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.

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.

Mahan’s new committees including council members, staff and community representatives will center around key issues raised by his mayoral campaign.

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

A year ago, on January 5, Rosemary Kamei told Fly she was running for San Jose City Council. And six months later, she stomped on two opponents, winning the city’s District 1 council seat outright in the primary, with nearly two-thirds of the vote. Now, a year later, she’s positioned to be named the city’s vice mayor, an announcement we’re expecting any minute now.

A sure bet for Team Mahan is Matthew Quevedo, the new mayor’s campaign manager and former council office chief of staff, whose online profile says he’s deputy chief of staff. And Rachel Davis already posted her new job as Mahan’s communications chief, just in time for floods and rains.

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.

Mayor-elect Matt Mahan's emphasis on unhoused residents resonated with respondents in the latest San Jose Inside Power Poll.

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.

General election victories by Councillmembers Matt Mahan and Sylvia Arenas created two upcoming vacancies on the San Jose City Council., which will decide how to fill the vacated seats of Districts 8 and 10.

Mahan said he appreciated Chavez' 'most gracious concession in the true spirit of our robust democracy,' and congratulated her on a strong campaign.

Matt Mahan today widened his lead over Cindy Chavez with an estimated 90% of mayoral ballots counted. In order to win, Chavez would need to get more than 60% of the remaining ballots. Her vote totals haven’t come close to that percentage in the eight days of counting since Election Day.

Chavez would have to increase her winning percentage of the approximately 57,000 uncounted ballots to 55%, in order to wipe out Mahan's lead.

The Sunday ballot count in the San Jose mayoral election showed Mahan with 103,241 votes,  or 50.89%. Chavez had 98,610 votes, or 49.11%.