With a little over a month left until election day, San José City Council’s District 3 candidates are continuing to make efforts to sway district residents to vote for them.
This election follows the resignation of former District 3 councilmember Omar Torres who was arrested for child molestation charges, according to an article from KQED.
On Monday, Torres pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to a March 3 article from San José Spotlight.
Meanwhile, over the weekend, candidates Matthew Quevedo and Gabby Chavez-Lopez both hosted canvassing events for their District 3 campaigns at Backesto Park.
Both of them were accompanied by former local politicians who expressed their support for their respective candidates.
Quevedo had support from former Milpitas Mayor Bob Livengood, who was also a former trustee on the San José Evergreen Community College District, according to a webpage from the board.
“Our job is to spend the next five weeks doing voter outreach every chance we get,” Livengood said. “This is what is going to make the difference in this campaign.”
Having prior experience in running for a position in local politics, Livengood took the time to inform voters how crucial the last few weeks before election day can be for a candidate.
“I’m really happy to help Matthew in the final stretch of this campaign,” Livengood said. “I’ve ran a few of these before and I know that the last four or five weeks are the most important weeks for a campaign.”
Former San José vice mayor Madison Nguyen was also at the park on Saturday in support of Quevedo’s campaign.
Nguyen is also one of Quevedo’s endorsements, according to a webpage from his campaign website.
“We really need someone who’s experienced to lead downtown and District 3 and that’s Matthew Quevedo,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen was on the San José City Council from 2005-2014, according to her LinkedIn page.
Nguyen has worked with Quevedo when he was one of her interns when she was on the San José City Council.
“Talking about experience, more than almost 20 years ago he came to my office, interned with me (and) now he’s running, so I’m so proud to support him,” Nguyen said.
Quevedo also received an endorsement from The Mercury News, according to a March 3 editorial from their website.
In regards to Quevedo and his campaign for the seat, The Mercury News said, “In this race, Quevedo has the most policy and political experience and the best approaches to solving San José’s problems. District 3 voters should elect him,” according to the same editorial.
Nguyen said she agreed with the publication’s decision to support Quevedo’s campaign for the council.
“I absolutely agree with The Mercury News that he is the best (and) the most well-versed, qualified (and) most articulate candidate who knows public policy (and) who is going to bring great results for downtown residents,” Nguyen said.
Chavez-Lopez was supported on Saturday by San José police officer and former District 3 councilman Raul Peralez, who is endorsing Chavez-Lopez according to her campaign website.
“I will say that it was very easy for me to be able to get behind and support someone like Gabby not only because I’ve known her personally, but because I’ve seen her professionally,” Peralez said. “I’ve seen her dedication to the community and I know that this is the individual that our district needs right now to be able to help us overcome this challenging time.”
Another supporter of Chavez-Lopez’s campaign is Darcie Green, executive director of Latinas Contra Cancer, who also served as a field representative for the California State Assembly from 2005-2009 according to Green’s LinkedIn page.
Latinas Contra Cancer is a non-profit organization that advocates for Latinos pertaining to the issues of cancer according to its webpage.
The organization offers programs such as health education, rental, financial assistance and many other services, according to the same source.
“I’ve known Gabby for a long time and Gabby is qualified,” Green said. “Gabby is effective, Gabby is passionate and to me most importantly, Gabby is hopeful.”
Green is also a member at large for Democratic Activists for Women Now (DAWN), according to the organization’s webpage. This organization makes it a priority to support campaigns for Democratic, progressive and pro-choice women and men, according to the same source.
“DAWN is the club within the Democratic Party that is focused on making sure that the leadership of women is at the forefront of the party, but also that the issues that impact us and the community are also at the forefront,” Green said.
Chavez-Lopez is endorsed by DAWN, according to a webpage from the organization.
“We know Gabby is going to be a champion for women and for everyone here in the district, in the city and also in the region,” Green said.
Carol Garvey, vice president of membership for DAWN, was also at Backesto Park in support of Chavez-Lopez.
“Gabby brings the lens of a working single mother,” Garvey said. “Balancing all the things you have to do (including) childcare, putting food on the table, paying the rent and all that just has a more holistic view of things and I think that's what we need right now.”
District 3 candidate Anthony Tordillos also hosted a canvassing event at Backesto Park according to the Instagram page for his campaign, but did not stay too long because of the Sacred Heart Community Service Forum that took place at Notre Dame High School on the same day, which can also be seen on the same Instagram account.
District 3 Candidate Irene Smith also attended this forum according to her campaign website. The rest of the candidates Adam Duran, Tyrone Wade and Philip Dolan did not host any events over the weekend to the Spartan Daily’s knowledge.
The candidates are scheduled to participate in another forum on Thursday at the San José Woman’s Club from 6:30-8:00 p.m., according to a webpage from Eventbrite.
