{"id":3455,"date":"2026-07-01T11:38:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T11:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455"},"modified":"2026-07-01T11:38:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T11:38:35","slug":"top-two-candidates-set-for-three-san-jose-council-runoffs-in-november","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455","title":{"rendered":"Top two candidates set for three San Jose council runoffs in November"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Nearly a month after the June primary, the final matchups between the top two candidates for three San Jose City Council seats are officially set for the November general election, with the eventual winners playing a key role in shaping the policy and economic direction of the Bay Area\u2019s largest city.<\/p>\n

Read more What patriotism looks like in Los Gatos as America turns 250<\/a><\/p>\n

Though the frontrunners emerged early on in each of the districts, the runner-ups remained close with thin margins between the remaining candidates.<\/p>\n

Tuesday,\u00a0the final certified vote guaranteed a face-off in District 9, the city\u2019s only open seat, between frontrunner Genny Altwer, a family therapist and former police officer, and Gordon Chester, a public works staffer focused on housing. In East San Jose\u2019s District 5, incumbent Peter Ortiz faces a comeback challenge from former lawmaker Nora Campos, who held the seat more than a decade ago. Meanwhile, in District 7, incumbent and former firefighter Bien Doan will square off against school board trustee Van Le.<\/p>\n

The top two candidates in San Jose\u2019s City Council races are vying for seats at a time when the city has little fiscal room and immense pressure to deliver public services to nearly 1 million people, as it continues to deal with homelessness, public safety and a race to build sufficient housing.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Chester called his second-place finish a \u201cvictory for a people-powered campaign and a community that refused to be counted out.\u201d He secured 22.23% of the vote, edging out Scott Hughes, who took 18.96% of the vote. Hughes serves as chief of staff to incumbent Councilmember Pam Foley, who is stepping down due to term limits. Altwer captured a commanding first-place lead with 35.55% of the vote.<\/p>\n

Chester said securing the runoff slot reflects the priorities \u201cresidents shared at their doors: safe, clean neighborhoods and real, compassionate solutions to homelessness and housing for young adults, growing families, and seniors who want to retire near loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

His campaign touted Chester\u2019s support for small businesses, better transportation options, and a City Hall that \u201canswers to residents rather than special interests.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although a newcomer to city politics, Altwer has raised the most funds among her opponents and secured key endorsements from big names in politics, business, and some labor unions, momentum she believes shows her message is landing with the community. Her priorities include maintaining sufficient police staffing, expanding affordable housing, and addressing homelessness both legally and through health services.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cClearly, those issues are resonating with the primary election results,\u201d Altwer said Tuesday. \u201cThe plan is continuing to get the message out there \u2013 that I\u2019m the candidate who is going to get the tough job done in San Jose.\u201d<\/p>\n

She emphasized that her \u201creal-world\u201d experience as a business owner, licensed therapist and someone who has worked with victims of crime has helped her connect with residents.<\/p>\n

In the working-class neighborhoods of District 5, where Latino and Asian Americans represent about 90% of the population, Campos, who secured 20.27% of the vote, faces a rematch with Ortiz, who is seeking a second term after capturing nearly 45% of the vote. Campos previously held the seat from 2001 to 2010 before serving in the state Assembly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re grateful for the strong support we\u2019ve received from the voters across the district and are excited to be advancing to the runoff,\u201d Campos told this news organization Monday. \u201cThe results confirm what we\u2019ve been hearing at the doors for months: people are ready for a change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Opinion: As debate rages over Iran deal, let\u2019s acknowledge how much we have already lost<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

She said her campaign will continue focusing on the issues that matter most to residents in the district, including safe neighborhoods, clean streets, affordable housing, greater accountability, \u201cand a city government that responds and delivers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ortiz, who is currently spearheading an economic revitalization campaign for the East Side \u2013 which he says has been historically neglected when it comes to development plans \u2013 said previously he was extremely proud of his large lead in the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s gratifying to see that the voters share our priorities for the future\u2026 We look forward to building on this vote total and continuing the campaign toward reelection in November,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In District 7, the heart of the city\u2019s Vietnamese community, the race has been heavily defined by personal political friction. However, second-place finisher Le, an East Side Union High School District trustee who secured 22.44% of the vote, kept her focus on policy issues when reached for comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m honored and humbled by the trust the voters of District 7 have placed in me,\u201d she said. \u201cThis campaign has never been about politics as usual. It\u2019s about making sure the voices of our neighborhoods are finally heard at City Hall.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said residents want safer neighborhoods, cleaner streets and \u201cpractical solutions to homelessness, support for small business, and a city government that delivers results instead of excuses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doan fell a little over 2% short of avoiding a runoff with almost 48% of the vote. He said his priorities include making San Jose \u201cmore business friendly\u201d and had been preparing for the runoff weeks before the certified vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe keep our eyes on the real goal, to support our community and address immigrants\u2019 needs \u2013 and continue to reduce the amount of homeless and make it the safest city in the nation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The final vote of Measure A, the hotel tax written to help fill a budget gap in the recently approved budget, passed with 67.05%.<\/p>\n

Councilmembers Rosemary Kamei (District 1) and Anthony Tordillos (District 3) ran unopposed.<\/p>\n

Read more Horoscopes July 1, 2026: Liv Tyler, money and emotions won\u2019t mix<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

San Jose council runoff candidates face tight budgets and intense pressure to address homelessness, public safety and housing demands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTop two candidates set for three San Jose council runoffs in November - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top two candidates set for three San Jose council runoffs in November - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"San Jose council runoff candidates face tight budgets and intense pressure to address homelessness, public safety and housing demands.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-01T11:38:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Top two candidates set for three San Jose council runoffs in November\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T11:38:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455\"},\"wordCount\":949,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ba1e5eb2d92c4cf737e58f9f5850ebb8.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455\",\"name\":\"Top two candidates set for three San Jose council runoffs in November - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ba1e5eb2d92c4cf737e58f9f5850ebb8.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T11:38:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ba1e5eb2d92c4cf737e58f9f5850ebb8.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ba1e5eb2d92c4cf737e58f9f5850ebb8.webp\",\"width\":921,\"height\":714},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3455#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Top two candidates set for three San Jose council runoffs in November\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Top two candidates set for three San Jose council runoffs in November - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Top two candidates set for three San Jose council runoffs in November - Next City Digest","og_description":"San Jose council runoff candidates face tight budgets and intense pressure to address homelessness, public safety and housing demands.","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-07-01T11:38:35+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"Top two candidates set for three San Jose council runoffs in November","datePublished":"2026-07-01T11:38:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455"},"wordCount":949,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ba1e5eb2d92c4cf737e58f9f5850ebb8.webp","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455","name":"Top two candidates set for three San Jose council runoffs in November - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ba1e5eb2d92c4cf737e58f9f5850ebb8.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-01T11:38:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ba1e5eb2d92c4cf737e58f9f5850ebb8.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ba1e5eb2d92c4cf737e58f9f5850ebb8.webp","width":921,"height":714},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3455#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Top two candidates set for three San Jose council runoffs in November"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}