The final decision for who gets the $300,000-plus-per-year job running day-to-day operations of San Diego County could come in the next few weeks.

How to spend approximately $1.5 billion in 2023-24 will be the first big test of political power for the mayor.

Independent political action committees were big spenders for the 2022 mayoral candidates.

The city’s shifting demographics, a continuing affordable housing shortage, endemic homelessness, a looming budget deficit and the reality of five council elections – plus another mayoral ballot – in just two years create additional uncertainties.

Councilmember Kamei was elected to San José City Council last  year with over 60% of the popular vote, representing District 1 in West San José.

Arjun Batra led on all three ballots during the council selection process, which required a two-thirds majority to win.

The vote came after six hours of interviews, comments and deliberations on the merits of five finalists who had been picked by the council last week. The process had been abruptly interrupted at 7pm by “an urgent adjournment to a closed session” to consider allegations that Candelas had been given questions in advance.

When a divided San Jose City Council decided in December to appoint rather than hold an election to fill two vacant seats in 2023, they pledged the process would be 'transparent.' 

Armed with the results of a new poll that shows overwhelming popular support for a special election to fill vacant District 8 and District 10 seats, council members next week may reconsider a plan rejected by a largely lame-duck city council last month.

Prior to her election to the city council in June, Kamei served as a Morgan Hill planning commissioner, a trustee of the Santa Clara Valley Water district and a member of the Santa Clara County Board of Education.

In a Tuesday interview, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan discussed prioritizing public safety and accelerating housing construction to address the homelessness crisis.

Nearly 100 committees are sitting on $35 million in leftover campaign funds for California legislative seats and statewide offices, including one for 29th District Assembly member Mark Stone, who did not seek re-election this year. 

Despite passionate and eloquent pleas from the City Hall audience, the Dec. 5 San Jose City Council decision wasn’t about taxpayers’ money, or voters’ rights. Cash, political power and private conversations not streamed on Zoom won the night.

The vacancies were created by the November election, when District 8 Councilmember Sylvia Arenas was elected as the District 1 representative on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and District 10 Councilmember Matt Mahan was elected mayor.

Nearly one-third of lawmakers — at least 37 of 120 — will be new to Sacramento, paving the way for new political dynamics and new legislative priorities.

Jonsen's 7,163-vote margin, with approximately 19,000 ballots outstanding, meant that Jensen would need nearly 70% of the remaining ballots to edge past Jonsen. As of 1pm today, Jensen had not conceded the race.