Personal Injury Law
San Jose’s Mayoral Race: Labor’s Challenge in Finding a Candidate In a historic move, San Jose will align its mayoral race with the presidential election for the first time ever. This decision was championed by labor leaders who hoped to boost voter turnout and elect a progressive mayor. However, Silicon Valley’s powerful labor lobby is facing a significant challenge – they currently have no candidate to run for the seat. With the filing deadline for political office approaching, labor leaders are scrambling to find a viable candidate to challenge the incumbent, Mayor Matt Mahan. Last year, labor leaders placed their bets on Supervisor Cindy Chavez, but she was defeated by Mahan, a business-backed moderate Democrat. This unexpected outcome left labor with no strong candidates in the mayoral race. It is an unprecedented situation considering labor’s previous victory in moving the election to favor progressives and securing a majority on the San Jose City Council. Garrick Percival, a political observer and professor at San Jose State University, suggests that labor relied heavily on Chavez and did not develop a strong bench of potential candidates. With the shorter two-year mayoral term, finding a high-quality candidate who is well-connected, has name recognition, and can raise funds within a limited timeframe is a challenging task. While some labor-backed candidates may still file to run for mayor before the deadline, the absence of a clear frontrunner poses a significant obstacle. The lack of a strong bench has been a long-standing flaw that has hindered labor’s efforts in San Jose, according to a major donor who backed Chavez last year. The donor points out that it is challenging to assemble the necessary financial resources to take on an incumbent mayor in such a short amount of time. Jean Cohen, executive director of the South Bay Labor Council, remains optimistic, suggesting that candidates from various sectors who believe in better leadership for San Jose may emerge. However, sources indicate that labor leaders have already polled several names, including Councilmember Sergio Jimenez and former Councilmember Don Rocha, both of whom have confirmed they are not running. Victor Gomez, a lobbyist and former chief of staff at city hall, predicts that progressives and labor leaders do not currently have a candidate strong enough to challenge Mahan. Gomez believes that labor will instead focus on winning council seats to expand its majority on the city council, as the mayor’s voting power is essentially the same as that of the other councilmembers in San Jose’s weak-mayor system. Running for mayor in a city as large as San Jose is a costly endeavor. Last year’s mayoral race between Mahan and Chavez was the most expensive in city history, with special interests spending over $4 million to support their candidates. Despite being outspent, Mahan secured a stunning victory against Chavez. Considering the limited time remaining, there is skepticism about the prospects of a labor-backed candidate entering the race. Candidates typically announce their runs for office as early as August in Silicon Valley, especially with the early primary election in March. Mahan has been campaigning since August 4th. Incumbent Mayor Matt Mahan can point to his voting record and his initiatives to address issues such as blight, homelessness, and public safety. However, he has faced challenges during his first year in office, including a historic strike by the city’s largest unions and the rejection of his proposal to reallocate revenue from a voter-approved measure. While Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, Assemblymember Ash Kalra, and even Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren have been mentioned as potential labor-backed candidates, it remains uncertain if any of them will enter the race. Supervisor Cindy Chavez has confirmed that she will not be running again. Although it may be late for a candidate to join the race and win, former Councilmember Don Rocha believes that it still presents an opportunity to raise important issues that may not currently be discussed under the current administration. As personal injury bloggers, we are observing this mayoral race closely, as it highlights the challenges and strategies involved in political campaigning. Whether it is the struggle to find a viable candidate or the need for substantial financial resources, the race for mayor in San Jose serves as a reminder of the complexities of running for public office.
November 10, 2023
