Carol Hoffman Opens Up About Her Bid for Campbell Council 

Carol Hoffman, 57, a program manager at a high tech company, is up against Sergio Lopez for Campbell City Council’s newly created District 2 seat in 2020. Hoffman touts her experience as a community organizer from her tenures as the vice chair for the town’s Civic Improvement Commission and founder of the Campbell Police Foundation, a nonprofit that fundraises for Campbell Police Department.

Hoffman says she never intended to be a politician, but with an open seat for Campbell’s District 2, which was formed after the town’s recent transition to district elections, she jumped at the chance to support the community that she has called home for the past 30 years. “I am the antithesis of a politician,” she says. “Being a politician is not the point at all. I want to be there to support the city that I absolutely adore.”

Ensuring public safety is Hoffman’s priority, she promises. Through the Campbell Police Foundation, she fundraised for the police department to purchase GPS devices for bait packages to arrest so-called porch pirates—that is, thieves who steal packages from residents’ doorsteps. As package theft has become a growing problem in Bay Area cities, Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell) has introduced SB 1210 to increase the penalty for package theft from a misdemeanor to a felony.

And as housing costs continue to rise in the Bay Area, Hoffman wants to ease restrictions on accessory dwelling units (known as ADUs) to increase housing options for residents.

“I was a renter too,” Hoffman says. “To buy a house was not easy. I have a mother and a daughter who renters living in the area.”

An ADU, or granny flat, is a small living unit on the property of a single-family home. Housing advocates see ADUs as a way to increase housing supply and provide more affordable housing options, especially for elderlies and young adults.

There has been ongoing discussions in Campbell council to remove the 10,000 square-foot minimum requirement to build an ADU.

“I have a personal interest in making sure that people have options,” Hoffman says. “So many people are trying to find the best way to have some land. They have family members who may need a caretaker, maybe a place for their children.”

Campbell isn’t the only city looking to ease restrictions on constructing ADUs. In June, San Jose passed a series of changes to permit granny flats to be built on high-density residential developments. Assemblywoman Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) and co-author state Sen. Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) have introduced AB 670 to reduce restrictions on ADU construction.

Hoffman has yet to receive any endorsements, while Lopez has garnered support from local council members and former Assembly members. But Hoffman, the 2018 Campbell Citizen of the Year, will no doubt give the young Lopez a run for his money.

Nicholas Chan is a journalist who covers politics, culture and current events in Silicon Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @nicholaschanhk.

4 Comments

  1. Hey Carol, O do not live in Campbell but have relatives and friends that do. I will work on them supporting you. I do not know if you are a Republicant or Democrat or something else. We need regular individuals who truly care about our communities to run for offices now. This is the way we can take those career oriented politicians that only care about themselves out of their position. Vote Carol people! Nicholas Chan, now this what I call equally of the genders! Sergio had his own promotion; this is Carol’s.

  2. Hoffman has yet to receive any endorsements…

    Well then, let me be the first to endorse her!

    She’s got my support… because Lopez.

    Does anyone need a better reason?

    IS there a better reason?

  3. Thank you to Senator Bob Wieckowski for introducing SB 13 to lower the financial and administrative hurdles to buidling ADUs!

  4. I run with Carol in the Kaiser Personal Best. She’s a great person. She will do an outstanding job res presenting you.

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