Editorial: Will San Jose’s next District 3 leader fit the bill?

Accountability. Honesty. Reliability. The next District 3 San Jose councilmember is going to need all three in spades.

Residents will be watching and expecting their newly-elected representative to uplift the downtown and help wash away the stain laid upon their neighborhood by disgraced former Councilman Omar Torres. A special election on April 8 will determine who fills the seat and applies those principles.

The most significant of the three qualities is honesty. The seven candidates — mayoral Deputy Chief of Staff Matthew Quevedo, Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley Executive Director Gabby Chavez-Lopez, San Jose Planning Commission Chair Anthony Tordillos, pro tem judge Irene Smith, retired Sheriff Lt. Adam Duran and knife sharpener salesman Philip Dolan and retired family counselor Tyrone Wade — all claim to have it.

Each candidate highlighted their plans for reducing homelessness, increasing affordable housing and uplifting the downtown’s image at a March election forum hosted by San José Spotlight and San Jose Woman’s Club. The candidates talked about whether they agreed with San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s vision on key issues, including how to help those with substance use and mental health needs get off the streets — through either supportive services or arrest and jail as the path a toward treatment. They were emphatic in their responses.

So what happens when accountability is factored in? Every candidate claimed donors and special interests groups would not sway their allegiance toward the betterment of District 3. How can residents determine whether it’s true or political jargon?

Following the money trail is a good place to start. How much has each candidate raised and who’s donated to their campaigns? Equally as important are the special interests groups that are backing candidates and spending tens of thousands of dollars on mailers, texts and other collateral to help their preferred candidate win. Quevedo and Chavez-Lopez have raised the most from donors so far, while outside interests have spent heavily on campaign messaging for both of them.

In the end, will any of this move voters enough to mail in their ballots or go to the polls?

Special elections are notorious for low voter turnout. Quevedo even mentioned the problem at the candidate forum. He estimated maybe 10,000 people will turn out to vote. The district has a population of just over 103,000 residents, according to the 2020 U.S. Census used during the city’s restricting.

The last District 3 election happened November 2022 when voters elected Torres. It wasn’t a presidential year, so turnout was low, but San Jose was electing a new mayor. Even then, only 17,764 residents or about 17% of District 3 voted for a new councilmember. Essentially, a minority of district voters elected their representative, a person they trusted and thought would be reliable and accountable. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

It’s conceivable with seven candidates in the race no one will get 50% of the vote, leading to a runoff on June 24. Should that happen, with everything this district has endured, do residents want the top two vote getters in the first round being decided by 10% to 17% of the community prior to a runoff?

Mail-in ballots have already arrived and polls are open at various locations before Election Day. The ballot only has one item. It doesn’t get any simpler.

Take some time to read up on each candidate beyond their ballot statement. Follow the money. Watch the forum video.

No doubt District 3 residents want to make sure the next councilmember has their back.

Moryt Milo is an editor at San José Spotlight. Contact Moryt at [email protected] or follow her at @morytmilo on X. Catch up on her monthly editorials here.