Willow Glen native Mulcahy leading in San Jose City Council District 6

Real estate investor Michael Mulcahy has pulled ahead in the race for the San Jose City Council District 6 seat as the polls close. 

As of 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Mulcahy appears to be leading with 53.3% of the vote. Olivia Navarro, an insurance agent and political adviser is trailing with 46.7% of the vote.

More than 370,000 ballots have been cast as of 9:45 p.m., with county voter turnout at 35.4%.

The two are vying for an open seat with Councilmember Dev Davis terming out in December. District 6 encompasses Willow Glen, The Alameda and parts of downtown.

“We’re looking forward to the full results and are pleased with a great start — it’s indicative of the campaign we ran and we’ll see how the night plays out,” Mulcahy told San José Spotlight. “I’m super proud of the campaign we ran, and this is exactly the kind of celebration I was looking forward to having.”

Mulcahy held his election night party tucked away on the outskirts of Willow Glen at Hapa’s Brewing Company, where supporters and campaign staffers chatted away either waiting to greet Mulcahy, or lining up for the Mexican-themed catering bar.

His wife Kimberly Mulcahy took the stage to announce the initial election results around 8:15 p.m. and supporters erupted in applause as Michael Mulcahy stood in the back among colleagues.

Mulcahy, a native of San Jose, prominent Willow Glen real estate managing partner and former mayoral candidate, like Davis, would give the council a pro-business voice on the dais. 

Mulcahy, through his family company SDS NexGen Partners, has invested in myriad properties along Lincoln Avenue in downtown Willow Glen, including the Garden Theater, helping to revamp the area.

He also owns stakes in several Willow Glen restaurants including The Table and Lamella Tavern, and rents to longtime outposts like Aqui, he said. Mulcahy also oversaw redevelopment of the former Sun Garden tomato cannery on Monterey Road, which his family owned since the 1940s before it shut down. The area is now the Sun Garden shopping center.

Motivated to help grow the affordable housing stock, Mulcahy said he wants to collaborate with other councilmembers to incentivize developers to build in San Jose.

Residents aren’t fans of funding additional housing through costly tax measures like the once-proposed $20 billion Bay Area regional housing bond.

“We have to increase our ability to have people be able to afford to live in this community by creating more jobs, high-wage jobs, as much as we can,” Mulcahy told San José Spotlight. “I do not think that we can tax our way out of the situation.

San Jose resident Navarro is the South Bay Labor Council’s pick, and also describes herself as the Democratic Party candidate.

She has led groups within the Democratic Party that include the Chicano Latino Caucus, Stonewall LGBTQ+ Democratic Club and Movimiento Democratic Coalition. Navarro said she would bring her experience in uniting labor and business groups to City Hall. 

Working as an insurance agent by day, Navarro said she considered herself a soccer mom before developing a passion for helping residents who provide care for their children and elderly parents not just in Willow Glen, but through the entire district.

Since the beginning of their campaigns, Mulcahy has raised $598,635 in contributions. Olivia Navarro has raised $101,279, with $5,000 in loans. 

This story will be updated