For George Casey, the impetus for him running for San Jose City Council came from an event that left him frustrated about why the city wasn’t doing more to protect its residents.
A few years ago, his mother’s purse got snatched. Despite catching the incident on video, the police told them there was nothing they could do. They didn’t have the resources to pursue small incidents of theft. Casey left wondering how the once-safest big city in the nation became ineffective at addressing crime. Seeing how the city wasn’t working for its residents, the former planning commissioner jumped into the race to change the system.
“I decided to run mostly because I didn’t want anybody else’s mom, sister or daughter to suffer what my mom did, because it was the first time I felt helpless,” Casey told San José Spotlight. “And the idea that this great city, arguably the wealthiest city in the nation, doesn’t have enough police officers … I can’t tell you how frustrating it was for me.”
Casey, 52, is vying for the District 10 seat against Councilmember Arjun Batra, who was appointed to the position in 2023. The seat became vacant at the end of 2022 after voters elected then-District 10 Councilmember Matt Mahan as mayor. It’s a tight race, with Casey taking a 2% lead over Batra after the March primary. District 10 covers the Santa Teresa and Almaden areas in South San Jose.
Casey’s family moved to San Jose when he was 7 years old. He grew up in Santa Teresa and has lived in Almaden for almost 45 years. If elected, Casey said his priorities will be public safety, hiring more police, cleaning up encampments and addressing the homelessness and housing crisis. Casey has two master’s degrees: one in urban planning from San Jose State University and another in real estate development from University of California, Berkeley. He also earned a law degree from Santa Clara University and works as senior counsel and vice president for Unlock Technologies. He served four years on the San Jose Planning Commission.
When he started digging for answers on why the San Jose Police Department didn’t have the resources to address his mom’s case, he found the city was short 400 to 500 officers. He learned some were commuting one to two hours because they couldn’t afford to live in the city.
To address these issues, Casey said he wants to create an ecosystem where the city can attract and retain officers.
“We have a pipeline issue,” Casey told San José Spotlight. “We have the funding currently for 100 more police officers. We’re unable to fill those positions right now.”
Casey wants to create a pipeline by introducing students in middle and high schools and colleges to law enforcement. Casey wants to create a down payment assistance program for officers to be able buy a home in the city as a way to keep them from jumping ship to work in other cities.
With a background in urban planning and experience on the planning commission, Casey said he has an inside view of how housing markets and development work. He wants to revitalize downtown and support businesses by addressing blight and crime. He said the city’s onerous regulatory environment is what hinders investors from coming in. The Planning Department is understaffed, causing delays in the permitting process for housing developments, he said.
“Right now, there are people, investors and developers, that as a policy won’t do business in San Jose,” Casey said. “So we need to change that image.”
From June 2021 to December 2022, Casey advised Z&L Properties, where he helped the embattled company sell off land from its failed developments in the Bay Area. Casey maintains he joined Z&L after former CEO Zhang Li admitted to bribing San Francisco officials from 2015-20 — and that his role was to help Z&L get out of the San Jose market.
To address the housing crisis and lack of affordable homes in the city, Casey proposes increasing the supply of homes by building more naturally affordable starter homes such as condominiums and townhouses.
Casey said there isn’t enough urgency when it comes to solving the homelessness crisis and that the county needs to play a greater role. He sees building more tiny homes as the quickest solution to ending homelessness. However, he wants these sites to require drug treatment, mental health services and job training.
Casey is endorsed by Mahan, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, County Assessor Larry Stone, former District 10 Councilmember Johnny Khamis, San Jose Downtown Association Chair Emily Ruvalcaba, Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, Families and Homes San Jose and the San Jose Police Officers’ Association.
“George Casey’s commitment to San Jose is clear — he has voluntarily served as a planning commissioner for the past four years, and has shown his independence as a leader who is willing to work with the community to drive forward solutions,” Mahan told San José Spotlight. “He earned the respect and trust of voters by finishing first in the primary, because they recognize that we need a leader who will work for District 10 residents on the issues that matter most to them.”
Casey said with his motivation to protect the residents of San Jose, his deep roots in the city, professional experience and vision to revitalize the city, he is prepared to represent District 10.
“I will make sure that our citizens always get the bargain that we’re negotiating for, and we’ll never be taken advantage of in any negotiation,” Casey said.
Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or @joyce_speaks on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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