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Two seats will soon be vacant on the San Jose City Council—and those in power are debating how to fill them. Matt Mahan, who represents District 10, is leaving the seat after winning his bid for San Jose mayor. District 8 Councilmember Sylvia Arenas is also leaving her post after winning the District 1 Santa Clara...
How Cindy Chavez lost the San Jose mayor’s race
A veteran public official with a long list of endorsers and major financial backing had almost every South Bay politico betting on her securing the mayoral seat in the 10th largest U.S. city. Then, she lost. Days after the November election, it became clear Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez had no chance of winning,...
New San Jose mayor must work with an opposing majority
After a hard fought election, San Jose Mayor-elect Matt Mahan now faces another daunting task with his new job: working with people who didn’t think he could lead. Mahan, first elected to the council in 2020, won his bid to become the 66th mayor of San Jose last week after more than a year of campaigning....
Reader Panel: San Jose voters surprised with election outcomes
In the final San José Spotlight reader panel of the 2022 election season, voters offered their views on what outcomes surprised them in local races, special interest spending and low voter turnout. Six of the seven voters from the panel participated in a conversation on Nov. 16. One race that drew the most interest was the...
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor declares reelection victory
Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor will retain her seat for another term, after again beating back a challenge from first-term Councilmember Anthony Becker. Gillmor declared victory Wednesday night, with 91% of ballots counted and just 687 votes separating the two. “I thank Santa Clarans who gave me their vote and sent a message that our...
East San Jose councilmember ousted by newcomer
Challenger Bien Doan has claimed victory in the San Jose City Council District 7 race, unexpectedly defeating incumbent Councilmember Maya Esparza. Doan finished the race with 53.7% of the vote, or 9,004 votes. Esparza trailed behind, finishing with 46.2% of the vote, or 7,748 votes. The challenger won by a margin of 1,256 votes, with...
UPDATE: San Jose works to fill two vacant council seats
San Jose will see a stunning shakeup next year with seven new faces on the City Council, with two current elected officials assuming new offices. As of Wednesday, District 10 Councilmember Matt Mahan has won his bid to be the next San Jose mayor. District 8 Councilmember Sylvia Arenas will represent Santa Clara County District...
Sylvia Arenas wins race for Santa Clara County supervisor
For the first time in 25 years, a Democratic candidate will represent the rural and more conservative District 1 seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Sylvia Arenas, a progressive San Jose councilmember, has won the highly-contested race against fiscally-conservative candidate and former San Jose Councilmember Johnny Khamis. With approximately 90% of ballots...
Chavez concedes, Matt Mahan will be San Jose mayor
San Jose Councilmember Matt Mahan will be the new mayor of the 10th largest U.S. city after opponent Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez conceded defeat Wednesday morning. “I have called Matt Mahan to wish him the best of luck in his two-year term as mayor,” Chavez said in a statement. “San Jose faces numerous challenges...
Low voter turnout to determine San Jose elections
Last updated 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The next update is expected by 5 p.m. Thursday. A competitive San Jose mayoral race and an open seat for county sheriff failed to inspire strong turnout in last week’s election. Poor voter participation in East San Jose neighborhoods could potentially swing two key races. County election officials still...