San Jose officials have chosen a temporary downtown representative while voters wait to pick a permanent replacement in a special election later this year.
The City Council voted Tuesday to appoint Carl Eugene Salas, founder of engineering and technical services firm Salas O’Brien, to temporarily fill the empty District 3 seat starting Feb. 4. Salas answered questions on homelessness prevention, the upcoming budget and priorities for downtown in an interview process ahead of the vote, alongside three others candidates who hoped to be picked for the seat. The short-term appointment will last until downtown residents cast their vote in an April special election — though a possible runoff could extend that to June.
“I’ve been here for 50 years, and San Jose has been incredibly good to me, financially, spiritually and emotionally,” Salas said Tuesday. “We purchased our own properties in District 3, and so for 40 years, we managed them, purchased them and sold them, and we have experience with blight, crime, the unhoused, struggling merchants and tenant issues.”
He also highlighted his roles on the Rotary Club and the San Jose Police Foundation as an example of his people skills to create lasting partnerships on the council that will benefit the city.
“I keep thinking that there’s some chance the city and (Santa Clara County) can work together to actually pony up money and share a joint housing project,” he said. “We can bridge, sometimes, the gap between the city and county.”
Mayor Matt Mahan, who has taken over duties in District 3 since former Councilmember Omar Torres resigned in disgrace last year, spoke highly of Salas during the meeting.
“I have spent more time working with Carl on projects in the community,” Mahan said. “He is someone who has handled large budgets, managed large teams, made very difficult decisions — and I think in this budget process he’ll bring a lot to the table.”
Elected city officials wanted to know how the incoming temporary District 3 representative plans to balance the needs of downtown’s growth and the well-being of residents who also require resources and attention.
Councilmembers spent hours interviewing the four candidates, who included land use consultant Bob Staedler, Danielle Marie Christian, a former deputy policy director for county Supervisor Joe Simitian, Jahmal Williams, director of advocacy for racial justice at San Jose State University, and Salas. Baltazar Lopez, a government and community affairs officer for Caltrain who applied for the temporary appointment, was set to be interviewed, but dropped out because of unforeseen circumstances.
Salas’ appointment required multiple votes due to the council not being able to meet a two-thirds majority, as councilmembers were split 6-4 between Salas and Williams. Ultimately, the council voted to lower the required majority needed to make a decision.
“I’ve know Carl for a long time,” Vice Mayor Pam Foley said. “I needed to offer a balance perspective and opinion of Carl that you all don’t know, and I hope you all get the opportunity to get to know him because he is one of the kindest and most generous people I know.”
Salas will serve a monthslong stint as downtown’s City Hall representative as seven candidates compete for the upcoming special election to represent District 3 through November 2026.
Candidates include San Jose Planning Commission Chair Anthony Tordillos, Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley Executive Director Gabby Chavez-Lopez, mayoral staffer Matthew Quevedo, financial analyst Irene Smith, retired family counselor Tyrone Wade, retired sheriff Lt. Adam Duran and Philip Dolan, a knife sharpener salesman.
The special election will take place April 8.
Last updated Jan. 28 at 8:05 p.m. Original story published Jan. 28 at 7:21 p.m.
Contact Vicente Vera at [email protected] or follow @VicenteJVera on X.
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