Olivia Navarro grew up watching her dad guide the Tamien Neighborhood Association in San Jose. This inspired her to lead groups within the Democratic Party — Chicano Latino Caucus, Stonewall LGBTQ+ and Movimiento Democratic Coalition.
Toiling with the idea of running for office throughout her career in politics, Navarro, 46, said she decided to focus on raising her children and working as an insurance agent. But with her kids older and her husband pushing her to run for office, she decided it was time. Navarro wants to bring her experience in uniting labor and business groups to City Hall.
Navarro is running for the open San Jose City Council seat in District 6 against Willow Gen native and real estate investor Michael Mulcahy, with Councilmember Dev Davis terming out at the end of the year. The district encompasses Willow Glen, Santana Row, The Alameda and parts of downtown.
Navarro said she wants to help residents who provide care for their children and elderly parents not just in Willow Glen, but through the entire district.
Navarro said she gained a boost in confidence after being invited by President Joe Biden’s team to meet him at the UnidosUS Annual Conference in Las Vegas.
“I went from being a soccer mom to being inspired after meeting the president of the United States. I’m still just a regular soccer mom that happens to just give back and everybody has the potential to make big change happen,” she told San José Spotlight. “Biden told me the hardest thing was to be a city councilmember because you’re actually with the community — and I thrive in the community.”
A lifelong advocate for neighborhood wellness, Navarro said her work on the city’s Measure T Oversight Committee helped ensure transparency in city projects and infrastructure maintenance. Measure T is a $650 million bond measure approved by San Jose voters in 2018 to pay for disaster preparedness, public safety and infrastructure projects.
Because of her work on Measure T, Navarro said the city has new training and emergency operation centers for the next generation of firefighters, paramedics and police. She is glad the city is fulfilling its commitment to use the funds as promised — repaving streets, potholes and other critical infrastructure. By completing the work the city will earn the trust of taxpayers, she said.
Navarro touts being the only District 6 candidate endorsed by the Democratic Party. It’s one of her most notable endorsements, and just like her endorsement from the South Bay Labor Council, she said it was hard earned and not simply given.
“We need strong female voices in positions of power throughout our region, including the San Jose City Council. Olivia will be a champion for her community and for working families, which is why the Labor Council has endorsed her candidacy,” South Bay Labor Council executive officer Jean Cohen told San José Spotlight.
Along with serving as vice chair of the party’s Chicano Latino Caucus, she is the Democratic Party Assembly District 28 executive board member. Navarro previously served as District 6 representative for the now-defunct San Jose Neighborhoods Commission.
“’I’m not just getting support from particular groups, I’m getting support from small businesses and the community as a whole,” Navarro told San José Spotlight. “I was a top vote-getter for the neighborhoods commission when I was elected because I was able to connect to different parts of the district, and that’s something that I’m carrying into this 2024 campaign.”
An advocate of affordable housing, Navarro said she would have voted for the $20 million Bay Area regional housing bond measure that was pulled from the November ballot. She said these measures are a necessary last resort. To help bring more affordable and market-rate housing online faster, she wants to speed up the permitting process.
“We need to build new housing across the board, and if it means partnering on a regional level to be able to get that, I’m okay with that,” Navarro told San José Spotlight. “The reality is we don’t have developers that are actually building here, and so we have to come up with better solutions to incentivize them, but the only way you’re going to do that is to have a seat at the table.”
Contact Vicente Vera at [email protected] or follow @VicenteJVera on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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