The rest of the council is often ready to go in a different direction.”
Only one other person has thrown a hat into the ring for mayor in the March 5 primary, Tyrone Wade, a retired marriage and family crisis counselor who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2018 against Sam Liccardo, fetching less than 3% of the vote.
Mahan is on the ballot this year because voters decided in 2022 to move mayoral elections to correspond with presidential election years.
Though his victory is nearly guaranteed, Mahan has still raised $763,709 since August, giving him a significant nest egg that he could spend to boost allies running for council.
San Jose’s five even-numbered council districts are on the ballot this year. Two council members, Sergio Jimenez in District 2 and Dev Davis in District 6, cannot run again because of term limits, leaving the seats open to political newcomers. In addition, two incumbents — Domingo Candelas in District 8 and Arjun Batra in District 10 — will have to fight to hold onto their seats after they were appointed to their positions in a controversial process last year.
Though six of the 10 current council members were backed by labor groups during their campaigns, they don’t always work in unison. David Cohen, who was elected to District 4 with the support of the South Bay Labor Council and helped negotiate a deal to avert a city worker strike, has sometimes drifted from his fellow progressives, which resulted in Labor splitting its support between Cohen and his challenger, Kansen Chu.
Though often voting together, the council has been split on issues such as how to spend funds raised by Measure E, a ballot initiative passed in 2020 to fund new affordable housing and homeless services with a tax on real estate transactions over $2 million. Mahan has pushed to spend more money to quickly build interim shelters to get the homeless off the streets, whereas progressives want the money for permanent affordable housing.
The newly elected members will also have to reckon with how to fill over 700 vacancies across the city and its police department, with a budget deficit looming over them. They will also confront major cost overruns on the BART extension from Berryessa to Santa Clara, an emptied-out downtown, and rising housing costs.
If Mahan wins more than 50% of the vote in March, he won’t be on the ballot in November. If no one gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates in each race move to the November general election regardless of party.
Here’s a guide to the candidates running for City Council:
District 2
Four candidates are vying to succeed termed-out progressive Councilmember Sergio Jimenez in District 2, which stretches from the border of Morgan Hill up to Sylvandale Avenue and comprises Oak Grove, Coyote Creek and Blossom Valley. Labor union support is split among three progressives — small business owner Babu Prasad, Jimenez’s former chief of staff Vanessa Sandoval, and political first-timer Pamela Campos. Meanwhile, Mahan, pro-business groups and the San Jose Police Officers’ Association are supporting retired Santa Clara County Sergeant Joe Lopez.
To learn more about the candidates, click here.
District 4
Councilmember David Cohen is running for re-election in his North San Jose district. Cohen received the South Bay Labor Council’s endorsement during his 2020 run, but this year, the labor group is giving an open endorsement to Cohen and his challenger, Kansen Chu. Still, Cohen is the only candidate to receive an endorsement from both the Labor Council and the business PAC, which are usually at odds. His opponent, Chu, previously served two terms on the San Jose City Council, then ran for California State Assembly, where he served for two years.
To learn more about the candidates, click here.
District 6
Four candidates hope to succeed pro-business Councilmember Dev Davis, who is terming out of her District 6 seat, representing the neighborhoods west of downtown, including Willow Glen, West San Carlos and Fruitdale. They include a pro-housing candidate Alex Shoor, retired Marine Angelo Pasciuiti, and real estate investor and one-time mayoral hopeful Michael Mulcahy, who is backed by Mahan and pro-business groups. Labor unions are throwing their support behind Olivia Navarro, a political advisor to a local labor union.
To learn more about the candidates, click here.
District 8
Progressive Councilmember Domingo Candelas will run to hold onto his District 8 seat, representing San Jose’s East Side, after he was appointed to the position by the council — without the mayor’s support — in January. The incumbent faces a challenge from retired San Jose police Sergeant Tam Truong, software engineer and pro-business Sukhdev Bainiwal, and Sikh activist and former office administrator Surinder Dhaliwal.
To learn more about the candidates’ positions, click here.
District 10
After the City Council appointed him in January, Councilmember Arjun Batra, who has been friendly to business interests, is running to keep his seat in District 10 in South San Jose, southwest of Highway 85.
During the appointment process, Mahan backed George Casey, a corporate lawyer who will challenge Batra for the seat in the March primary. Also entering the race is Lenka Wright — a former broadcast journalist turned media advisor who is supported by labor.
To learn more about the candidates, click here.