Fact Brief: Does the San Jose mayor lack veto powers?

Yes.

According to San Jose’s charter, the mayor doesn’t have the power to veto legislation or the actions of City Council. 

According to city documentation, the specific and unique powers of the mayor’s office allow the official to make recommendations to the city council, address the public annually, direct the public information office, preside over city council meetings while acting as the governing body’s 11th member. San Jose has 10 city councilmembers.

In 2020, then-Mayor Sam Liccardo introduced a “strong mayor” initiative that would’ve given the office more power. Under “strong mayor” systems, the office typically has the power to hire and fire city department heads and veto power over legislation. Liccardo dropped the issue due to community pressure. 

He proposed creating a Charter Review Commission to consider changes. In 2021 the commission recommended the current “Manager-Council” form of governance model be maintained.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

San José Spotlight partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

Sources

• City Of San Jose City Charter
• City of San Jose Governance Structure
• City of San Jose Charter Review Comission
• NBC Bay Area Mayor Sam Liccardo Drops ‘Strong Mayor' Plan
• CBS News San Jose Council Votes To Put 'Strong Mayor' Proposal On November Ballot
• San Jose Inside SJ Mayor Unveils Measure to Expand Powers of His Office