Four candidates are vying to succeed termed out progressive Councilmember Sergio Jimenez in District 2 in South San Jose, which stretches from the border of Morgan Hill up to Sylvandale Avenue, and comprises Oak Grove, Coyote Creek and Blossom Valley.
Babu Prasad, who works in the admittance department for Kaiser Permanente, and owns a local Stop N Save, was the first candidate to submit his bid for the District 2 seat. He has served on the board of directors for the Hayes Neighborhood Association, as an advisor for a Nepalese cultural nonprofit, and as a shop steward for SEIU-UHW. He has been endorsed by the South Bay Labor Council, as well as Congressman Ro Khanna and Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez.
Jimenez’s chief of staff, Vanessa Sandoval, is running to replace the man she has worked for for the last seven years. In addition to Jimenez, she has also received endorsements from City Councilwoman Dev Davis and Pam Foley, as well as Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas.
Pamela Campos, a San Jose native, is making a first-time run for elected office. She works as a policy and program officer for the Low Income Investment Fund, one of the largest real estate investors in low-income neighborhoods around the U.S., and serves as vice chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Policy Advisory Council. She has been endorsed by Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg and former San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales.
In addition to its sole endorsement of Babu Prasad, the South Bay Labor Council gave open endorsements to both Campos and Sandoval.
Retired Santa Clara County Sergeant Joe Lopez, 72, is the most conservative candidate in the race. He ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2016. He is endorsed by the California Association of Realtors, the Silicon Valley Biz PAC, and the San Jose Police Officers’ Association
On housing, homelessness and Measure E:
- Prasad: Supports emergency housing to get people off the street as well as building more long-term affordable housing.
- Sandoval: Emphasizes the importance of long-term housing for the city’s unhoused residents. “We need to figure out how we streamline supportive housing… because folks need somewhere to go once they’ve been stabilized.”
- Campos: Says San Jose needs to be a “developer-friendly city so that we’re building the housing we need at every level of affordability.” Also supports strengthening tenants’ rights.
- Lopez: Says District 2 has carried more than its fair share of weight in building new housing for the homeless. He wants the city to require unhoused residents to stay in shelters to reduce the number of people living on the streets.
On revitalizing downtown:
- Sandoval: Wants to work with nonprofits to fill vacant storefronts, focus on walkable streets, and increase housing downtown.
- Prasad: Wants to clean up downtown and create more attractive activities there.
- Lopez: Wants to convert downtown office and retail space into housing, and get homeless people off the streets there.
- Campos: Wants to build further housing downtown, as well as create further opportunities for small business success.
On policing and public safety:
- Sandoval: Wants to increase staffing of police and fire departments.
- Lopez: Wants to increase staffing, and ensure that, even in the face of looming deficits, the city doesn’t lay off officers.
- Campos: Wants to invest in community centers for youth development, and improve de-escalation training for police officers.
- Prasad: Says the city should expand dialogue between residents and officers, beef up its traffic enforcement, and expand mental health resources for vulnerable populations.