San Jose Planning Commissioner Anthony Tordillos has declared victory in the special election for the District 3 City Council seat.
Tordillos made the announcement Thursday, after a Wednesday results update showed him maintaining a wide lead over Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley Executive Director Gabby Chavez-Lopez. Tordillos holds 64.3% of the vote, or 5,328 votes. Chavez-Lopez trails in second place with 35.6% of the vote, or 2,954 votes. Nearly 8,326 ballots have been cast, according to Santa Clara County elections officials who will continue processing ballots Thursday.
“District 3 voters showed they won’t settle for status quo San Jose politics. They’re tired of the same old fights between ‘business’ and ‘labor’ — they want a councilmember they can count on to deliver results on housing affordability, homelessness and public safety,” Tordillos said in a statement. “We were never supposed to make it this far, but thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who knocked on over 30,000 doors, we’re here.”
Chavez-Lopez conceded in a statement to San José Spotlight on Thursday.
“While the results were not what we hoped for, I’m proud of the campaign we ran — one that stayed rooted in our values and focused on the people of District 3. Thank you, San Jose, for the chance to listen, learn and lead with purpose,” Chavez-Lopez told San José Spotlight.
She congratulated Tordillos on his victory — but also denounced the negative campaigning against her from business and real estate groups.
“The level of negative campaigning from outside special interests — particularly the California Association of Realtors and Silicon Valley Biz PAC — was deeply disappointing and crossed a line,” she said. “As someone on the receiving end, I know firsthand that we must do better. I remain committed to raising the standard of how we conduct local elections. San Jose deserves campaigns rooted in truth and integrity — not misinformation.”
On election night, Tordillos said his first issue upon taking office will be housing.
“Housing has been my No. 1 issue — it’s what got me into local politics to begin with,” Tordillos told San José Spotlight. “I’m looking forward to continue to lead on housing on City Council and find ways to turn around our housing shortage and build a more affordable San Jose.”
The election results could tip the City Council’s delicate scales of power. Mayor Matt Mahan just won colleagues’ approval for a handful of his headline-grabbing proposals, including arresting homeless people for refusing shelter, which have built him a statewide political profile. But his council majority isn’t always consistent. His colleagues recently shot down one of his boldest proposals to tie city leaders’ salaries to their performance.
Mahan initially put his support behind one of his deputy chiefs of staff, Matthew Quevedo, in the special election’s April 8 primary. Quevedo was knocked out of the race after razor-thin margins triggered a recount. Mahan then threw his support behind Tordillos.
“If you get to know Anthony, he’s such a kind and thoughtful person who asks great questions and really wants to understand issues,” Mahan told San José Spotlight on election night. “He and I don’t agree on every issue, but we’ve done hours of deep conversation talking about data and he’s got the right mindset.”
Story updated June 26 at 11:02 a.m. Original story published June 26 at 8:51 a.m.
Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.
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