With San José State being inside San José’s District 3 according to a city council map, students and staff on campus have plenty to talk about concerning the upcoming special election.
The special election is the result of the resignation of former District 3 Councilmember Omar Torres, who was arrested for three felony counts of child molestation, according to a March 3 article from San José Spotlight.
With Torres out of office, there are currently seven candidates competing for the seat.
The candidates for District 3 include: Mayoral Deputy Chief of Staff Matthew Quevedo, Gabby Chavez-Lopez, executive director for the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley and Pro Tem Judge Irene Smith. Additional candidates on the ballot are: Adam Duran, former Santa Clara County lieutenant, Anthony Tordillos, city council planning commission chair, Philip Dolan, a knife sharpener salesman and Tyrone Wade, a retired family counselor.
Jason Ross, a fourth-year political science student at SJSU, lives in Downtown San José and works in Japantown, both areas that are a part of District 3.
Because Ross lives in the district, he said he has been staying informed on the race for the council seat.
“San José State is in District 3 (and) surrounding us is all of the downtown area,” Ross said. “Whoever wins this election is going to be in charge of the surrounding area.”
SJSU is located near the southwestern portion of District 3, according to an interactive map on the City Council's website.When it comes to candidate support, Ross expressed his support for Quevedo.
“I feel like his policies align more with mine (and) I see that he does have a decent amount of experience behind him to help him accomplish some good things,” Ross said.
Quevedo helped San José Mayor Matt Mahan launch neighborhood associations and was involved in the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which managed to secure funds for Bay Area projects such as Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), in San José, according to his campaign webpage.
The District 3 candidate and SJSU alumnus also served as the Director of Housing, Transportation and Community Engagement Policy in the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, according to his LinkedIn page.
Nahum Hintsa, a third-year political science student at SJSU, also voiced his support for Quevedo in the race.
“He’s a great guy and very honest; he doesn’t lie about what he wants to do,” Hintsa said. “He has the most experience in my book (and) he knows what it takes to listen to voters.”
Although Hintsa supports Quevedo, he also agrees with some of Tordillos’s answers to questions that were asked at the District 3 forum last Thursday at the San José Woman’s Club.
Tordillos plans to fight for business owners and fill empty storefronts as well as empower neighborhoods and strengthen community voices, according to his campaign website.
Hintsa has volunteered for Quevedo’s campaign since January, engaging in activities including canvassing throughout the district and phone banking.
“I’ve enjoyed it so far (and) there’s no reason for me to complain,” Hintsa said. “Everybody I’ve worked with (has) been great; it made me more experienced in my field of work that I want to do in the future.”
Because of Chavez-Lopez’s endorsements, Hintsa said he sees her as Quevedo’s biggest competition in this race.
Chavez-Lopez is currently backed by Bay Area groups including the South Bay Labor Council, Santa Clara County Democratic Party and San José Fire Fighters, according to her campaign webpage.
“I’ve done my research a little bit about Gabby; she has the backing of South Bay labor unions, some of the members on the San José assembly (and) other elected officials,” Hintsa said.
Chavez-Lopez is also endorsed by the State Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas, California State Senator Dave Cortese, Betty Duong, Santa Clara County District 2 supervisor and a few other current and former politicians which are also listed on her campaign webpage.
Regarding SJSU support for Chavez-Lopez, Associated Students Vice President Chima Nwokolo has been volunteering on her campaign.
“Gabby Chavez-Lopez is the candidate that resonates with me because of her years of service in the community as the executive director of the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley and her commitment to fostering pro-labor policies,” Nwokolo said.
Chavez-Lopez has a commitment to closing the wage gap for Latinas in addition to creating a more equitable community, according to a webpage from the Santa Clara University Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Latinas in Silicon Valley experience the largest wage gap of any major city area in California, making an average median salary of $34,400 in 2022 compared to white males who had a median salary of $102,000, which was reported by the Hispanas Organized for Political Economy, according to an Oct. 18, 2024 article from San José Spotlight.
Even with Nwokolo backing Chavez-Lopez, he voiced his agreement with Duran’s take on addressing houselessness.
“Even though he sounds a little more conservative, I agree with Adam Duran that to really fix the homelessness crisis not just in San José but in California in general, you need to open up mental health facilities back up again for the homeless to get the right treatment they need,” Nwokolo said.
Duran proposes mandatory treatment in addition to an increase in mental health and drug addiction facilities for unhoused individuals, according to his campaign webpage.
Being in the realm of politics on the campus level, Nwokolo urges students at SJSU to be more informed about the special election.
“Politics is your life; especially local politics because that has the biggest impact in your neighborhood and community, so it’s important to take it seriously,” Nwokolo said.
